Stepfamilies and finances

Nick Porath
How are finances different in step families?

Abril Bell
Individuals usually come with a lot more personal history and established habits. There might also be scars from financial issues in the first marriage. And of course, there's child support and or alimony. So money coming and going, and depending on the expectation and whether it's met or not, this can be hard on step families.

Nick Porath
Is there a best way to manage money in a step family?

Abril Bell
There's no definite answer on the best way. It's really what works for your family. The important thing here is to be proactive and discuss early on in the relationship or before it becomes a problem. You can negotiate what works best for you. It helps when you share it with your partner what meaning you attach to the different actions or options.

Nick Porath
What other tools does this class offer to help families in the area?

Abril Bell
As part of class materials, you'll receive a deck of cards called Money habitudes. These cards can really be helpful in talking about the meaning behind your actions. We also share a list of questions to consider as you're talking about money. The main thing is to be proactive and talk before tensions are high.

Nick Porath
And where can the listeners find more information about classes,

Abril Bell
You can visit healthyrelationshipsutah.org and click on Step families. We have online and in person classes available throughout the state of Utah. And if you have a group of six or more friends or family you can request to host a private course and you can find information on healthyrelationshipsutah.org.

Nick Porath
Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to add regarding money and stepfamilies?

Abril Bell
The main thing is to talk about it early on, and to be proactive about it so that when issues arise, you kind of know what to do. And that's one of the things we talked about in our class. Just some of the questions that we have a list of for example is like, how much debt are you okay being in? So things like that, that can really help with the expectations.