MONEY MATTERS

The other day in a men’s group I usually attend every week, one of the men was sharing with us his trials and tribulations with a pyramid scheme where he lost kshs.40, 000 and almost lost another Kshs.600,000 but for divine intervention. I was reminded myself how I was saved from a similar predicament because of my wife’s intervention. Amidst a lot of pressure from friends and colleagues to invest in this “ponzi” scheme, I decided to consult with my wife as we always have and because there was no consensus between us I couldn’t go ahead with the deal.

My wife and I have agreed that nothing major financially will be done without the agreement from the other. This can sometimes be painful as there are times I see my wife as a major impediment of my enjoyment and I know she sometimes feels the same way as well. Yet it is this being accountable to each other that not saved me from that ponzi scheme but has also helped us make good financial decisions since two is better than one.

We all need some aspect of accountability in our own lives as when left alone we can end up being like the Kanu regime during those days of “multiparty moja”. We are to keep each other accountable as husband and wife for us to not only avoid financial pitfalls as a family but also to build trust between us. This brings me to another aspect of dealing with finances as a couple and that is transparency.

Being open about my financial dealings helps a lot in building and maintain trust with each other. It is because of my being accountable to my wife that I am transparent with her financially and this leads to more intimacy as trust is built.