Ellen and Edward earn $28,000 a month, or an annual income of around $336,000 a year — more than triple their home state of Hawaii’s median household income.
But their high income doesn’t prevent the couple from having constant financial disagreements, they told money expert, author and self-made millionaire Ramit Sethi on a recent episode of his Money for Couples podcast. Their last names were not used.
Edward is terrified of ever returning to a poor financial situation similar to what he grew up in, while Ellen wants the freedom to reasonably spend their money without asking permission, they said.
“We are pretty financially well-off, and my brain does not compute that,” Edward said on the podcast. “Everything for me is a fire. A blown tire that’s $200, $300 is a huge deal for me.”
It’s not just emergencies, either. Edward oversees the all of couple’s finances, and Ellen said she has to get his approval to buy virtually anything, even everyday beauty products or essentials like her prenatal vitamins.
