“You get to celebrate the highest of highs with each other, but also you have to deal with the lowest of lows, whatever that may be for your business."

Our hosts, Natalie and Dan Slagle, pull back the curtain on what it's really like to run a business together as a married couple. After six years of building Fyooz Financial Planning from their shared desk in Natalie's mom's townhouse, they're ready to share both the triumphs and the tears.

Professional Natalie operates differently than personal Natalie, being more direct and demanding higher standards. Dan learned this the hard way when work personas collided with marriage dynamics. On the plus side, they get to celebrate that first client signing over pizza, run circles around the kitchen island after winning an award, and witness sides of each other that would never emerge in separate careers.

The flexibility proves invaluable. When their daughter was born, they could alternate work schedules for five months. They structure their calendar around client needs and their own priorities. The insurance complexities loom large, especially with enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of 2025, which will cause health insurance premiums to spike by an average of 75% for individual market purchasers.

Financially, the implications multiply exponentially. Two self-employed partners mean irregular income squared, double the financial entities to manage, and significantly more tax complexity. The retirement planning responsibility falls entirely on their shoulders (no HR department sending reminders about 401(k) contributions). Without employer group health insurance plans, many face the challenge of self-insuring at much higher costs.

Perhaps most interestingly, having shared business interests creates additional incentive to make the marriage work. As Natalie puts it, the complexity of untangling both personal and professional lives provides motivation to address small issues before they become big ones. There's simply too much at stake professionally to let personal issues fester.

Despite early struggles and ongoing challenges, Dan says he'd do it all again in a heartbeat, from those uncertain early days to building lasting client relationships together!

Key Topics:

• “Working With Your Spouse is a Different Beast!” (07:53)
• Personal Implications and Different Work Personas (10:44)
• Flexibility Benefits in Scheduling and Time Management (16:50)
• Setting Work-Life Boundaries and Marriage Impact (18:04)
• Financial Implications and Complexities Overview (22:07)
• Would They Do It All Again? (32:16)

Natalie Slagle, CFP® and Dan Slagle, CFP® are the founding partners and lead financial planners at Fyooz Financial Planning — an independent firm dedicated to helping high-earning couples in their 30s and 40s confidently navigate the complexities of managing money together.

At Fyooz, they specialize in turning financial stress into strategy, guiding couples through everything from cash flow and investing to aligning money with shared goals.

Disclaimer: For updated disclosures, please visit fyoozfinancial.com.