Building a Financial Partnership

Who They Are

A couple in Portland, Oregon, with thriving careers, two young kids, and completely separate finances. To keep things fair, they split expenses like the mortgage, childcare, bills, groceries, but it meant constantly tracking who paid for what, juggling Venmos, and feeling drained by the mental load of money management.

The Conflict

• Money conversations were awkward at best, heated at worst. Every talk about buying a home, saving for retirement, or college ended in resentment over who was “pulling more weight.” They were stuck in limbo
• Neither felt confident spending on themselves, and when they did, it came with guilt and blame for the creeping credit card debt and shrinking savings.

How We Created a System

• We built a cash flow system to help them run their household together.
• All shared expenses are now automated, while personal spending and saving accounts are set up for autonomy and clarity.
• We broke down the “mine vs. ours” mindset and focused on what success looked like for them as a family. Each partner has clear financial roles, regular check-ins, and a system that supports good communication and mutual trust.

The Result

• They now manage money as a team.
• Bills are on autopay. They’ve stopped “trueing up” manually. They trust each other’s spending and are almost at their goal of buying a home with a 15% down payment.
• Money is no longer a source of stress, it’s a shared system they both understand and feel good about.