The following podcast is a deer media production.

Welcome to RealPod. It's your host Victoria Garrick and this is the podcast where we hold nothing back.

Oh, so we're getting deep, huh? I've really cried for 12 days straight. Why do I want to be perfect? There's nothing in my life that is perfect.

Every week I'll bring you honest, unfiltered and eye-opening conversations to help uncover the real in all of us.

I crave the type of content that you're talking about. I actually felt insecure. Oh my god, am I going to cry? Let me just unload everything.

New episodes every Wednesday leave those filters at the door because it's time to get real.

Okay, you are all in for a ride today and my journalism degree is really coming through in this episode.

Okay, I literally approached this like I was an investigative reporter. I pretty much channeled my inner David Ferrier for any fellow arm cherries listening.

Today's episode is about merging finances with your spouse. As Max and I approach our wedding that is right around the corner, I was literally going on this journey myself wondering what do I do? What should we do?

So I thought why not take you all on the journey with me right here on RealPod? I mean, there are so many common questions, right?

Like, should you merge your finances? What do you have to consider? Do you merge fully or partially? Like what are the pros? What are the cons?

Well, you will get the answers to all of those questions and more right now on this episode. We actually have two special guest interviews and lots of at home voice memos between Max and I having live and real discussions about our money.

And about these voice memos, look, these are personal. They are raw. These are literally me and Max in the comfort of our own home having some serious ass conversations.

I honestly didn't even know if I would use them for the episode, but Max granted me permission a few times here and there like we would be in these intense is conversations and I was like, wait, can I record this? And he would be like, sure.

And I think that there are just some really great chunks in these memos that exemplify what it is like to work through these issues with your partner.

And it was important for me to share that with all of you. I mean, after all, this is the realist pod. Oh, one more quick thing and to state the obvious.

There is not a one size fits all model to this issue. So while I hope this episode is informative and entertaining, helpful, please, please, please, only consider this a fun resource when making your decisions with your partner and not us telling you what to do already on that note.

Let's dive in.

Did you know that money is the number one issue that married couples argue about doesn't surprise me honestly and money consistently comes up as one of the top three reasons for divorce next to if you're curious.

And I think that's the reason I'm curious basic incompatibility, which I thought that term was hilarious, just like basic incompatibility and infidelity, the glamorous word for cheating that said it's not a surprise that the conversation about money with your partner is therefore incredibly important.

And I think that I had gotten engaged I had to think about what that meant for my money, his money, what would soon be our money at first instinct. Honestly, my reaction was, well, I'm not going to merge everything. I of course want to have my own personal money.

I assessing myself, you know, being a therapist for myself, I think that this gut opinion comes from like having a lot of pride around my own money, both my mom and her mom and then her mom and the mom so forth did not have corporate careers.

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