Step One: Talk about it. Experts agree communication is essential in maintaining a good relationship - and this also applies to money matters. Couples who are open with each other about money will find it less a source of conflict. 'Every relationship is different, every financial situation is different,' says ipac's Pam Bradley. 'The sooner you get talking about money, the easier it is. 'It is like everything else: the first time you ride a bike and you fall off and it hurts, and before you know it your riding the Tour de France.' Step Two: Act like a celebrity - and consider a pre-nuptial agreement. It's well worth considering. 'It doesn't hurt to have a prenup and they are great because they get you talking about your finances,' says Bradley. The best time to write a prenup agreement is when you have just become engaged or taken the equivalent step of commitment. 'That is when you are madly in love and want to do the best for each other. If you come into it from a loving and happy frame of mind, you are more likely to be fair to each other when you write that document. 'We all hope the relationship won't go wrong but sometimes it does, and the wonderful joint accounts you establish sometimes have to get pulled apart. 'If you had good conversations and good reasons why you did something on the way in, it makes it easier on the way out.' Step Three: Stay faithful. Once you have worked out the rules - who pays for what, how much etc - stick to them. 'You can't say I have no money in my personal account but there is a sale on at Harvey Nichols so I will just use the joint account this one time,' says Bradley. 'You owe it to each other to stick to the rules. Money is so tied up in trust. 'You need discipline and commitment with money - the same way you do with all other aspects of your relationship.' Step Four: Be prepared to change. Salaries change, babies come along, jobs change. All of these can affect your current and future finances. So be prepared to review your plans regularly and after every major change in circumstance. This is especially important with working women who hope to have children some day. Gallinat says financial stressors can occur anywhere in life as money is involved in every life transition - education, becoming engaged or moving in together, marriage, children, holidays, job loss or any change in job status, midlife, illness, divorce, ageing parents, end of life experience, death. 'At every stage along the way, effective, respectful, compassionate communication is essential,' she says.