Discussing and communicating is very important for any relationship. And when the financial aspects come into the scene the importance of the aforementioned activities becomes even more significant.

When you taken the step and joined with your significant other into a unity of marriage, there are a lot of changes coming your way including the financial aspects as well. With your new status you will share all the responsibilities together and that could mean a lot of thinking and evaluating. So the first thing you might want to do is to sit down with your spouse and take a good look at your current financial situation. Take all the assets and liabilities, subtract the latter from the former and you will have a general idea of your new family's net worth at the moment. This a good starting point for a family budget and a financial plan that both of you will share during the years of your marriage, and the more precise and detailed it is the easier it will be for you to control your incomes and expenses.

Your short and long term goals should also be evaluated and normalized. Any saving goals should be discussed and if one of you is planning a vacation in the near future, the other should know about that and know that the money are kept for this purpose. The same applies to more distant goals such as retirement or house purchase. When you have outlined your goals it is important to set priorities according to the following key questions:

• How this goal can be accomplished?

• How much time and effort will it take to reach this goal?

• Can this goal be preceded by another one?

• Will the accomplishment of this goal help reach another one?

Analyzing insurance needs

Being a married couple gives you a broad range of insurance options that you couldn't benefit from while being single. So it really pays to re-evaluate your insurance needs and options once you've changed your marital status. Keep in mind that now you have common interests regarding insurance and the needs of both of you should be met with an adequate policy.

Let's take an example. Your spouse's health insurance policy might provide all the necessary benefits your significant other needs but it may be inadequate for you. Such small details as premiums, deductibles, co-payments, coverage types and list of network facilities can make a big difference when you're trying to get properly covered under the same policy. So it is really important to sit down and evaluate your insurance needs. Maybe the difference isn't that big and you can adjust your or your spouse's individual health insurance plan in order to get proper coverage for both of you. Or it may turn out that you will need separate policies in order to get adequate services without sacrificing coverage. Ask your insurance agent about your options and see if there are any group health insurance plan discounts. You may also ask about multiple policy discounts of you have life, home or house insurance with the same insurance provider. This could give you a good cut in insurance rates and help consolidate your insurance costs in your new life.