婚前搞定錢 婚後更輕鬆大綱

Financial Questions to Settle Before You Get Married

婚前搞定錢，婚後更輕鬆

There are only two kinds of people in this world, spenders and savers, and for better or worse they tend to marry each other.

這個世界上只存在兩類人：花錢簍子和存錢罐子。好巧不巧的是，這兩類人結合在一起的概率往往很大。

So says longtime financial writer Terry Savage, who has co-written a new book on how to discuss and negotiate key money issues with your spouse-to-be, to give your relationship the best chance for success ('The New Love Deal: Everything You Must Know Before Marrying, Moving In, or Moving On!')

資深財經作家特里·薩維奇(Terry Savage)如是說道。她與人合作撰寫了一本新書，討論如何與準配偶討論並協商處理一些重要的金錢問題，爲雙方的結合創造更大的成功機會。（新書名爲《愛情新論：在結婚、同居或分手前必須知道的一切！》(The New Love Deal: Everything You Must Know Before Marrying, Moving In, or Moving On!)）

While you probably can't change your mate's basic money personality, you can avoid arguments and hidden resentments by talking honestly about your finances and putting certain plans in place before you head down the aisle. With wedding season around the corner, here's an Investing Basics checklist for people about to tie the knot:

雖然你可能無法改變伴侶對金錢的基本態度，但在步入紅毯前，坦誠討論彼此的財務狀況並提前制定一些合理的財務計劃，可能幫助你們避免日後的一些爭吵和隱怨。在婚慶旺季即將到來之際，本文總結了一份供準新人們參考的投資常識(Investing Basics)清單：

Take inventory

盤點資產

'The most important thing is to talk about your debts and to take an inventory of what assets each of you has, ' says Holly Kylen, a financial adviser with Voya Financial in Lititz, Pa.

賓夕法尼亞州提茲市(Lititz) Voya Financial公司的財務顧問霍利·凱倫(Holly Kylen)表示：“重中之重是講明各自的債務，對各自名下的各項資產都盤點清楚。”

One way to start the conversation is to swap credit reports, preferably over a nice bottle of wine, says Ms. Savage. If your spouse-to-be is on the hook for student loans or child support, discuss whether and to what extent you're willing to help bear the cost.

薩維奇表示，切入這個話題的一個辦法是相互交換信用報告，最好是在有美酒相伴的氣氛下。如果另一方需要償還學生貸款或支付子女撫養費，與之坦誠相告你是否願意以及在多大程度上願意與對方分擔這些義務。

Credit scores are a source of stress in one in five marriages, but spouses who discuss credit scores before marriage are more likely to agree on how to use credit as a couple, according to a study about to be released by Experian Consumer Services.

Experian Consumer Services即將發佈的一項研究報告顯示，在各種婚姻危機中，信用記錄導致的壓力佔到了兩成。而婚前討論過信用記錄問題的夫妻，更容易就如何使用信用達成共識。

Systematize

制度固化

Next, decide how you're going to handle the money. While it's understandable that some couples, particularly older ones, prefer to keep separate accounts, at least at first, many financial advisers recommend working toward paying all joint expenses out of a joint account.

下一步，需要確定今後如何處理財務問題。有些夫婦尤其是大齡的夫婦，至少在最初的時候更傾向於保持各自獨立的資金賬戶，這種做法當然是可以理解的，但很多財務顧問的建議是，最好是能設一個聯名賬戶，通過它支付應當共同承擔的費用。

'Marriage is complicated anyway, ' says Michael Eisenberg, an accountant and financial adviser in Los Angeles. 'This is one easy way to simplify things.'

洛杉磯會計師兼財務顧問邁克爾·艾森伯格(Michael Eisenberg)說：“婚姻畢竟是很複雜的，這麼做可以輕鬆簡化一些事情。”

If you each earn an income, consider having your paychecks direct-deposited into separate accounts, then automatically transferring a certain amount--perhaps proportional to your income or to other obligations--into a joint checking account from which you pay your bills online, recommends Ms. Savage.

