Last year, a survey done by Citibank found that 78% of Americans prefer a partner who is a good money manager over one who is physically attractive.
Though popular culture might have us believe that good looks are the most important factor when it comes to finding someone special, it appears the truth is quite different!
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Committed relationships lead to better financial habits
Citibank surveyed 1,400 adults in a committed relationship in various cities throughout the U.S. and discovered some interesting insights when it came to relationships and money. The survey found that a whopping 82% of Americans have changed their financial habits since starting their relationship with their partner.
In addition, the survey revealed couples made these changes since getting together:
- 60% are more careful with discretionary spending
- 50% are more focused on long-term financial planning
- 39% started maintaining an emergency fund
- 24% established a monthly savings goal
- 24% began setting gift-giving budgets
Couples work together on money
Some other interesting findings from the survey revealed that a majority of couples work together toward common financial goals such as earning money and saving it.
For example, 83% of couples said they work together in some way to promote a positive financial behavior, such as collecting coupons and discounts together (59%), setting a household budget (40%) and rewarding themselves when they’ve hit a savings goal (26%). Over half (52%) of the respondents said they were grateful that their partner cared about the other’s future financial security.
But though the survey found that 82% of people share financial information with their partner, the survey also discovered that 29% of people in a relationship would prefer to talk about finances more often, while about seven out of 10 said they do not bring up the topic of money in order to avoid an argument.
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Financial camouflage leads to trouble
Also according to the survey, about a quarter of Americans in a relationship said they had a private account the other didn’t know about. But, this resulted in more problems than for those who did not have a secret account. About 73% of people who had private accounts had financial disagreements with their significant other, while 54% of those who did not have private accounts had a disagreement.
“How couples deal with finances can make or break their relationship,” said licensed psychotherapist and relationship expert Rachel Sussman. “While sometimes the conversations can be difficult, in order to maintain a healthy financial relationship it is important that couples frequently discuss their finances, remain fiscally transparent and responsible, and continuously consult each other on big purchases.’
What this says about finding that special someone
So why do you think financial responsibility was more important to people when finding a romantic partner than good looks?
Discipline in finances can be an indicator of other positive internal traits in a person’s life, such as responsibility, character and trustworthiness. And these internal traits lend themselves to so many other areas of a person’s life — ever so important to have when sharing your life with someone else.
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