10. I know the current value of all of our retirement accounts (including RRSPs, RESPs, company pension plans, etc.). I know where the statements for these accounts are kept and I have a solid grasp of how all our accounts performed last year.
11. I know what percentage of our income we are saving as a couple.
12. I know how much each of us is putting into our respective retirement accounts, whether that amounts to the maximum allowable contribution, whether our employers are making matching contributions, and what our respective vesting schedules are.
13. I know how much money each of us will be getting from the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security when we retire, and what our pension benefits (if any) will be.
14. I know whether or not we have a will or living trust, what its provisions are, and how up-to-date it is.
15. I know whether our income would be protected by disability insurance should I or my partner become unable to work. If we do have disability insurance, I know the amount of the coverage, when the benefits would start, and whether they would be taxable. If we don't have disability insurance, I know why we don't have it.
16. I know what my partner's wishes are regarding medical treatment (including being kept alive by artificial means) in the event he or she falls seriously ill or is seriously injured. I know whether or not our will includes a valid power of attorney covering such situations. I also know how my partner feels about being an organ donor.
17. I know if my partner has taken an investment class in recent years.
18. I know how my partner's parents handled their finances and I know what effect that has had on how my partner feels about how we manage our money.
 | Excerpted from Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach. Copyright 2003 by David Bach. Excerpted by permission of Doubleday Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. |
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