Money and relationships may not go together as well as chocolate and wine, but if you’re in a serious relationship or getting into one, here are some tips on how you can find financial harmony with your partner.

Open up about your goals

A stable relationship often involves planning a future. It’s important to discuss with your partner what this may look like, whether it’s moving in together, buying a house or planning a wedding. Setting goals together and making plans on how to achieve them can help strengthen your relationship further.

Talk about your money values

Knowing where each other stands financially is important when it comes to building a future together. It’s likely that you’re in different financial situations, with different incomes, assets and debts. Communicating your money values and your financial priorities can help you understand one another better, so you can identify a more suitable approach to achieve your goals together.

Our attitudes toward money are largely due to different backgrounds and experiences. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about this out of the blue, you can start by telling each other your money stories, any particular financial successes or failures you’ve encountered or how your parents handled money and whether that has made an impact on how you view money, etc. Thinking about why you feel the way you do about money can help create understanding in the relationship.

Be honest about your finances

The more serious your relationship gets, the trickier money issues can be. So, it’s important to communicate your finances early on in the relationship and set some financial boundaries before you decide to share your finances or get a loan together.

Start by listing out how much you spend, what you own and what you owe, so you both understand each other’s financial situation. Here is a list of questions to help you navigate this conversation.

• How much do you earn?
• Do you follow a budget?
• What are you currently paying for both of us?
• Do you pay your credit card balance in full every month?
• What are your regular expenses?
• Do you have any investments?
• Do you have any debts or loans?
• What assets do you have?
• Are you a spender or a saver?
• Have you ever experienced bankruptcy?
• What is your credit score?

This Valentine’s Day give the gift of financial harmony. It will last longer than roses or chocolate.

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