advice column: My wife makes 65% of my salary. She wants me to pay her student loans. How should I respond?

[MatureDJ]

My wife makes 65% of my salary. She wants me to pay her student loans. How should I respond?

‘She has said that I make more, so I should cover the extras, and yet my monthly expenses are far less than hers.’

finance.yahoo.com

 

[Zimbabwe]

Husband should ask himself this, if he made 65% of her salary. Would she pay his student loans?

 

[2Rocky]

I've been there...

Depends if she has more "off work" time , and if she is also being a mother. We don't know enough about the situation to lay out the allocation of expenses.

Assuming they are DINK's, she should then do 35% more housework/chores than the breadwinner, and Contribute 40% to the non discretionary fund for household expenses, while Hubby covers 60% of NDF's (rent/mortgage, insurance, groceries, debt repayment ) The same allocation should stand for savings (60/40) Her student loans should be 100% her responsibility and part of her Allocation for NDF.

If she has to parent on top of working she is actually contributing more unpaid hours to the household. Hubby better either hire household help or put his apron on. Especially if the child or children are under 7 years old. Quid pro quo has no place in that equation because your kids mindsets are being formed at that time and if she doesn't nurture them then then Therapists will be doing it later.