POLL: Can you tell your spouse how much you earn?

Money is one of the factors that cause disagreements in relationships and marriages. This may be mild or severe depending on the parties involved.

For people who were raised in this part of the world, asking how much a person earns can be an uncomfortable question. In fact for some people, what they earn belongs to the secret room where age is hidden.

However, there are people who believe it is important for spouses to know what they both earn so as to plan effectively.

If you want to know how much your spouse earns, here are four things to consider beforehand.

Is it really important to know?

Be totally honest with yourself while answering this question. The fact that you have considered asking means that you value it somehow. If it is not really important to know, then you can let go but if it is important, go ahead and ask.

Be prepared to be turned down

This is not set in stone, it is just a precaution so that you are not caught unawares. Be prepared in case he/she refuses to tell you.

What next after refusal?

This is not to plant ideas in your head but consider that their inability to tell you how much they earn means that they will keep some things from you in the days to come.

You can protect yourself and your relationship from this by not asking at all – if you can actually stand not knowing.

There’s another way around it

If you are asking because you have a plan in mind, why not tell them your plan and ask if there is room for such in their budget.

If you were thinking about redecorating, buying a new car or moving to another apartment, you can just ask instead of asking about their salary directly.