One year at a time
We don't win at money once.
This ends our first full calendar year of The Joint Account. We’ve slowed down our pub schedule over the holidays, but it didn’t feel right to ghost you until the new year. Today, we want to thank all our readers. Heather and I can’t begin to tell you how grateful we are for your support. In the coming months, we will complete the manuscript for our forthcoming book, Money Together. This time next year, a copy of it can be in your hands.
Perhaps the book and the holidays are putting me in my feelings, but I believe there’s value in looking back over the years to appreciate all that you’ve done together as a team. There’s no way I could have made it here without Heather.
When we first moved in together in New York City, we were young, ambitious, and a little uncertain about how our shared future might take shape. We each came to the relationship with our own financial baggage—think crushing student loan debt, post-recession career turmoil, and checking accounts that always seemed to be as anxious as we were. We didn’t pool our funds into a single account at the very start, but we approached every financial decision as a team. Our conversations were the building blocks of what would become our shared financial philosophy.
Those early years taught us to take it one step at a time. Negotiating our first lease agreement, navigating our cash flows, balancing loan payments with the occasional date night all felt like a giant puzzle, but we handled it piece by piece. We packed lunches and cooked dinners and extended subsidized work trips into mini vacations. We did everything we could to maximize our limited budget. It was like that for a while until things improved and we had new choices to make.
The choices keep coming.
Heather and I meet each new stage of our lives with a fresh round of conversations to guide our financial choices. Each time, we reassess what we need and identify the resources we’ll need to achieve it. We keep getting better at minimizing the money friction between us, because we’ve practiced over and over again. It’s an evolving process of giving each other the floor, evaluating our risks, being realistic in our timelines, and trusting one another.
At its core, approaching love and money isn’t about being perfect. You won’t find a one-size-fits-all strategy to seamlessly carry you forever. You need to commit—to each other, to honest communication, and to a willingness to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. Life changes on a dime. Income fluctuates. Expenses grow and recede. Goals evolve. What matters most is that you keep showing up for one another, keep being curious, and keep building the financial life that serves the both of you at that given moment.
Heather and I have learned that our financial lives will never be stagnant. But embracing the uncertainty and acknowledging that nothing is guaranteed is what has allowed us to make big decisions with confidence—decisions that not only support our household but make us happy, too.
Whether you’re just starting out or well into your journey, remember that evolving together, one decision at a time, is the key. The more you practice, the better you’ll get, and the stronger your partnership will become. In the end, that is the real reward: knowing you’re in it together.
OMG! That’s it for TJA in 2024. But before the ball drops in Times Square, please drop us a line to let us know what you would like to see more of in 2025.
On the 400th day of winter break, we took the kids to the American Museum of Natural History. Naturally (heh), they were blown away. We loved the planetarium show and the butterfly exhibit, but without a doubt, our family favorite was the rock and gem stone collection. So, I took this picture of my most precious gems!
TJA in the News
Last week, Douglas made his final appearance of the year on CNBC’s World Wide Exchange. He discussed the Fed’s most recent rate cut, dysfunction in Washington D.C., and bitcoin. Then, he was featured in this Slate article on why it’s super important for Boomer parents to have estate planning conversations with their millennial children.
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The content shared in The Joint Account does not constitute financial, legal, or any other professional advice. Readers should consult with their respective professionals for specific advice tailored to their situation.
Now, Doug is talking about Finance, maybe more than that, experiences in life.