As many couples have found, financial stress and dishonesty can be an unwelcome third-party in a relationship.

Hiding debt from each other or not talking about the stress of a low bank account can hurt your relationship and, in worst-case scenarios, lead to splitting up.

It’s such an issue that many therapists and marriage professionals recommend pre-marital financial counseling. But even if you’ve been together for years or decades, there are ways you can improve how you communicate with each other about spending and saving.

Here are a few tips to build a better financial partnership with your spouse or significant other:

Recognize your differences. Everybody has different values and goals. In addition, children can be influenced strongly by their parents’ spending and saving habits — and those influences can follow them into adulthood. When you talk about money with your significant other, there may be some areas where you agree to disagree or compromise.

Be honest and true. Lying to each other about money is never a good idea. The truth will always come out — sometimes via your credit report or FICO score. In addition to being honest with each other about spending, savings and debt, you should remain as true as possible to your individual values and goals.

Remain calm. There are solutions to almost every financial problem, even if they aren’t pleasant. If you need to have a conversation about debt or other elements of your financial situation, remain calm. Money is a surprisingly emotional topic, so it may help if you take a couple of deep breaths and plan out what to say before you speak.

Set a budget — together. Being on the same page financially can alleviate stress and help ensure that you and your significant other are on the same money team. One thing you can do is sit down together and create a household budget. How much do you typically spend on rent (or your mortgage) and utilities? How much do you spend on food? How much can you afford to spend on “wants” like new clothes or eating out? If you’re working from the same budget and each party understands the household cash flow, it’s much easier to have conversations about all sorts of financial things like investing, retirement and the unexpected car repair.

Play to your strengths. In many relationships, one person is practical while the other is a dreamer. One may be super organized, and the other may have a super messy desk. You can use each person’s strengths to your advantage, together. Consider putting one person in charge of making sure the monthly bills are paid, and the other person can take the lead on long-term investing. Divide and conquer in a way that makes sense to both of you.

Get educated together! CommonWealth One is here for you — both of you! One thing you can do to get started talking about money is to watch the replay of our recent “Marriage and Money” webinar with Certified Financial Counselor Emmanuel Obe. In addition, you’re always welcome to meet together with a GreenPath Certified Financial Counselor for free financial counseling.

We wish you many years in a happy, healthy, financially successful relationship!