We’ve heard time and time again that there are plenty of people out there who don’t like to talk money with their partners. But it seems keeping secrets about your financial situation really isn’t good for a relationship, and a new survey reveals just how bad things can get.
A survey by GoBankingRates finds that a little over 27% of people say they would actually consider divorcing a spouse who kept financial secrets. Women are more likely to want to end things over the issue, with 29% saying they’d consider it, as opposed to 25% of men.
So what kind of financial secrets are particularly bad? Well, debt is a big one, although it would have to be a lot of debt for someone to be willing to go the divorce route. In fact, most folks say it would take $15,050 in debt, on average, before they would consider divorce, although those 25 to 34 are more forgiving, with $18,094, on average the amount that would send them to divorce, while those 18 to 24 would tolerate less, $12,001.
So, the big question is…are people actually keeping financial secrets from their partners? Well, actually no. The poll finds that 78% of people insist they have not lied to either their current or ex-partner about finances, while 22% have. As for what those folks are lying about, the most common secrets include:
- Spending habits (10.3%)
- Debt (8.3%)
- Salary or income (5.9%)
- Savings (4.9%)
- Investments (3%)
- Credit scores (2.4%)
- Gambling habits (2.2%)