How to Navigate Blended Family Finances: A Rich Life Guide

[00:17:09] Cristina: Okay, so I feel confused about it.

[00:17:14] Ramit: Okay. Tell me more.

[00:17:15] Cristina: Okay. I’m going to get emotional because you’re asking me emotions. I used to be very scared about it because just like Ronnie, my family are immigrants. I’m an immigrant. So we came from absolutely nothing as well. And then having to figure it out on my own. My parents didn’t teach me anything.

[00:17:35] I almost have to learn everything on my own. So it was a very scary process, but I feel proud where we’re at now and how far we’ve come as far as I could take it essentially on my own. So now I’m just confused and maybe a little lost of what do I do at this point? Because I just feel like I don’t know how far I can take this on my own.

[00:18:00] Ramit: And how long have you two been married for?

[00:18:03] Cristina: We’ve been together for 10, married for four.

[00:18:05] Ramit: Okay. All right. So when you say how far you can take it on your own, is the subtext there that you have done the finances in your relationship on your own?

[00:18:18] Cristina: Yeah.

[00:18:19] Ramit: Okay. Ron, is that accurate?

[00:18:22] Ron: Oh, absolutely.

[00:18:25] Ramit: Okay. That’s pretty honest. I appreciate that, Cristina. So how would you two describe the dynamic between the two of you when it comes to money?

[00:18:40] Ron: Babe, you can take this one first.

[00:18:43] Cristina: I think over the years, it was such a hard topic to talk about. It was a fight all the time, and it’s gotten better, but now recently, I feel like I just avoid it a little bit more, so we’re not fighting as much. I bring it up, but if I could tell, oh, he’s overwhelmed by it, or he doesn’t want to have a conversation about it, I just like, okay, fine. We’ll talk about it some other time. I’ll figure it out. And I just don’t ask him any more questions.

[00:19:12] Ramit: You take it on yourself.

[00:19:13] Cristina: Mm-hmm.