“Saving for a first home will be impossible unless it is a priority for both of you,” says Jane Honeck, a personal finance expert and author of “The Problem With Money? It’s Not About the Money.” “You need to talk, really talk about money — something most of us haven’t been trained to do.”

The expectation of divorce for new couples hovers around 50 percent. Meanwhile, a variety of studies suggest money is the single most divisive topic for couples. The take away? Not discussing money can be toxic to marriage. What’s more, discussing money in the wrong way can be equally divisive.

Money management woes sometimes make a marriage so toxic, it drives a wedge in the relationship. The fallout is sobering.

Combine the expectation of divorce for new couples hovering around 50 percent with a variety of studies that suggest money is the most divisive topic for couples, and you get a formula for disaster. But one expert thinks it doesn’t have to be that way.

“I have worked with many divorced men and women who soon discover that a huge part of their dysfunctional ex-marriages revolved around money. Their financial beliefs contributed to an imbalance of power, and a true partnership never existed between them.”

The recent budget crisis catapulted us into this week’s stock market turmoil and reaffirms the consequences of ignoring Sir Francis Bacon’s 400 year old words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Those sage words were echoed during FDR’s inaugural speech and still ring true today. We clearly see how the fear of future failures and potential losses drives down expectations so we operate from a place of weakness instead of strength. It’s the proverbial bogeyman in the closet. The more we focus on him, the bigger, more ferocious he gets!