Lynn Cramer and her husband Sam were creatives from Bend, OR. They had separate accounts, but wanted to be aligned when it came to building their future together. After five sessions, I asked Lynn to share what they gained from the experience.
What stood out to you during our initial sessions?
It was really hard to start but things got a little better every meeting. Claire made it as peaceful and smooth as possible. We weren’t in a great place when we began but felt better at the end of each session.
What was the most eye-opening part of this process?
We had a long conversation on how my husband and I each viewed money and then when it was time to look at our numbers, I was shocked at how out of the loop I was on my husband’s financial status. The amount we had in our main account was a lot lower that I thought it would be. It was really emotional to see that number but also made me realize that we needed to communicate more. Claire suggested scheduling “money dates” once a month to go over our finances and check in with each other.
Were you able to “find” any extra money by tweaking your monthly spending?
Claire showed us different ways to gain back more money in our spending ranging from easy changes to more difficult. She let us choose the pace we wanted to go at. We put the extra into savings and towards debt. Claire showed us how much of our money was going toward principal compared to interest and when we would be able to pay everything off by.
How will this process shape your relationship going forward?
My husband and I have opened up our dialogue around money. The “money dates” will help us review where we’re both at and check our progress. Neither of us wanted the other person evaluating our spending so Claire helped us set up automated payments that will send parts of our separate incomes into a shared “goals” account.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I liked that there was just as much time spent on talking about the emotions around money as there was talking about numbers. We’ll apply the practical tips but what the meetings did for our relationship was well worth the investment. I highly recommend Claire if approaching the topic of money with your partner feels too overwhelming.