Always your view.
Hey, it’s Jake McCarthy, Vice President at Third View Private Wealth. Just writing a quick note to let you know we rebranded our Next Gen email series to The Long View. These emails are still meant to help you learn about personal finance and start your wealth-building journey. Let us know what you think of the new look!
Jake McCarthy, Vice President @ Third View Private Wealth
Getting married soon, or recently did? What are you actually building together?
A wedding is a day. A marriage is a system: money, work, family, home, and the trade-offs you will make for decades. Whether you are still planning or have been married for a couple of years, take the long view on your financial lives together. The conversations that you have now and the decisions you make together have a lasting impact on your finances.
THE LIFE COMES FIRST. THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM SHOULD SUPPORT IT.
— IN THIS ISSUE
01 Start with the life
02 Build a system for two
03 Ask Third View
04 Try the 15-minute check-in
— THE BIG QUESTION
Start with the life, not the spreadsheet.
The wedding industry asks about colors, flowers, and guest counts. Your families may ask where everyone is sitting or what you plan to do on your honeymoon. Your future, and the life you are building together, needs a different set of questions, no matter if you are asking them before the wedding or after.
You don’t need every answer before you say "I do," and you don’t need them all figured out the week after, either. What’s most important is that you have a method to make decisions together — especially when it comes to your financial lives. In this issue, we’ll share a few questions and exercises to help you and your partner get on the same page about money.
The goal is not to agree on every dollar. It is to understand what each dollar is trying to protect.
— BUILD TOGETHER
Three questions before you build the budget.
01
What should daily life feel like?
Busy and ambitious? Flexible and calm? Close to family? Built around travel? Money follows the life you are trying to create.
02
What are we happy to spend more on?
Comfort, experiences, time, convenience, generosity, or a home base. Naming priorities makes tradeoffs feel less personal.
03
What are we not trying to prove?
A bigger wedding, a certain neighborhood, or a lifestyle that only looks right from the outside. Decide what can stay off your list.
— A SIMPLE SYSTEM FOR TWO
Make the money easier to see.
The best setup is not the one that sounds most grown up. It is the one both people understand, can maintain, and can explain in two sentences. Think about your financial life together in the context of these three things:
SHARED
The life you run together
Housing, groceries, travel, recurring bills, and agreed goals.
YOURS
Room to be an individual
Personal spending that does not require a committee meeting.
NEXT
The future you are funding
Emergency reserves, investing, a move, a home, or time away from work.
— ASK THIRD VIEW
Joint, separate, or both?
“Do we need to combine everything once we are married?”
For some couples, combining everything works, but it might not for others. It’s not so much about absolutes as it is about coming to a shared understanding. With intentional communication on what’s most important to you as a couple and as individuals, you can intertwine your financial lives while preserving independence.
Keep your setup simple and establish a system. Decide what requires a joint decision, when you should act independently, and schedule a regular check-in. The system should make conversations easier — not replace them.
— TRY THIS TONIGHT
15 MINUTES
The 15-minute couple check-in.
Set a timer. No spreadsheets required. Take turns answering, and do not solve while the other person is talking.
☐ One thing money helped us do this month
☐ One money decision we are avoiding
☐ One priority for the next 90 days
☐ One way our money system could feel easier
— SAVE THIS FOR LATER
Five conversations worth having, whenever you have them.
01 What does financial security mean to you?
A number, a paid-off home, flexibility, family support, or simply fewer surprises?
02 What are we bringing into the marriage?
Debt, savings, investments, credit habits, family commitments, and financial fears.
03 How will we handle different incomes?
Equal dollars, equal percentages, shared goals, or another system that feels fair to both people?
04 When does family become a shared expense?
Parents, siblings, gifts, emergencies, traditions, and expectations deserve daylight.
05 What are we building in 3, 10, and 20 years?
Talk about the next chapter and the far horizon. Both matter.
— QUICK PULSE
Which conversation feels hardest right now?
— PASS IT ON
Send this to the person you are building with.
The best time for a money conversation is before it becomes a money emergency.
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Past performance is not indicative of future results. The material above has been provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security or strategy. The investment strategy and themes discussed herein may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial situation. Information obtained from third-party sources is believed to be reliable though its accuracy is not guaranteed, and Third View Private Wealth makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, which should not be used as the basis of any investment decision. Information contained on third party websites that Third View Private Wealth may link to is not reviewed in their entirety for accuracy and Third View Private Wealth assumes no liability for the information contained on these websites. Opinions expressed in this commentary reflect subjective judgments of the author based on conditions at the time of writing and are subject to change without notice. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission from Third View Private Wealth. For more information about Third View Private Wealth, including our Form ADV brochures, please visit https://adviserinfo.sec.gov or contact us at (203) 408-0098.