DEAR Manay Gina,

I learned early in our marriage that my husband is poor in budgeting. He does not have too much control on his spending. Because of this, I am thinking of starting a savings account that he knows nothing about. I wouldn’t do it so I could spend on myself, but just to help us save for the future. Would that be a betrayal of trust?

Tess

Dear Tess,

As a long-term solution, keeping a hidden savings account would be a betrayal of your trust. In the end, you and your husband need to agree together on what you’ll spend and what you’ll save. In other words, he must be willing to work on it with you.

In the short term, your idea of saving a bit of money on the side could have a positive effect. If you would be able to squeeze some savings out of each month’s income or grocery money, go ahead and do it. Then present it to your husband as cash-in-hand for some long-awaited family project or plan. This would show him it’s possible to save.

But long-term, you and your husband need to confront the issue together and come to a mutual understanding about putting away money for the future.

With affection,

Manay Gina

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” --- Buddha

Send questions to [email protected]