Plan your money and your life together, with conversations that bring you closer
A complete kit for couples at any stage to build a shared plan for money, home, work, family and the future, in eight weekly conversations, a monthly money date and a yearly retreat.
- An e-book with a calm, practical method: money stories, full disclosure, accounts, fair splits, household load, big decisions, protection and repair
- Couple Plan Workbook (13 sheets): money map, fair-split calculator comparing four methods, shared goals, joint budget, net worth, household load and dashboard
- Five fillable conversation forms, a couple agreement, 47 questions before moving in or marrying, and 7 ready-to-send letters
- 57 scripts and messages, 29 AI prompts, a calendar of 30 events and a worked example of a real-feeling couple
The Couples Life and Money Plan · Bodhih Pro Kits · 126 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How should couples combine finances?
There is no single right way. Most couples do well with a hybrid: personal accounts plus a joint pot for shared costs and goals, funded by a split method chosen on purpose, such as proportional to income. The Couples Life and Money Plan Kit from Bodhih Training walks you through choosing, with a calculator and scripts.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Combine Finances as a Couple: Joint, Separate or Hybrid?.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Money talks turn into fights
One of you raises money and the other hears blame. Within minutes you are arguing about something from three weeks ago, and nothing gets decided.
Fifty-fifty stopped feeling fair
Splitting everything equally made sense once. Now one of you has almost nothing left at the end of the month and resentment is building quietly.
Family obligations are a mystery
Money goes to parents or siblings every month, and it has never been properly discussed. One of you feels judged; the other feels shut out.
One of you carries the invisible load
The chores look shared on paper, but one person notices, plans and remembers everything. They are exhausted and the other does not see why.
The big what-ifs are unspoken
No wills, old nominations, no emergency fund, no idea what rights you have if you are not married. It feels unromantic to bring up, so nobody does.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine a Sunday evening a few weeks from now. You open the Couple Plan Workbook together, the Dashboard shows where you stand, and the conversation is calm because you both know the agenda: wins, numbers, issues, decisions, then a treat.
As you fill in the Money Map, the surprises come out in one planned evening instead of in an argument. When you compare the four split methods on the Split Methods sheet, you can both see the left-over row, and the choice you make feels fair to both of you.
Picture handing over a whole household task, planning and all, and noticing the quiet that follows. Picture the big decision you have been circling, written as a question with three options, scored privately and talked through together.
Whether you start with the money story form tonight or open the workbook this weekend, each conversation builds on the last. By the end of eight weeks you have a signed couple agreement, twelve money dates in your calendars and a retreat booked.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Couples Life and Money Plan (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the couple plan map
The whole job on one page: each step with the file to open, your first hour, and a 30/60/90 day use plan.
Couple Plan Workbook
13-sheet workbook: settings, money map, net worth, shared goals, fair split, split methods compared, joint budget, decision log, household load and summary, retreat scorecard and a dashboard with chart.
Money story and values conversation
Three-page fillable form: your money story alone, notes while you listen to your partner, then values ranked and compared.
Monthly money date
Two-page fillable agenda for the 45-minute monthly money date: wins, numbers, issues, decisions, next step and treat.
Big decision worksheet
Three-page fillable worksheet for a home, children, a career move, relocation or caring for a parent: frame, options, numbers, feelings, test and decide, review.
Household load conversation
Two-page fillable guide to sharing household work fairly, including the invisible planning and remembering, with a six-week review.
Annual planning retreat
Three-page fillable retreat plan: look back, check the plan, look forward and recommit, with space for scores, goals and next year's date.
Conversation scripts and repair phrases
57 scripts and messages for every money moment in a relationship, plus 10 repair phrases, grouped by situation.
Our couple agreement
One-page-per-section household agreement for two: transparency, accounts, splits, family support, goals, money dates, household load, decisions, protection, disagreement and safety.
Questions to ask before moving in or marrying
47 questions in 9 sections, from money and family obligations to children, protection and how you talk, with space for both answers.
Ready-to-send letters and emails
7 editable letters: booking a family lawyer, questions for a bank about joint accounts, updating nominations, a financial adviser, family support, sharing a parent's care costs and a tenancy change.
Worked example pack: Priya and Marcus
All five conversation forms shown filled in for one fictional couple, from money stories to the annual retreat, so you can see what good looks like.
AI prompt pack for couples
29 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step of the couple plan, each with what to paste in and what to check before using the output.
