Valentine’s Day: Couples who invest together thrive together

Having a car, a house, money saved for emergencies, financial applications and being able to travel on vacation are wishes of any couple. There is no recipe for achieving these goals, nor is there a secret. The basic rule boils down to financial education, discipline and commitment, which enables couples to build equity and a peaceful life in the present and in the future. In the week in which Valentine’s Day is celebrated, the invitation to couples is for a reflection that is still taboo for many: finances, with the exception that, with dialogue, patience and guidance, it is possible to prosper and turn dreams into reality.

In Brazil, there are still no statistics on the number of couples who have investments. In general, the strata are by gender, social class, race and age. But the good news is that the number of Brazilians investing is growing. The 6th edition of Investidr’s X-Ray, released in March by the Brazilian Association of Financial and Capital Market Entities (Anbima), points out that the percentage of Brazilians investing in financial products increased from 31% in 2021 to 36% in 2022 , equivalent to about 60 million people. Of this total, 40% are men and 33% are women, with the most mentioned investment product being savings, with 26% of mentions.

The objectives of the investments are varied, the main one being the purchase of a house, mentioned by 30% of the interviewees. Next, maintenance of resources in financial products (20.8%), the purchase of a vehicle (11.1%), travel/leisure activities (10.6%), use in old age/retirement (9. 6%), invest in their own business (9.5%) and “leave it to the children” (6%).

Buying your own home and vehicle and having your own business were the goals set by the couple Franciele Soares and Luan Gomes, both 33 years old. Together since they were 19, the couple has matured and grown financially, and attributes their success in the financial area to dialogue and transparency.

She has a degree in Literature and he has a degree in History, but neither currently works in the area. With six years of work in the training area, Franciele was sure of her vocation for entrepreneurship and for about three years she has had a women’s fashion store. Luan also undertook and has a business focused on solar energy, which he manages with his duties as a criminal police officer.

“We’ve worked a little bit of everything. I’ve been a cleaning lady and he’s a school guard. We study and work hard to achieve our dreams. We built a reserve because we knew that saving and saving money was the way to conquer material goods. We have a joint Sicredi account and everything we earn is ours. We separate only the financial commitments of the companies. And the result came, today we have our business, our house, our car, land – already paid off -, we travel on vacation, we have money in our savings, everything a couple dreams of”,

says Franciele.

In the last year, the couple’s plans took a different direction, with the arrival of little Maitê, who at the time of the interview was four months old.

“Now we have to think about our daughter, for her to have a better future, think about her education. We work a lot, we give up some things to have a reserve and a more peaceful future. This is the biggest difficulty, failing to enjoy some things today to think about the future”,

tells Luan, when telling that the couple has a reserve in savings, and began to study other investments, such as real estate funds.

Adaptation is a challenge

Dealing with finances for two is not an easy task. When one part is a spender and the other economic is even more delicate, an environment conducive to misunderstandings. It is at this time that dialogue, transparency and sincerity must be prioritized so that financial matters do not harm the relationship.

The adaptation phase is experienced by many couples, including João Victor Coutinho, 24, and Victor Reis, 29. With almost four years of relationship, they have been living together since the second month of dating and made the union official in 2021. Even after so much time, they have difficulty dealing with finances together. João Victor is a journalist and more of a controller. Victor, on the other hand, is a banker and is more “carefree”, and this difference in behavior generated discussions until João handed Victor the task of putting all expenses, income and investments in a spreadsheet.

“We had a difficult adjustment period and we are still dealing with it. We have a joint account and investments. We research, we have investments in fixed income and we like to test other products such as an exchange stock fund – with smaller contributions – to see how it works, how much it yields. That part stays with me more, but we both bring our visions about everything”, says João Victor when commenting that even with the differences, the couple has reaped positive results. Last year they changed cell phones, this year they traveled to Fortaleza for Carnival – which was a dream of both of them and where they became officially engaged -, and recently acquired a new vehicle. “Another dream of ours is the wedding on the beach, in about four years”,

announces Victor.

misunderstandings happen

As happened with João Victor and Victor, thousands of couples have difficulty dealing with finances, a subject that often generates arguments. To prevent this from happening, Djully Mantoani, investment consultant at Central Sicredi Centro Norte, says that dialogue is the key to balance. “A frank conversation about the couple’s resources and understanding of priorities is essential. A simple tip is to reserve the resource as if it were an installment payment, so both invest in the same proportion and have free resources to spend as they wish, ”she advises.

She adds that it is important that one understands the profile of the other, because they are different people, with different ambitions and different willingness to invest.

“There is no right or wrong, but feelings and sensations that must be taken into account and each one will have to give in a little so that there is balance.”, summarizes the specialist.

even before the wedding

If the couple handles money well, sharing finances can occur even before marriage. When both have common goals, things flow naturally. This is what happens to the newlyweds Lucile Mayeron and Victor Gouveia, 25 years old. In May, they completed a year of dating and took a step further in their relationship: the engagement, celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, on one of several trips that the couple made.

Since deciding to get married, the couple – who already live together – started to share income and expenses with a view to the wedding, which will take place in May of next year, in Trancoso (BA). For the time being, they divide the expenses, organized them in a spreadsheet and apply the savings to savings. After the wedding, they intend to open a joint account and manage expenses together, always thinking about a reservation so that they can enjoy what they like, such as gastronomic experiences and travel.

“We also want to buy land to build our house and invest in the construction of real estate, to have an income in the future”,

plans Lucile.

Couple that does not invest, where to start?

Regardless of the stage of the relationship, it’s always time to invest. In Djully’s opinion, the first thing to do is talk to understand how the couple’s finances are and set priorities.

“After that moment, if the couple does not have an emergency reserve, it is recommended to start with it and create the habit of investing” she says, stressing that it is important to bear in mind that “the money of one is money of both, and each one will invest according to the availability of resources they have, in addition to understanding that the amount saved will be used by both, so that neither one feels harmed”, he says.

Djully adds that at Sicredi, members have a complete portfolio of financial products and that before investing it is necessary to understand the profile of the couple, the objective and the anticipated need for use.

“If we are talking about starting investments and the couple’s only resource, the right thing is a product with more liquidity than profitability. This means that the investment objective will always overlap the couple’s investor profile. And Sicredi’s investment advisors are available to couples to help them throughout the process”, concludes the investment consultant.

About Sicredi

Sicredi is a cooperative financial institution committed to the growth of its members and the development of the regions where it operates. It has a management model that values ​​the participation of more than 6.5 million associates, who play the role of business owners. With more than 2,400 branches, Sicredi is physically present in all Brazilian states and in the Federal District, offering more than 300 financial products and services.

In the states of Mato Grosso, Pará Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, Roraima, Amapá, Pará and some cities in Goiás, Sicredi is present in 227 municipalities and has 296 branches, serving more than 1 million members.

*With advisory information

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