Do I really need to bring my partner to my Opes partners meeting?

If you haven’t figured it out by now, spouses (and partners) don’t always agree on things. You’ll differ on your taste in shows, music, food, holidays … pizza toppings.

Investing is no exception.

It’s common for an investor to be on a slightly different property investment page than their partner.

There is often one partner who’s super keen to invest while the other – for balance – is not.

Generally, if one partner travels for work and has lots of time to listen to the Property Academy Podcast, they’ll be particularly keen. On the other hand it may well be the stay-at-home parent who gets amped to invest while doing the housework.

And it’s the other person, too busy with the day-to-day grind, who occasionally needs more convincing.

Sometimes the partner who is keen on property will reach out to us here at Opes and ask to book a complimentary portfolio planning session.

Because they’re so keen they might ask: “Do I really need to bring my partner with me to my meeting with Opes Partners?”

The answer is always “Yes”.

In this article, you’ll learn the reasons why it’s always important to bring your partner along to any meeting with a financial adviser … even if they don’t seem keen at first.

Reason #1 – goals

First up is goal-setting. Just like pizza toppings, it’s likely – if not guaranteed – your partner is going to have slightly different goals for the future.

For instance, let’s say Partner A cares about looking after the kids in retirement while Partner B just wants to buy a boat and go fishing.

Every investor begins their journey with Opes with a one-hour Portfolio Planning Session.This is where you sit down with a Property Partner to discuss your current situation and your future financial goals.

To create a property investment plan you need to figure out what you’re investing for (your goals), before assigning numbers to them.

For instance, here are some questions you will likely discuss:

• Is providing for your children (university, house deposit, travel) important for you in the future? Or will they sort themselves out?

• What sort of lifestyle would you like to maintain in retirement? How much money do you want to spend each week?

• When would you like to retire? Is it in 5, 10 or 20 years?

• How much of your investment do you hope to leave to your family?

Once you have your goals figured out, you can decide how ambitious your plan needs to be. In other words, how much money you need.

Here’s the problem: If only one partner is at the meeting you risk making a joint plan that only addresses one partner’s goals.

Reason #2 using joint assets to invest

This brings us to our second point, which discusses joint assets.

Most investors get their second property by using equity built up within their owner-occupied home.

This is usually a joint asset (owned by both partners), which means both partners are responsible for any additional borrowing against this property.

Both partners should be involved in, and be aware of, the risks that may come with using this asset to invest, as well as the risks that may come if you don’t invest.

But again, you and your partner may differ in your investment attitude.

For instance, let’s say partner A is cautious and careful, but partner B is more comfortable taking a more aggressive, or risky, tactic.

If only the gung-ho investor is involved from the start it can cause conflict in the relationship later on.

It’s important both parties feel comfortable with the strategy in place, and the way the joint money is being used.

This is not exclusive to your house either. Perhaps you’ve both built up considerable savings. Either way, if the money belongs to both parties, they should both be involved in any decisions.

The same is true for income. If you’re going to use your partner’s income in the mortgage application they need to be involved from the start.

Reason #3 you don’t have to explain it back to them

In the meetings your financial adviser will go in-depth about setting up investment properties.

For instance, there are two initial meetings within the Opes Partners process:

• Portfolio Planning Session (Creating a plan)

• Property Selection Meeting (Building a property portfolio)

The first is an in-depth overview of all of your financial assets, your goal-setting and working out your wealth gap.

The second meeting is a data-heavy dive into the nitty-gritty world of turnkey developments which involves looking through property packs and analysing their potential using a Return on Investment (ROI) spreadsheet.

The ROI spreadsheet is a meaty document made up of hundreds of formula based on the latest tax regulations.

It’s unfair to ask, or expect, the partner who attended the meeting to relay this information perfectly, and to answer all their partner’s questions.

Have you ever been to a meeting where things made perfect sense at the time, but then you found it hard to explain it to someone who wasn’t there?

If you bring your partner along to the meetings you’ll avoid those awkward conversations at home.

It’s also fair to say that if you’re trying to explain what happened to your partner you may miss out information you’ve rendered unimportant. Or perhaps your retelling will favour the property you like, which might have been a different choice to your partner.

Some investors think if they get more information they will be able to get the other person to change their mind, but it doesn’t work like that.

Reason #4 your partner’s questions will get answered

Both partners are going to have different questions and concerns when it comes to property investment.

This is why if one partner is hesitant to invest in property it’s even more important they come along. Because if they have genuine questions these need to be answered before you successfully invest.

The danger is if your partner’s questions aren’t answered in a satisfactory way it can negatively affect your ability to make a decision – or it may turn them off completely.

It’s a huge financial commitment, so you’ve absolutely got to be comfortable with it before taking the plunge.

And comfortable not just with what you are purchasing, but able to trust the people you are working with. You can’t build trust with someone you’ve never met.

A financial adviser will answer any questions either of you may have in a meeting, with both of you present. But if you’re sat on the couch discussing options with your partner at home, you might not have the technical knowledge to hand to answer all those questions.

Reason #5 you’re more likely to invest if you’re both on the same page

If you’re an investor and you find yourself with a partner who’s just not that keen to invest with you, the best thing you can do is involve them in the process.

Why? Because you’re much more likely to get them on the same page if you are both involved from the outset.

Investing should be a joint decision with both parties feeling like they’ve had equal input in goals, decision-making and feel comfortable with the amount of risk each are taking on.

Marriage and children aside, this is going to be one of the biggest commitments you make with your partner – you both need to be on board.