Decision card: accounts and fair splits
Two pages: joint, separate and hybrid accounts compared, then if-this-try-that rules for choosing a split method.
Financial red flags and safety
Conflict versus control, warning signs of financial abuse, dated helpline and emergency numbers, and quiet safety steps.
Money conversation mistakes
Fifteen common mistakes couples make when talking about money, why they backfire, and what to do instead.
Couple plan calendar: 8 weeks plus monthly dates
30 events: eight weekly conversations with prep reminders, a household load review, twelve monthly money dates and the annual retreat. Each names the file to open.
Couple plan task board import
28 set-up tasks as a CSV for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or any task app, with week, step, file to open, owner and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + PDF cheat sheets + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 62 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion
- Best for
- Couples at any stage building or resetting a shared plan for money and life
- Currency
- Any: amounts are plain numbers
Two People, One Plan
How the kit works, three things to do this week, and a clear safety box.
Where Your Money Stories Come From
Name the money rules each of you absorbed growing up, with no numbers, so arguments turn into information.
Putting Everything on the Table
Put income, accounts, debts, credit health and family obligations, including remittances, on one shared money map.
Values, Priorities and the Goals You Share
Rank your values, list every goal with a target and date, and use WOOP to plan for the obstacle you already know about.
Joint, Separate or Both
Compare fully joint, fully separate and hybrid accounts and choose the structure that fits your incomes and obligations.
Fair Is Not Always Equal
Compare four split methods with your real numbers and read the left-over row before you choose.
The Monthly Money Date
Run a 45-minute monthly money date with five segments, simple rules and a treat at the end.
Who Does What at Home, and Who Remembers
Make the visible and invisible household work measurable and move whole tasks, not just the doing.
Making Big Decisions Together
Use six steps for homes, children, career moves, relocation and caring for parents.
Protecting Each Other
Cover the five protections and understand prenuptial and cohabitation agreements as concepts to take to a lawyer.
When Money Gets Hard
Pause, repair and return in money arguments, and tell ordinary conflict apart from financial control.
The Annual Planning Retreat
Hold a half-day annual retreat to look back, check the plan, look forward and recommit.
Country Notes on Couples, Property and Protection
Dated country notes on unmarried couples, agreements, protection and helplines.
Your Eight-Week Set-Up Plan
The eight-week set-up plan, week by week, with the files to open.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Couples Life and Money Plan: 10 chapters, conclusion and two appendices, including dated country notes
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Couple-Plan-Map.pdf: every step with the file to open, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan
Spreadsheet
- Couple-Plan-Workbook.xlsx (13 sheets): Start here, Settings, Money Map, Net Worth, Shared Goals, Fair Split, Split Methods, Joint Budget, Decision Log, Household Load, Load Summary, Retreat Scorecard and Dashboard with chart
Fillable PDF forms
- Money-Story-and-Values-Conversation.pdf (3 pages)
- Monthly-Money-Date.pdf (2 pages)
- Big-Decision-Worksheet.pdf (3 pages)
- Household-Load-Conversation.pdf (2 pages)
- Annual-Planning-Retreat.pdf (3 pages)
Word templates
- Conversation-Scripts-and-Repair-Phrases.docx: 57 scripts and messages plus 10 repair phrases
- Our-Couple-Agreement.docx: a personal agreement in 14 sections
- Questions-Before-Moving-In-or-Marrying.docx: 47 questions in 9 sections
- Ready-to-Send-Letters-and-Emails.docx: 7 letters, including a family lawyer meeting request
- Worked-Example-Pack-Priya-and-Marcus.docx: all five forms filled in for one fictional couple
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Couples.docx: 29 prompts
Cheat sheets
- Decision-Card-Accounts-and-Fair-Splits.pdf (2 pages)
- Financial-Red-Flags-and-Safety.pdf with dated helplines
- Money-Conversation-Mistakes.pdf
Calendar and import
- Couple-Plan-8-Week-Calendar.ics: 30 events for Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Couple-Plan-Task-Board-Import.csv: 28 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion or Planner
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Hold a money conversation with a clear agenda and a set end time
- Put both partners' income, debts and family obligations on one map
- Compare four fair-split methods with your own numbers and choose one on purpose
- Choose joint, separate or hybrid accounts with the trade-offs in view
- Share household work, including the planning and remembering, in a way you both call fair
- Work through big decisions with three options, numbers and feelings
- Check the five protections and prepare for a lawyer or adviser meeting
- Pause, repair and return when a money conversation goes wrong
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Money Decision Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentDisagreement and Negotiation Approach Profile
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentConflict Navigation & Resolution
Take the assessment →JobularySet goals you actually reach with the WOOP method (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 1
