Marriage: Goal and Career Planning

It's important to know not only where you are, but where you want to be. Define what you want, and the means to get there will become much more apparent.

Retirement
No matter what your other goals are, a comfortable retirement should always be on your list. The degree of comfort, however, is entirely up to you. If you want to live in luxury in a beach house in Florida, you'll need to save a lot. But even if you don't plan on living the high life, you won't be able to work forever. Start planning now so that you're not forced into a difficult position when you're older.

Get out of debt
If you have considerable debt, one of your first goals should be to pay it off. The interest you pay is sabotaging your other financial goals. Once you get out of debt, the rest of your goals should be much easier to reach. Start by getting an accurate picture of your entire debt. Then, working with your budget, construct a plan to pay off your debt. Try to trim other areas of your budget and increase your monthly payments on that debt until it is all gone.

Do both of us have to work?
In our society, double income families have become the standard. But there no reason you have to be standard. If both you and your spouse are career oriented, that's great. You can both continue to work and really rake in the money. But if money and career aren't strong motivating factors in your life, you may be able to work out a plan to live on one income. You don't need kids to stay at home. If you take a hard look at your budget, you may be able to afford it now. Otherwise, you and your spouse may be able to work out a plan, paying off your debts and increasing one income, to allow one of you to stay home.