My Wife Keeps Stealing Money From Our Joint Account for Her Sister

Planning a budget can lead to financial happiness, however, it doesn’t guarantee marital bliss. Managing finances is a tricky thing, and it gets twice as challenging when there are 2 of you. That’s why a lot of issues might arise along the way that can truly test your relationship.

One of our Bright Side readers sent us an e-mail asking for advice about the situation that hasn’t let him sleep peacefully since. We’re here to offer the best solutions to his problem, and we hope they will help him bring the conflict to an end.

Hi, Jared! Thanks for trusting us with your personal struggle. We at Bright Side found some ways to help you turn everything back to normal.

• Discussing financial decisions with a spouse is absolutely necessary, otherwise, a crack in the relationship immediately follows. Tell your wife that you’re upset that she made a big financial decision, using shared money, without you. Make it about the action, not the sister. Avoid making it sound like a personal attack, but let her know how you feel.

• Tell your wife that you don’t want to participate in the scheme. If your wife takes money from the household fund, it means you automatically get involved in it as well, since she took your share of the money. In addition, she probably doesn’t want to take the risk alone, which is why she decided to be on the safe side and use the money contributed by both of you.

• Let your wife know that MLM schemes rarely work. Mention that you understand she wants her sister to be successful and earn more money. Still, explain to her later that the schemes are ordinary scams that prey on people. Tell her you can find other ways to help her sister, like find a job for her, help her write a good résumé, etc.

• Ask your wife to take the money from her personal account. If she wants to participate in the scheme, it’s up to her. She can do it as long as she uses the money she saved for herself. After all, the MLM scheme has nothing to do with emergency household stuff. If she refuses to do so, she might have run out of her “fun money” already and is now caught in the trap.

• If none of the above work, separate the accounts completely. It’s totally fine to save your own money for yourself. This way you’ll face fewer arguments and your wife won’t be able to take your share.

Money can often be a point of contention, and managing it as a married couple is a balancing act between financial prosperity and relationship satisfaction. How would you act if you were Jared?

Taking a fresh look at a problem can be beneficial, especially when you find yourself up against a brick wall. Feel free to contact us if you have any lingering thoughts or doubts, and we’ll make sure to help you as soon as possible.