What is Financial Coaching

Each time I visit Walt’s Auto Care on Pt. Fosdick, I have an interesting discussion with Ken Blalock, the manager. This time was no different. Ken grew up in a family of educators and when Mr. Dan Gregory the Principal of Henderson Bay was picking up his car, Ken grew nostalgic.

Mr. Gregory and Ken were conversing about the kids nowadays and Ken told a story about his childhood. One afternoon, while Ken’s mom was shopping in the grocery store, Ken and his sister were bored and decided to create a little fun.

The Four Horseman

John Gottman, PhD.  from the University of Washington has done amazing work and research on marriage over the past few decades and has identified four key problems that lead to divorce. He calls them the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.

The four problems are: criticism, defensiveness, contempt and stonewalling.

Dr. Gottman explains that contempt for a partner is the most crucial indicator of divorce. He can predict with 95% accuracy if a couple will divorce after watching them for only 15 minutes.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are a metaphor depicting the end of the world. They are described as conquest, war, hunger, and death.

It’s My Money

My wife and I attended a recent Bridal show at the Tacoma Dome to discuss our system for helping newlyweds improve the odds that their marriage will last. Some folks were very interested; others were kind but were not.

The most interesting were the very opinionated brides to be when asked, “Do you have a Spending Plan?” Their almost agitated responses proved insightful:

“I have my money and he has his. He’ll never know how much. As long as he buys his socks and underwear, we’re fine.”

Secret Tips and Tricks to a Happy Marriage

Why are those words so alluring?

The most successful couples seldom read articles with those words in the title.  Such articles are for couples who are either struggling or do not comprehend that a successful marriage cannot be obtained with a few tricks.

There are no secret tips.  There are no magic tricks.  A happy marriage starts with love and ends with intimacy. The catalyst to making it work is the ability to develop trust. It’s the accumulation of good habits overriding the bad habits you developed before marriage.