Your Mental Wealth

by Laura Rowley

Karina Carretero and Kian Kaeni, both 33, have known each other since he sat behind her in English class at their southern California high school in the mid-90s. They started dating in 2003 and married four years later. They have a 1-year-old daughter and are trying to save a down payment for a house.

That’s a tricky process, because they haven’t merged their finances yet. “Since dating and through marriage we kept everything separate,” says Carretero, a public relations executive. Although the couple slashed their student loan and credit card debt in anticipation of the home purchase, neither one has a precise tally of the bottom line.

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