• Your own struggles with money when you were starting out
• How you were able to achieve a financial goal
• A financial mistake that you made and how you recovered
• The financial help that your own parents provided you
• The fact that it's never too early to start planning for retirement 

 This past February brought to mind Valentine's Day and Valentine's Day brings to mind love! While you and your love may be compatible when it comes to "matters of the heart", nothing can spoil that compatibility like squabbles over "matters of the wallet". What to do if you and your love have clashing money personalities?

When couples money personalities clash, communication is critical. (Not sure if you and your love are financially compatible. Go here to download a financial compatibility quiz and find out.) Understanding each person's perspective and respecting individual differences are the first steps toward financial nirvana. Then problem solving, compromising and ultimately consensus are possible.

Money is merely a tool, however the act of spending money is emotional. What if, in spite of their best efforts, a couple cannot come to a consensus? When it comes to finances, some couples may just have to agree to disagree. In this case,instead of struggling to change your partner's money habits, focus on minimizing conflicts instead. Here are some ideas:

1. Merge lives, not bank accounts. Consider using three accounts instead of one. Open one account for shared expenses. Each partner contributes a predetermined amount to the shared account. In addition, each partner maintains a separate account to cover individual purchases.

2. Utilize Your Strengths. An alternative to the three accounts solution is to pool funds and assign different responsibilities for the household finances to one person. Maybe one person is good at getting all the bills paid on time and the other is good at making sure your family has what they need for the month. Pick the tasks that you're good at, make sure you both think the agreement is fair.

Financial reform may not be easy, but it can be rewarding. If you and your love work through your money issues, greater wealth, less stress and a stronger, longer relationship could be yours!

Talk about Money: Start talking about finances as soon as you can in a relationship. Make sure you understand each other's views about a variety of different aspects of money - earning, spending, saving, investing and borrowing. Does one of you like to save money, while the other prefers to spend it? Does one feel comfortable with high debt levels, while the other can't stand the thought of paying interest? If you feel your partner is overspending, talk about how you are both over budget this month and how you would like to look at ways to get back on budget. View yourselves as a team.

Prepare a Budget and Think Towards Your Goals: On a short-term basis you will need to prepare a monthly budget. How much do you need to cover the basics - rent/mortgage, utility bills, food, fuel/transport and so on. How much is left from your income after these basics have been covered? How much debt can you afford? What debts will you pay off first?

On a longer-term basis it can be helpful to step back and really think about what you are trying to achieve financially as a couple. What are your most important goals in life and how can you accomplish them? Do you want to save for a house, a holiday or to start planning for children? How much do you need to save for these things? Discuss your goals with your partner and decide what if anything you can save each month and how these savings will be used.

It's not enough just to make a budget - you will need to track it each month to make sure that you are actually staying within your spending goals and adjust accordingly as your situation and expenses change.

Save for the Future: If you can, it is useful to allocate some money each month to an Emergency Fund - doctor's appointments or car maintenance can affect the budget if there is no plan for them. Just knowing that an emergency fund is there can help to reduce stress since you know you're not walking a fine line between comfort and catastrophe. Whatever your income, it is always important to look at what you are spending your money on. What are you spending on that you could do without? Would that allow you save a few extra dollars each week?

Keep Finances Organized & Maintain Your Financial Independence: Once you have a budget you will need to think about how you are actually going to organize your finances. Are you going to have a joint account/separate accounts/both? Who is going to pay the bills? Which account are they going to be paid from? Which account are debts going to be paid from? Are you going to set up a direct payment for the debts? Wherewill you keep your savings? What about emergency fund money? Whatever you decide, ensure that you are maintaining some type of financial independence, just in case something happens.

Keep Talking - Be Open to Change: Schedule regular chats to make sure that you stay on track with your budget and goals. This will help you know where you stand financially and that you're both doing your best to keep on solid ground. Setting aside time to talk about money can also reduce the stress of worrying about money. Honesty is always the best policy - now is the time to admit to any purchases that may not have been in the budget. Big financial secrets can ruin a marriage - keep things out in the open and build trust between you.

Your life together right now doesn't look like what it will look like five, ten or fifteen years down the road. Your spending habits will not be the same when you are first married as they are when have

your first child, for example. Every change will mean a change in your budgeting. Remember to re-evaluate how your finances are handled as your lives together change.