By the time we are adults, most of us carry a set of private rules about money. "Never borrow." "Always pay for your friends." "Money is for enjoying." "You must send money home." "Talking about salary is rude." "The man pays." "The person who earns more decides." Some rules came from parents, some from scarcity, some from a sudden loss, some from culture or faith, some from the first time we had our own pay packet. The rules are not the problem. Unspoken rules are the problem. When two people with different unspoken rules share a home, every purchase can become a quiet vote on whose rules win. Naming the rules turns them from a fight into information, and it tends to make both of you a little kinder.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | A blank budget template | An eight-week method, monthly money date and yearly retreat |
| Fair split | Assumes 50/50 | Compares four methods, including after family obligations, with left-over money for each |
| Family obligations | Ignored | Remittances and joint-family expectations built into the map, split and agreement |
| Household work | A chore chart | Doing and owning measured, with a conversation guide and review |
| Words to say | None | 57 scripts and messages, plus repair phrases |
| Countries | One country's assumptions | Any currency; dated notes for UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, UAE, Singapore and more |
| Safety | Not mentioned | Clear red flags, safety box and dated helplines |
Made for you if…
- Couples dating seriously who want to talk about money before it becomes a problem
- Couples about to move in together or marry
- Couples years in who want a reset without blame
- Couples with very different incomes, debts or family obligations, including remittances and joint-family households
- Married, unmarried, same-sex, blended and multigenerational families anywhere in the world
- Anyone who is tired of the same money argument coming back every month
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone whose partner controls their money or makes them afraid: the kit's safety sheet points to help, but joint exercises are not right for you now
- Couples looking for legal, tax or investment advice for their specific situation: the kit helps you prepare for those professionals
- People who want a detailed household budgeting system only: see The Household Money Hub
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Start the first conversation this week
Open the money story form, answer six questions on your own, and book thirty minutes together. Whether you begin with the stories tonight or the workbook at the weekend, the plan is built one calm conversation at a time.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Household Money Hub
The household budget system.
Hard Talks, Good Outcomes
Scripts for hard conversations.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Couples Life and Money Plan: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkShould couples have joint or separate bank accounts?
Either can work. Many couples choose a hybrid: personal accounts plus a joint account for shared costs and goals. The kit's decision card compares all three structures on visibility, independence, admin and what happens if one partner stops earning.
What is a fair way to split bills when incomes are different?
Equal splits can squeeze the lower earner. Common alternatives are proportional to income, proportional after fixed obligations such as remittances or child maintenance, and equal leftover. The Split Methods sheet shows what each partner pays and has left under all four.
How do I talk to my partner about money without fighting?
Use a set time, a short agenda and a pause word. Start with facts, then feelings, then fixes, and talk about the plan rather than the person. The kit includes a 45-minute money date form and 57 scripts for hard moments.
Does it work if one of us sends money to family?
Yes. Family obligations, including remittances and joint-family contributions, go on the Money Map, can be taken off the top before splitting costs, and have their own section in the couple agreement and scripts.
We are not married. Is this kit still for us?
Yes. It is written for every family shape. The protection chapter and dated country notes explain why unmarried partners often have fewer automatic rights and which questions to take to a family lawyer where you live.
Is this legal, financial or therapy advice?
No. The kit is educational. Family law, property, inheritance, tax and benefits differ by country and sometimes by religion-based personal law. Use the kit to prepare, then speak to a family lawyer, a regulated financial adviser, a mediator, a counsellor or a legal aid service.
What if my partner controls the money or I feel unsafe?
Do not use the joint exercises. Read the Financial Red Flags and Safety sheet on a device your partner cannot see. It lists dated emergency numbers and helplines. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
How do I measure our starting point?
To measure your starting point, the AssessAll assessments Money Decision Judgment, Disagreement and Negotiation Approach Profile and Conflict Navigation & Resolution at assessall.com give each partner a private profile to bring to your first conversations.
How do we turn our goals into a plan we keep?
Each priority goal gets a WOOP plan in the Shared Goals sheet. To turn it into a development plan for your own habits, Jobulary has a practical guide to the WOOP method for goals.
Which apps do I need?
Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice for the workbook; any PDF reader that fills forms, such as Acrobat Reader; Word or Google Docs for the templates; and any calendar app that imports .ics files.
How much does The Couples Life and Money Plan cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
