Secret debts can be a big problem for relationships. Photo / Thinkstock
Secret debts can be a big problem for relationships. Photo / Thinkstock
Middle-aged couples are more likely to row about money than anything else, a survey shows.
For people aged 35 to 54, financial disputes outstrip rows over chores, relatives, children, sex, going out and past partners.
For couples of all ages, money is the second most common cause of fights, toppedonly by disagreements over cleanliness and tidiness. The study showed a third of all couples who live together do not have a joint account with their partner, falling to a quarter for married couples.
Only just over half of men and women say their partner knows everything about their finances, including how much they earn, what they owe and how much they had saved. One in ten say their partner knows only "some" of their financial situation, while around one in 30 admit they "know little or nothing".
The survey of 2,000 people found around one in ten women have been saddled with an ex-partner's debts after splitting up. Sarah Pennells, founder of financial website SavvyWoman.co.uk, said: "Too often couples don't have 'the money conversation' before they move in together or get married, and only find out when there's a crisis that they have very different ideas about how money should be managed.
