"Don't Worry Dear, Our 201(k) is Doing Fine!"

With each passing payday I feel a stronger  kindred spirit with Al Bundy - the browbeaten and underachieving character of Married With Children fame - holding up crisp dollar bills in an outstretched hand as each family member helps themselves to their bi-weekly largesse, whether deserved or otherwise.

On the 16^th and the 1^st of each month, there are prisoners in maximum security facilities who brandish more disposable income than I do. Shortly after I came aboard Transition Advisors, a small article detailing my move in a prominent New York business publication sparked calls from no less than four high-net-worth investment professionals from global wire houses such as Goldman Sachs eager to garner my business.

When I revealed the aggregate amount of my investment portfolio, they quickly forwarded the address of a local soup kitchen.

So armed with that acute financial pedigree, it came as exactly no surprise that a new survey detailed how finances are the most common source of disagreement among American couples, prompting an average of three arguments per month, according to a survey conducted for the American Institute of CPAs by Harris Interactive.

More than a quarter of those surveyed said that disagreements over money – whether the amount or direction it was going – were most likely to ignite an argument. Nearly a third of those polled admitted to fighting over insufficient savings.

Sadly, some 55 percent said they do not set aside time to discuss finances.

Three in 10 adults who are married or living with a partner admitted to least one instance of financial deception including hiding purchases or making a major buy without any spousal consultation.

The above stat I can personally attest to as I was close to calling the National Guard a while back when my neighbor showed up with a surprise for his wife, a new Range Rover.  Minutes later, she came sprinting out of the house wielding an oversized frying pan and threatened to transform  both her husband and the vehicle into small bales of scrap metal.

Apparently, he hadn’t done any type of financial due diligence for this impulse purchase and was shocked to learn he could make the monthly payments only if the couple moved into an empty refrigerator box.

Conversely, I’ve had no such problems.

My spouse, who after 24 years of marriage is up for sainthood in at least five churches, always sets aside time for us to talk about finances. The fact that it’s a 30-second conversation is another matter.

And she never has to worry about me showing up with a flashy SUV with a NASA-like navigation system and chrome alloy wheels the size of the Chrysler Building. The Range Rover, BMW and Lexus dealers have all at one time or another politely pointed me toward the Kia lot.