When you are looking into building a future with someone, be it in relationships, or going as far as marriage, it is crucial to get your financial game on point.

There is nothing as beautiful as two people who are head over heels with each other, who also take time to discuss their finances and planning together as well.

At the end of the day, relationships are not about butterflies, there are crucial aspects that will enquire proper financial planning, to have a more fulfilling marital journey.In an interview with WeekendLife, self-proclaimed �Financial Doctor� Kago Keotshwaetse, highlighted why financial knowledge is key in any relationship and marriages.

�Before you jump into that proverbial land of marital bliss, it is time to have some conversations with your spouse-to-be about money and pre-marital finance counselling. When you are dating your loved one, and about to get married, you drift into a world of pure bliss where none of the worries or responsibilities can bug you.

You are far from the reality where a financial checklist before marriage or finance harmony is not even on the list,� he said.�But, pre-marriage financial counselling is absolutely a serious matter which doesn�t deserve to be missed before you tie the knot. The number one reason that marriages end in divorce today is, without a doubt, money problems.

Whether it be the lack of communication about personal or joint finances, own spending habits, the lack of sufficient income to support the desired lifestyle, or individual financial situations that stem from each person�s life before their relationship with one another, financial issues are the crux of the majority of marital problems.�

Premarital financial counselling allows to both partners to establish their financial goals, debts and setting a joint budget. This is to avoid financial stress and tension.�Perhaps even more importantly, pre-marriage financial counselling can guide couples to prepare their premarital questionnaire. This will help them to learn what questions on marital finances to ask.

Couples� financial counselling and premarital financial planning can help both partners learn how to ask uncomfortable questions about current and past financial habits and issues,�� Keotshwaetse explained.

PREMARITAL QUESTIONS ON FINANCIAL MATTERS

1.Combine or separate?
Although some couples keep different accounts, some prefer to have a joint account. It is always important for couples to decide whether they combine or separate their accounts. �Some couples maintain separate bank accounts, have designated certain expenses that each are responsible for, and pretty much operate under the mantra �what he/she does with his/her money is his/her own business. Others prefer to function with joint accounts with one or both partners overseeing all financial obligations,� Keotshwaetse said.

2.Short term and long term financial goals?
Establishing financial priorities together is always key, also considering your monthly budget.
�Are you willing to cut back on dining out so that you can afford to stay at the on-site resort during your next vacation? Or are you perfectly happy staying at the budget-friendly motel off-site so that you can have your weekly dinner date at your favourite pricey restaurant? What�s the bigger priority � ensuring your budget includes weekly shopping trips for the newest clothes and gadgets, or saving up for your first home, paying your cell phone bills, and have hot water?��

�What about those longer-term goals, such as paying for your future children�s needs and wants (preschool tuition, new bikes, clothes to cover their ever-growing bodies), the cost of higher education, etcetera? Do you plan on paying their way 100%, just covering tuition, or making them earn their way through college with scholarships and jobs?� he asked rhetorically.

3. What are you going to talk about in your budget?
While it could be uncomfortable to discuss financial matters in relationships, it is also healthy to discuss financial matters, to have a healthy financial flow.�A quick update or touch-base with each other on how you are doing with sticking to your monthly budget, any significant progress or roadblocks with relation to your short and long-term goals, etc. will go a long way towards solidifying your financial relationship and situation,� he said.

4. What are your savings plans?
While many new couples today don�t believe that having a savings plan is necessary, especially with many living from pay check to pay check, saving is a crucial part of managing your marriage and finance.
Nobody is indispensable, and if you think that you or your significant other have an entirely secure job and that nothing could happen, think again.

There is a very good chance that one or both of you will be impacted by job loss at some point in your lives at least once. It�s essential to have about 3-6 months of savings tucked away for when the inevitable occurs.

Have a savings budget in your monthly expenses budget, and take that money out first, before anything else, so that you do not cave to the urge to spend it with the mind-set of �oh we will just add a little extra in next month.�

�Discussing finances before you walk down the aisle removes one more of those fun �surprises� you are about to encounter. So, it is therefore not a bad idea to go for pre-marriage financial counselling sessions much before you begin your actual wedding preparations,� Keotshwaetse concluded.