薩維奇建議，如果雙方都有收入，可以依舊將工資打入各自的賬戶，然後設置自動轉賬，以收入或其他義務爲參考設定一定的比例，固定將一筆錢轉到兩人的活期聯名賬戶，再通過這個聯名賬戶在線支付家庭費用。

Set common goals

設定共同目標

From there you might set up additional joint accounts for short-term (one to two years) and medium-term (three to five) goals, such as saving to buy a car or a house. This requires doing a little budgeting.

接下來，可以根據一兩年的短期目標或三五年的中期目標，另外設立幾個聯名賬戶，例如爲了買車或買房而進行的儲蓄。這需要小小地合計一下。

'Both people need to be flexible, ' Mr. Eisenberg adds. Say you're used to saving $200 a paycheck for a rainy-day fund, but your partner thinks that's overkill. You might agree to instead save $100 plus part of any tax refunds or bonuses that come along. 'The key to this is dialogue, ' he says.

艾森伯格補充道：“雙方都需要適當變通。”例如，你習慣從工資中拿出200美元存作應急資金，但你的另一半覺得這筆錢有點多。或許你可以同意減到100美元，外加今後可能獲得的退稅或獎金的一部分作爲備用金。艾森伯格說：“關鍵在於溝通。”

Save for retirement

存錢養老

'Make sure no one makes a dime without putting something away for retirement, ' says Ms. Kylen. You and your partner don't necessarily have to save identical amounts. 'Equal is not synonymous with fair, ' says Ms. Savage.

凱倫說：“要確保花銷不會影響退休計劃。”夫妻雙方不一定非要按對半的比例存錢。薩維奇指出：“均等不一定意味着公平。”

But you should coordinate how much you're going to save and what savings vehicles you're going to use. If one partner's employer offers a 401(k) matching contribution, it probably makes sense for that person to contribute at least enough to qualify for the employer match.

但雙方應當就儲蓄金額以及計劃使用的儲蓄工具進行溝通協調。如果一方的僱主提供401(k)匹配繳費計劃，這一方最好能夠提存足夠多的錢，以達到這個計劃的標準。

Manage risk

控制風險

Consider whether you'll need insurance, and if so factor the premiums into your budget. 'If you're buying a home together you need life insurance, ' says Ms. Savage. Disability insurance can't hurt either, says Mr. Eisenberg.

考慮是否需要購買保險，如果答案是肯定的，則需要把保費合計到預算中。薩維奇說：“如果雙方要組建家庭，就需要考慮購買壽險。”艾森伯格表示，買份傷殘險也沒什麼壞處。

And don't forget to change the beneficiaries on any existing insurance policies, as well as retirement accounts and so-called pay-on-death accounts, which supersede your will and go directly to the named beneficiaries.

此外，別忘記更新現有保單、退休賬戶或所謂“生後支取”賬戶的受益人，因爲這些賬戶安排可以無需遺囑，在既定條件滿足的情況下直接支付給指定受益人。

Gay married couples need to be especially careful when naming their spouse beneficiary of an annuity. Since insurance is state-regulated, 'same-sex couples today should not assume a spousal benefit [known as a 'spousal lifetime income benefit rider'] will work, ' says Ms. Kylen, who recently married her partner of 20 years. 'It would be best to have it in writing or to see same-sex language in your document just to cross your T's.'

同性夫婦在指定配偶作爲年金保險受益人時需要特別留意。最近與其相處了20年的同性伴侶完婚的凱倫指出，在美國，保險業的監管職責是由各州承擔的，“因此在目前，同性夫婦不能想當然地認爲配偶津貼（即‘配偶終生收入給付附加條款’）政策對他們也有效。審慎起見，最好以書面形式寫入文件，或者確保有關文件中有對‘同性’進行說明的條款”。

Consider a prenuptial

考慮婚前協議

If neither you nor your partner is equipped to talk about financial matters, enlist the help of a close friend, relative, financial adviser or lawyer, says Mr. Eisenberg.

如果兩位準新人都不擅長討論財務問題，艾森伯格建議可以向某位親近的朋友、親戚、財務顧問或律師求助。