Marriage Actually - An honest look at marriage

Tax Season Is Upon Us!

by Bald Man on January 18th, 2008

It’s back, as faithfully as ever. If you’re not looking forward to another tax season, remember the alternative. 4 out of 5 dentists surveys agree: Taxes are better than Death!

We’ll probably talk about this some more in the coming weeks, but for now, let me suggest you file early and file often. (Not sure what that last bit means.) Seriously, start now. Even if you have reason to wait until the last minute, get everything done and ready early, so you and your spouse aren’t at each others throats on the 14th of April. Unlike the dentist statistic above, it is true that disagreements over finances are a leading cause of divorce.

For example, I have done the taxes our entire married life… and for a year or two before that as well. It’s the right division of labor for us. (Thanks to an employer who’s quick with the W-2 and a nice Child Tax Credit, I e-Filed for our refund last night.) That said, I do my best to make sure Kerri is aware of what’s going on. Truth be told, she’s only marginally interested and doesn’t understand a lot of it (because she’s only marginally interested and hasn’t needed to understand it with any depth.) But, I tell her as much as she’ll bear to listen each year for two reasons.

First, I want her to have some clue what I’ve done in case something happens to me. She may not know the details, but if I die and someone is helping her get the finances in order, I want there to be some memory of what I’ve done in the back of her mind.

Second, it’s a matter of accountability. If one person keeps the books and the other doesn’t have any clue what’s going on, it can become too tempting for the first person to start playing games that lead to trouble. Sometimes the games are sinister; but my gut is they are most often good faith attempts to protect the uninformed spouse from some family misfortune or mistake. By keeping Kerri in the financial loop - sometimes by force - I reduce my own opportunity and temptation to try to play games with the numbers. For better or worse, we stay on the same page pursuing the same goals and facing the same obstacles.

image

Share This

POSTED IN: Marriage & Money