Welcome to Love & Money

Ever wondered what a life would be like with that perfect someone? Lovely Home? Overseas Holidays? Comfortable Living? There is nothing wrong to daydream but how do you think people in real life get to enjoy those things?

The reason for this blog is in reaction to our culture's almost undying love for love. Through movies, TV series, books, friends and family, we have become a generation of people who are constantly chasing this warm fuzzy feeling.

I want to put a stop to this blind charge. We need to be real about this world that love inhabits and its the simple fact that money is an important part of it. Try to pay for a dinner with all the love in the world.

I am not a buzz kill that wants to destroy romance with a shotgun and a chainsaw, I am just sick of the lack of communication around the issue of money and finances. It's important for today's Malaysian to be financial literate to reach his or her own financial as well as personal goals.

My Top 3 Reasons For This Blog

No. 1 - Plenty of Proposals, Not So Many Portfolios

I have been to plenty of weddings where couples have completely blown budgets due to unnecessary production companies, overcharged hotels, and tailored dresses. A wedding is an important moment that symbolises your commitment to your partner, nothing more. It is not an opportunity for you to financially reset you and your partner and it is certainly not your parent's opportunity to show off to their friends, family, and colleagues.

I want to add a dash of realism to people's lives by showing that preparing their finances through properly managing money and investment can lead to better returns than a costly wedding.

No. 2 - Relationships Cost Money After you get your first paycheck its natural to feel excited about it as money can open up a range of experiences such as dating. Taking the person you like out can feel empowering and nice but nothing in this world is free. It all adds up. It can drain your budget. It can leave you broke and with nothing. It's your money, not your date's or partner's.

When I started dating, I made sure to keep to a strict budget to make sure that overspending was the least of my problems. Being on a date and worrying if I could afford it is probably the worst thing you could possibly feel and it means you poorly planned it or just are not ready for it.

No. 3 - Understanding Your Financial Language

Although finding your Love Language is important for a relationship, what is equally important is to find your Financial Language. A Financial Language, for me, is how a person expresses and understands money to themselves and to others. Is that person comfortable talking about money? Is that person able to connect their goals with their finances? Does that person know the reality of their financial situation?

Although giving presents or attention to those you care about is important, talking about money that is constructive and mature is a lot harder than what you think. Try asking your significant other how much they earn and how much debt they have as well as finding out if they prefer gifts or acts of service.

Summary I don't know if you feel the same way about love and money the same way as I do but I hope that I at least nudge you to look at finances and relationships as a single entity. It's not that I think romance is dead and buried when you include finances but actually more beautiful. You have carefully planned every step to make sure that the love you have can be nurtured and cared for.