We all only have a certain amount of money and that means yes, we have to make choices and sometimes those choices mean we don't get what we want.

I understand why many are still poor or struggling to make just a middle-income lifestyle. I'm a fiscal conservative, but I also have compassion for people who make financial mistakes.

We all fall - even me.

Always keep an eye out for other opportunities.

My rule is when in doubt hire a professional. You could do it just this year and then you have direction to resume doing it yourself after the consultation. What you don't want is to do it wrong and be hit by a huge tax bill. Remember the old saying, "Don't be pennywise and pound foolish."

You need to know everything. You both need to be comfortable with sharing everything. If you can't you are NOT ready to get married.

You don't need to waste money on a fancy program or app to do a basic budget. I've been using a simple Excel spreadsheet since 2005 to track my monthly budget.