---
title: "Honeymoons, Inflation and Trump Accounts: Elaine King, CFP®"
description: In June and July 2026, Elaine King, CFP®, spoke with Investopedia, MarketWatch, and Telemundo about honeymoon budgets, inflation, couples and money, and Trump Accounts.
---

[Wealth Management Blog | Elaine King](https://www.elaineking.com/blog)

# [Honeymoons, Inflation and Trump Accounts: Elaine King, CFP®](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/inflation-couples-trump-accounts-intl-award-elaine-king)

 Written by [Elaine](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/author/elaine) | Sep 28, 2026, 10:29:07 PM

**Miami, July 2026 —** Over June and July, Elaine King, CFP®, founder of Family and Money Matters™, wrote for Investopedia and spoke with MarketWatch and Noticias Telemundo about honeymoon budgets, inflation, couples and money, and the new Trump Accounts — and was named Person of the Year by CREA LatinX.

***Key Idea.*** *Financial health is measured in habits, not quantity. The best decisions — from a honeymoon to an emergency fund — are made with intention, reviewed often, and never calculated just once.*

### **Why It Matters**

A first big trip as a couple, rising prices, a new account for a child, and the back-to-school season all test the same habit: deciding with purpose instead of reacting. Families who build that habit early carry it into the larger moments — an inheritance, a divorce, or the sale of a business.

### **Elaine King’s Perspective**

- **A honeymoon is a couple’s first intentional financial decision.** In her Investopedia column (June 25), King noted that The Knot puts the average honeymoon at $5,300, often the largest wedding expense nobody planned. Her approach: choose the experience before the destination, price the trip in the off-season (savings of up to 50% on flights and hotels), and replace part of the registry with a honeymoon fund for specific experiences. Her benchmark: 5% to 15% of annual household income — $5,000 to $15,000 on $100,000, or about $500 a month over 12 months.
- **The “memory test.”** King asks clients to recall a vacation from five or ten years ago: almost no one remembers what the hotel cost, but everyone remembers who they were with and how it felt.
- **Adjust the emergency fund to your real bills, not a formula.** Asked by MarketWatch how families should respond to 3.5% inflation, King said she doesn’t believe in an emergency fund calculated once and forgotten: inflation quietly changes the cost of living, so the fund should reflect today’s bills, not those of several years ago.
- **How a couple handles money matters more than how much it earns.** On Noticias Telemundo Mediodía, republished by Yahoo, King responded to a survey in which Americans said they would need $106,417 a year to “find true love.” Her read: the number distracts from the real indicator, which is how the couple manages money together. Talker Research found that 15% of respondents had ended a relationship over a partner’s finances (25% among Gen Z).
- **“Financial health, not financial quantity.”** In a second Telemundo interview (July 14), King shared her rule for uncertain times: separate fixed from variable expenses and pause the variable ones when volatility rises. She also explained the new Trump Accounts: a $1,000 government deposit for eligible children born from 2025 through 2028, with families able to contribute up to $5,000 a year. Her example: $400 a month from birth adds up to about $87,000 in contributions by age 18, before any investment growth.
- **Back-to-school as a money lesson.** In a third Telemundo interview (July 14), King showed families — expected to spend close to $900 per child — how to plan ahead, buy value rather than price, and involve children in the budget without carrying credit card debt.
- **Person of the Year.** CREA LatinX named King its Person of the Year. Her response: “Receiving an award for impact is especially meaningful to me because that’s how I define success — not by the quantitative side of life, but by the qualitative difference we can make in other people’s lives.”

### **Coverage**

- **Investopedia** — “How I’m Talking to Clients About Budgeting for a Honeymoon” (Jun 25, 2026) · Opinion column · [Read](https://www.investopedia.com/fa-one-thing-budgeting-for-a-honeymoon-12005908)
- **MarketWatch** — “Inflation has hit 3.5% — so you’d better do this with your savings now, pros say” (Jul 2026) · Article · [Read](https://www.marketwatch.com/picks/inflation-has-hit-3-5-so-youd-better-do-this-with-your-savings-now-pros-say-ceec1118)
- **Noticias Telemundo Mediodía** — Why money management matters more than salary in a relationship (Jul 2026) · Segment in Spanish · [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnsUnOD9JqI)
- **Yahoo** — Republished interview on romance and money (Jul 2026) · Article · [Read](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/romance-money-why-both-matter-115831082.html)
- **Noticias Telemundo Mediodía** — Financial health, a financial detox, and Trump Accounts (Jul 14, 2026) · Segment in Spanish · [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXuyQKyuWlQ)
- **Noticias Telemundo Mediodía** — Back-to-school savings tips (Jul 14, 2026) · Segment in Spanish · [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXvNOiOmZgY)
- **CREA LatinX** — Person of the Year recognition (2026) · Award · [View](https://www.instagram.com/p/DavLqhfRLYc/)

### **Go Deeper on the Blog**

- [“Emergency Fund and Inflation: How to Adjust It”](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/inflation-hit-3.5-does-your-emergency-fund-still-protect-you)
- [“Does Love Cost $106,417? Three Ways to Keep Money From Hurting Your Relationship”](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/does-love-cost-106417-three-ways-to-keep-money-from-hurting-your-relationship)
- [“Back-to-School Shopping: 3 Smart Money Lessons”](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/blog/back-to-school-shopping-money-lessons)

**Facing an inheritance, a divorce, or the sale of a business?** [Request a Discovery Call →](https://www.elaineking.com/discovery-call)

### **About Elaine King**

Elaine King, CFP®, TEP, CDFA™ — also published as Elaine King Fuentes — is a bilingual financial planner and the founder of Family and Money Matters™, based in Miami. She works with families through inheritance, divorce, business transitions, and retirement. A CFP Board Ambassador, TEDx speaker, and author of eight books, she was named one of Forbes Perú’s 50 Most Powerful Women (2025) and received a Doctor Honoris Causa from CREA LatinX.

Learn more: [www.elaineking.com/about](https://www.elaineking.com/about)

[View full post](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/inflation-couples-trump-accounts-intl-award-elaine-king)

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