1 Dr. Priscilla: Do you think Kyle and Rosa should get married? 2 Betty: I think they should get married, because they are engaged.
3 Dr. Priscilla: That’s interesting that you think they should get married when it appears that they are experiencing financial problems now. Do you think money can come between them?
4 Betty: I think money can come between them now; however, I trust that they will be able to solve the money problem.
5 Dr. Priscilla: I wonder if Kyle new before he asked Rosa to marry him that she didn’t want to combine their money. Do you think they discussed financial matters before the proposal?
6 Betty: Perhaps they had planned to discuss financial matters. In most cases people encounter such problems but now that they are discussing this situation, I believe they will discuss in more details about how each feels about finances.
7 Dr. Priscilla: This is probably true, that a discussion will take place. In my opinion, I think they should have discussed this long before the proposal of marriage was made.
8 Betty: Really! Why do you say such a thing?
9 Dr. Priscilla: Well, if they have been seeing each other for a while, I would think that they both would be aware of how ‘frugal’ Kyle is and how Rosa feels about managing her own money. What do you think will happen in the relationship hypothetically if Rosa refuses to open a ‘joint account’ with Kyle?
10 Betty: In my opinion, if Kyle really wants to marry Rosa, he will do his best to convince her of the benefits of a ‘joint account.’
11 Dr. Priscilla: Hmm, so what is a benefit of a joint account?
12 Betty: A ‘joint account’ would hold them both accountable for common expenses for the family. This does not mean that they can’t have separate savings account. They each can keep separate money from each other.
13 Dr. Priscilla: That’s an interesting point of view; however, Rosa has said she doesn’t want to have three accounts. She wants to keep her financial status as it is. She also gives Kyle her reasons for not wanting to share an account. In my opinion he should respect her decision and let her pay her share of the expenses out of her personal account.
I’m curious to know what Kyle could say to convince her to change her mind.
14 Betty: In the future, Kyle will explain to her that when they go out together that it becomes problematic to share the expense for things that they both benefit when the two of them will pay for a service.
15 Dr. Priscilla: Can you give me an example of what you’re talking about?
16 Betty: Sure! Let’s say that they are out for dinner. If the two of them are responsible for sharing the cost, then they both will have to make payments from two different accounts. This sounds ridiculous.
17 Dr. Priscilla: It may sound ridiculous; however, in some cultures, especially in America, the male (husband / boyfriend) usually pays for the meal. There is no division of paying this type of expense. However, there are some exceptions, but usually the man pays.
18 Betty: Hmm, could you tell me more about this arrangement?
19 Dr. Priscilla: Sure, I will use myself as an example. I kept my own accounts and my husband kept his accounts. They were both private and separate. The things I chose to pay for I did and the other things he paid for came from his account. I personally prefer to keep things separate; however I would agree to having a joint account that we both would agree to withdraw money and agree on the amount to deposit on a regular basis. However, with that said, we would end up with my having access to 4 accounts. I would keep my savings and credit and then we would have a joint ‘Checking Account.’
20 Betty: Wow! That’s interesting. So it appears that you are somewhat in agreement with me. Ultimately, there might need to be joint account, which would result in Rosa having 3 accounts.
Dr. Priscilla:
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