Ipseom

If the whole idea of dealing with money and making financial decisions makes you or your partner nervous, remember that you’ve both engaged in a lot of this money-related activity
before—every time you’ve made a budget or comparison rove shopped for a big-ticket item. You can do this, no matter how inadequate you’re feeling right now. It’s like learning to swim. Once you get the basics down— and your confidence up—it’s really not that hard. And like swimming, knowing how to deal with your money is a critical survival skill—one that you can master. “After my divorce, I was terrified that I wasn’t going to be able to take care of myself,” says Lauren, a single mom in her forties who had no experience handling her personal finances. Her ex-husband had taken care of everything. It took years for her to get up to speed—but she finally managed. “I started investing for my retirement so late that I felt it would take a miracle for me not to have to work the rest of my life,” she adds. “The miracle turned out to be me.”