19 Feb 2018
Revealed: Why one in five couples are 'incompatible'
Research suggests that nearly one in five Britons are in a financially-incompatible relationship.
According to the Scottish Widows survey of couples – both living together, living separately and those who are married – almost a fifth wish they had discussed finances earlier in a relationship.
More than a third of divorcees cited persistent financial worries as a reason they broke up.
The research reveals that financial incompatibility, including a lack of shared financial aspirations and different attitudes to spending and saving, is causing friction in people’s relationships.
One in five say they wish their partner would save more for their future, more than a quarter state that their partner’s spending is impacting their ability to save and 18% report a lack of shared goals has put a strain on their relationship.
Sharing
It seems some couples are unlikely to be open about finances with their other half.
The research reveals one in 10 people do not share salary details with their partner.
Furthermore, more than half don’t know how much their partner has in a separate personal bank account.
Also, 25% of married Britons admit to keeping a separate stash of cash for themselves.
Older generations are happy to disclose financial information much sooner than younger people.
When asked at what stage they feel happy discussing finances with their partner, around one in 10 millennials say they are immediately comfortable talking about money compared to 34% among the over-55s.
Catherine Stewart, a retirement expert at Scottish Widows, said: “It’s important that couples – at any age – have open and honest conversations about their finances to make sure they have an understanding of their individual longer-term financial goals.
“Some people may be more inclined to focus financial conversations on big life events like buying a house, having a family, or taking time out from work to travel together.
"Life after retirement should also be on this list. Having a good understanding – early on – of each other’s retirement goals will help to ensure couples can work towards a realistic joint financial plan.”
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