Financial arguments can quickly bring an end to a good relationship, which makes it important for couples to change the way they handle money issues. In Part 2 of this series, I am sharing some important tips I have developed as a relationship counselor on how couples with money problems can avoid getting into financial arguments and resolve their issues amicably.

Be more open: Never hide either your income or debt from your partner. Make sure that both of you have access to each other’s financial documents, including the latest credit report, pay slips, bank account statement, insurance policies, investments and loans. When both of you are fully aware about each other’s financial position, there are less chances of any nasty surprises springing up later.

Did you know that couples fight about money twice as much as they fight about sex? Couples argue mainly over money issues, which usually revolve around how they spend, save and pay their bills. What’s worse is that these financial arguments tend to create deep divisions and decrease relationship satisfaction. In fact, money is the top predictor of divorce. As a couples counselor I have treated many couples who have faced relationship issues pertaining to finances. In Part 1 of this series, I’ll be taking a look at some common reasons why couples usually get into frequent arguments over money issues.

 It’s important for couples to invest in their relationship when the children are young because a child's greatest comfort comes from knowing that their parents' relationship is as strong as it can be. I always tell my clients who come to me for couple counseling that they don’t have to choose between a happy relationship and happy, secure children because by having the first, they are guaranteed to get the second as well. So here are some important tips on how you can successfully balance parenthood and your relationship to enjoy the best of both worlds.

 When you’re trying to balance parenthood with your career and other responsibilities, your relationship with your better half is likely to take a back burner. Bringing up children can increase stress and strain, change values and goals, shift roles, reduce communication, and create hostility in a relationship. Raising kids can bring you close as a couple, but can also chip away at your relationship if you’re unprepared for some of these pitfalls. In Part 1 of this series, I’ll be taking a look at some of the problems faced by couples, that I have seen as a couples counselor, in balancing their relationship and parenthood.

We all live in a wireless world today in which the cell phone has changed the dynamics of the parent-child relationship. Three out of every four American teenagers own or use a cell phone and almost all their parents also own one. Over the last 15 years or so, this small multi-functional gadget has taken over family life, and its impact on the relationship between parents and children has been both significant and far-reaching. While a cell phone can be a powerful way for parents to stay connected to their children, things can often go wrong, such as:

These days, technology in general and cell phones in particular seem to have intruded on everything, including relationships between couples. So many of my clients are always complaining to me about feeling neglected when their partner is on the phone, or their ‘quality’ time together being disrupted by texts, emails, or games. Of late, I’ve been hearing a lot about relationships between couples suffering after the craze over the Pokémon Go game, with one partner accusing the other of spending more time catching virtual monsters than being together. There’s plenty of research to support the fact that the amount of time you spend on your cell phone can sabotage your attachment with your loved one in more ways than one, such as: (and those are just a few)