Consider the following outrageous statistics from a recent survey:

• 49 percent of women defer long-term financial decisions to their partner.
• Of those who defer to their partner, 67 percent of women say it’s because their spouse “knows more.”
• Before marriage, 88 percent of millennials say they want to participate equally or take the lead in planning finances for their future. But after marriage, 54 percent of millennials defer to their spouse on long-term financial decisions.
• 8 out of 10 women will end up alone or solely responsible for their finances.
• Widows and divorcees lose 40 percent of their income
• once they become single—double that of men

So how can we turn things around?

We need to invest in ourselves before we do anything else. We need to save more and save earlier. That’s the path to more opportunities. That’s the path to security. When we're financially secure, we’re better romantic partners, workers, mothers and friends. We’re confident. We become critical players in the bigger vision to eradicate inequality.  

Being financially competent also makes our marriages better and stronger. Here at Outset we talk a lot about divorce. But we swear we’re not anti-marriage. Quite the opposite! We talk a lot about divorce because we want to do everything in our power to prevent it from happening.

The truth is, money is at the root of most marital problems. That’s why we encourage money talks early in relationships. The longer you put them off, the more stressful and complicated they tend to be. We want to make sure you and your partner are on the same page from the get-go. So you’ll hear us talk about money dates and Partnership Agreements—even strategies for treating your marriage like a business (it sounds unsexy, but it’s all about shifting your perspective).

We want women to remember that even if you’re not earning a salary, your contributions to your marriage and/or family have value. We want you to keep your eyes open to any potential risks so you're protected if the worst should happen.

But mostly we want you to remember that financial competence and financial intimacy bring about long-term love and respect, which creates stronger, happier marriages.

And if a life partnership isn’t one of your goals, we want you to have all the tools you need to make healthy choices to live a life rich in money and opportunities.

So let’s practice financial self-care together. And let’s break the cycle of not talking about money. We encourage you to share your biggest money fears with us, and you’ll quickly realize that you’re not alone:

Submit your money confessions to us at confessions@outsetfinancial.com.

If you have a question that you want answered by the Outset team in our weekly Q&A, please submit your questions to questions@outsetfinancial.com by 5pmET each Tuesday.

For real-time feedback from the community itself, join our Facebook Group: Outset Community.

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