Have you ever been on a run or participated in some form of physical activity and wondered to yourself, “How does this actually benefit me?” I have been on plenty of runs where the adrenaline and excitement have long worn off and the salt streaks on my face, combined with the aching in my muscles, made me question whether working out is all it has been hyped up to be. Those experiences allowed me to seriously consider whether working out is a benefit or a burden, leading me to explore its impacts more deeply, especially regarding marriage relationships. Today, I want to share a few things I have learned, specifically focusing on how exercise might impact marriage relationships.

College graduates earn, on average, about $23,000 more per year than those with only a high school diploma. For college students, completing their degree on time is often helpful for securing a stable livelihood and for families to achieve financial well-being. Despite these benefits, many students struggle with significant financial pressures such as rising tuition, housing costs, and living expenses, which can jeopardize their ability to finish college.[1] Financial stress not only affects academic performance but can also directly lead to dropping out. With rising tuition and reduced financial aid, many are forced to rely on loans to pay for their education,[2] which greatly increases the difficulty of graduating on time.

Ever wonder why some couples can calmly talk through a budget while others spiral into shouting matches over spending? Money disagreements are one of the top stressors for couples—but what if the way you learned about money as a kid could help keep those fights at bay? That’s the question Dr. Ashley Larsen Gibby and colleagues explored in their 2021 study.1 They looked at how both implicit and explicit childhood financial lessons affect couples’ ability to handle money disagreements in marriage. In this article, I’ll explain what they found, why it matters, and how your own childhood money experiences might be your secret weapon (or crutch to overcome) for smoother financial talks with your partner.

Moving out, scheduling your own doctor appointments, learning how to cook something other than craft Mac n cheese—these are some of the many milestones that mark the transition from tethered teen to independent adult. Becoming financially independent is another one of those big milestones, but research shows that emerging adults are taking longer than they did 50 years ago to meet this key milestone.1 What does this mean for families, and how do kids learn to manage money in the first place? In this article, I’ll discuss how different socioeconomic classes of parents tend to teach their kids about finances—and how those teachings often shape adolescents’ financial futures.

If you’re a college student, chances are you’ve felt stressed about money at some point. Whether it’s worrying about student loans, stretching your paycheck to cover rent, or just figuring out how to pay for groceries and gas, financial stress can feel overwhelming. And you’re not alone—studies show financial stress is one of the top challenges college students face. The good news? You don’t have to figure it all out by yourself. Financial counseling, something many students don’t even realize their campus offers, can be a game-changer. A study by Dr. Sonya Britt Lutter and colleagues examined the impact financial stress has on college students and the role of counseling services in addressing this issue.1 They found that not only is financial stress widespread, but seeking help through counseling reduces that stress and improves money management skills over time. In other words, talking to someone who understands both the emotional and practical side of money can give students the tools and confidence to stop feeling like they’re drowning.

Marriage requires the sharing of many things. There is a shift from individual goals and mindsets to setting goals as a couple, a change in focus and a new pattern, strengthening and supporting each other, and everything in between. During this adjustment, financial questions are often top of mind. How should we handle finances? Who handles the budgeting, income, and savings? Is it one partner, both, or something in between? And is one way of approaching it better than another approach? These questions are similar to those asked by researchers who sought to better understand how financial management roles influenced couple relationships.1,2,3

Retirement. The dream within a dream. The eventual likelihood for every working person and often a major goal and milestone for many people. Yet there is also sometimes a less talked-about but essential aspect to retirement. I term it a perpetual gloom and doom for some, with the hopes and dreams of fun, worthwhile, and fulfilling retirement being met with disappointment as financial worry overshadows it all. But are financial worries about retirement really such a big deal today? Do people still see them as a regular part of the retirement experience?

You’ve heard of finding your identity in college—figuring out your values, goals, and even your sense of self. But have you ever thought about your financial identity? It’s more than just your bank account balance or budgeting skills. Financial identity is about how you see yourself in relation to money—how confident, capable, and responsible you feel when it comes to earning, spending, and saving. And for emerging adults, it turns out this piece of identity is a lot more powerful than we may realize. In a 2023 study, researchers Dr. Brandan Wheeler and Dr. Cecilia Brooks looked at how money lessons you learn from classes like consumer economics or family finance, and from your own family and life experiences, shape financial identity and well-being.¹ In other words, how do the money lessons you learn—and how you learn those lessons—affect who you believe you are financially? And how does that financial self-image impact how well you handle your money? Their findings can help all of us better understand the emotional and developmental side of money, especially during the critical years of emerging adulthood.

Money and marriage…when put together, they can be a recipe for stress and strain. But what if there was a way to handle money worries without letting them harm your relationship? New research shows that financial concerns don’t always spell doom for a relationship. In fact, some couples can feel stressed about money and still report being happy together. How? That’s what Drs. Brandan Wheeler and Cecilia Brooks1 set out to explore. They studied how financial worries, relationship happiness, and money management behaviors are connected among married and cohabiting couples. Their findings reveal that how you handle money matters just as much—if not more—than whether you feel financially stressed in the first place. In other words, the strategies couples use around money can act as a protective factor, helping them stay close even when finances are tight.

Money can do more than stress a relationship; it can quietly shape who holds power in a couple. But it doesn’t have to be a source of tension. A study by Dr. Xiaomin Li and colleagues examined how financial communication, power imbalances, and even “social sabotage” show up in different-gender couples in the U.S.1 Put simply, the way partners talk about money and make decisions together can either bring them closer or create subtle tension. The study highlights three key dynamics that shape relationships: how open communication fosters fairness, how power imbalances emerge when communication falters, and how certain behaviors can quietly undermine trust.