Falling in love again can be the easy part. Combining two financial lives, children, ex-partners, assets, debts and very different ideas about money? That’s where things can get complicated.

In this episode of Money Talk, Real Talk, co-hosts Trish Gregory and Suzanne Alexander are joined by financial planner Amie Baker from Rekab Advice to unpack the financial reality of blended families.

Amie brings both professional and personal experience to the conversation. As a divorced mum who built a business as a single parent before remarrying and creating a blended family herself, she knows firsthand that the spreadsheet is often the easy part. It’s the emotions, expectations and family dynamics underneath it that make these conversations difficult.

We talk about:

💰 Combining finances without giving up your financial independence
❤️ Why the honeymoon phase isn't the best time to ignore the money conversation
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Managing money when children and ex-partners are part of the equation
⚖️ Why fair doesn't always mean equal in blended families
🏡 Property, debt and assets each partner brings into the relationship
📜 Estate planning and protecting children from previous relationships
🛡️ Life insurance, TPD, superannuation and beneficiary considerations
🤝 When a Binding Financial Agreement may need to be considered
💬 Why some financial decisions need more than one conversation
🧠 How our individual money stories follow us into a new relationship
✈️ And Amie’s very honest experience of becoming the saver in a relationship with someone whose lifestyle looked very different to hers.

One of the biggest takeaways?

You can build something together without giving up everything you've built independently.

Resources & where to find Amie

Amie Baker | Rekab Advice
🌐 Rekab Advice website
💼 LinkedIn: Amie Baker
📱 Instagram: @centsable_amie

If this episode raises questions about your own blended-family arrangements, consider speaking with your financial adviser and, where appropriate, an estate-planning/family lawyer and tax professional before making changes to your assets, estate planning, superannuation or financial arrangements.

Email: moneytalkrealtalkpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The advice or information shared on this podcast is general and doesn't consider your personal circumstances. You should consider if the advice or information is appropriate for you before acting. Make sure you read any product disclosure statements and or target market determinations of any financial product you use or purchase and consider obtaining professional advice appropriate to your need. Trish Gregory, Authorised Representative number 1252041 is an Authorised Representative of Dirigere Advisory Pty Ltd trading as Intelligent Planning AFSL number 524371. Suzanne Alexander, while a former Financial Advisor, is now a Certified Money Coach (CMC®) and Mindset Mentor.