Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back to our Love and other assets newsletter.

It’s been a busy week as we head back from NYC - we had the pleasure of interviewing couples therapist Esther Perel on our podcast for her first ever episode all about money. And don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long. It’ll be out soon, with an exciting announcement to go along with it. 😉

Up, down, up, down... the market’s been bouncing all over as investors speculate on the election. If watching your portfolio is stressing you out, remember: every downturn eventually turns around if you keep your money invested for the long haul.

In this week’s deep dive, I’m exploring 4 ways to reframe debt to make it a little easier to talk about with your partner. Here’s a sneak peek:

• Why not all debt is created equal

• Where luck and debt intersect

• How couples can decide if it’s “ours” or “mine” to manage

• A way to start ‘the talk’ 

Finally, we’ve been busy at Plenty HQ! Come check out:

• Custom categories: make spending analytics yours by creating any categories you like

• Tags: label transactions as shared/personal, needs/wants, or anything else important to you

• Comparisons: see how your spending on things like food stacks up against couples in your area

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to [email protected] - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

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PS. We have a special treat for our members: we’ve partnered with the #1 online digital prenup platform: HelloPrenup to give Plenty members $100 off a prenup with promocode: HELLOPLENTY100.

The investors are getting younger

We’re making progress! 💪 People are starting to invest younger and younger: Boomers started at around 34, Millennials at 24, and now Gen Z is getting into it by age 18. Gen Z says their confidence to invest comes from learning about it earlier, mainly from online sources rather than school. 

On the flip side, Millennials mention two big reasons they’re not super confident about investing: they didn’t learn it from family or in school. Still, 58% of Millennials feel they’re doing a better job investing than their parents. Looking at how each generation invests, both Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to buy and hold stocks, while Gen X—interestingly—is more into stock-picking. Source: Charles Schwab 2024 Modern Wealth

Microsoft says Russia, Iran, and China are tampering with the election

Microsoft’s threat intelligence department just released a report that sounds straight out of Orwell’s 1984 focused on foreign efforts to sway the U.S. elections. The report states that Russian operatives are cranking out fake videos featuring “everyday Americans” to smear Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign—and Americans are unknowingly sharing these clips. These include claims like Harris leaving a hit-and-run 13 years ago, a deepfake video of her “confessing” to cheating, and even fake news segments spoofing networks like Fox News.

The report also states that China has been creating propaganda videos to go after outspoken Republicans critical of China. Lastly, they’ve found Iranian monitoring of key election sites, sparking concerns of another round of disinformation campaigns like in 2020, where Iranian groups tried to shake confidence in the U.S. election system.

4 mindset shifts to make debt talks easier

Death, sex… and debt? From student loans to credit card balances, debt can be an unavoidable reality for today’s adults. But it’s embarrassing, shame-filled, and something people often keep a secret: even often in relationships.

I wrote about 4 mindset shifts to hopefully help make debt talks easier for couples. After talking to countless couples with debt, I walk through a script for how to bring up “the debt talk”, how to identify what’s “good” or “bad” and even some reframes to identify when/how to work together on one partner’s debt. 

Look for the 10% that’s true

Every couple fights - but can you fight better? Next time you’re in a heated fight and you’re each so sure that your side of the story is the ‘truth’, try pausing to look for just the 10% of what your partner says, that’s true. This reframe can help you find empathy for your partner’s truth, making it possible to break defensiveness-triggered gridlocks. This tip comes from couples center founder, Gal Szekely, a former startup marketer turned couples therapist.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at [email protected].

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

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