This article appears as part of Casey Weade's Weekend Reading for Retirees series. Every Friday, Casey highlights four hand-picked articles on trending retirement topics and delivers them straight to your email inbox. Get on the list here.

Dollar dialogue: If you and your partner have differing views when it comes to money, rest assured, so do many other couples. The most important objective to keep in mind in this case is to have open, honest communication. Truly understanding your partner’s stance on wealth begins with taking the time to hear their “money story”, which can be told on a one-on-one “financial date”. The key is to proactively plan a financial date in order to address potential financial issues before they arise.

Money mindset: By telling your money story, you provide your loved one the opportunity to gain a more in-depth perspective of the past experiences you’ve had with money, and how those have shaped you. This dialogue should be open and ongoing, but a few questions to spark the conversation naturally include:

📌 What is your earliest memory about money?

📌 What did you learn as a child concerning money?

📌 What worries do you have about running out of money?

Bottom line: You might be intentional regarding strengthening your understanding of your spouse, but don’t overlook the financial aspects as well. They may not be an issue today, but it pays to get ahead of the inevitable.