So you’ve planned night and day, hired incredible vendors, tied the knot, and danced the evening away with friends and family. Or maybe your wedding was a simple, quiet romantic elopement with just a few loved ones present. Either way, as you forge ahead into your new life together, you might be wondering what is next, especially in the realm of finances.
Many couples already live together before they get married, so they probably share finances to some extent. They are already used to setting financial goals together, making budgets, and deciding who pays for what. If you are a newlywed and haven’t done these things, this is a great place to start. But besides these tasks, there are other things to consider to make sure your finances are in order.
Now that you are married, you have to prepare for the unexpected and make sure that everyone is taken care of in the case of the unthinkable, not to mention you’ll need to think about your future together and plan for retirement. Below is our financial checklist for newly married couples, and we hope it helps you out!
Create or Update Documents
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- Create or update your will. If you don’t have a will already, now is the time to create one. Especially now that you have a spouse, you want to make sure your assets are going where you want them to upon your death.
- Create or update your living trust. A living trust is a legal contract with a third party that makes sure your assets go where you want them to go upon your death. Many people choose between a will and a trust. We know thinking about you or your spouse passing away is not enjoyable, but don’t put off creating one of these critical documents just because it isn’t fun. You have the ability to make sure everyone is taken care of while you are well, so make sure you do!
- Update your beneficiaries. Any life insurance plan or retirement fund will have beneficiaries listed as to who will receive your assets upon your death. Make sure these are updated to include your spouse because legally, your beneficiaries supersede your will.
- Update any titles. If you plan on sharing property, home and vehicles titles should be updated to include your spouse as well.
Combine or Update Insurance Policies
- Life insurance: Not everyone thinks about life insurance before they are married, but now that you are, it is time to make sure you both have a life insurance policy to make sure your loved ones will be taken care of if one of you passes.
- Auto: Often there is no reason to carry two different policies once you are married when you can save by bundling. If your spouse is going to be driving your car, you also want to make sure both names are attached to the insurance so there are no issues in case of an accident.
- Home: You may find that your partner can get a cheaper home insurance rate by bundling with another policy like their auto insurance. Be sure to shop around and ask about discounts for bundling.
- Health insurance: If you want to combine health insurance, marriage is one of the few qualifying life events that allows you to change your plan. However, you generally only have 60 days to add a spouse after the wedding, so make sure you get on this right away.
Taxes
- Review and adjust your tax filing status. You may need to update your W-4 so you don’t owe money at tax time. This is a great time to run your numbers through the IRS withholding calculator to make sure you’re on track for the year. If both you and your spouse will be working, make sure to check the box for “Married, but withhold at higher Single rate” when you refile your W-4.
- Consider your tax-advantaged accounts. Depending on your combined income, you may move in or out of eligibility brackets for various tax-advantaged accounts. Make sure you take advantage of the accounts that will be the most beneficial in the future and consider whether backdoor contributions make sense for you. If one spouse won’t be working, consider opening a spousal IRA which gives you more space for tax-advantaged savings. If you plan to have children, you could also set up a 529 plan to save money for schooling.
If this list seems like a lot, don’t be overwhelmed. At Sharkey, Howes & Javer, we are here to help. Contact us to meet with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ for help setting up your finances and getting the most from your money as a newly married couple.
