Happy Couples Aren't Afraid to Talk about Money, New Survey Finds

CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Talking about money on a regular basis may be the key to a happy relationship, according to research released today by TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®. The bank polled 1,339 Americans that are either married, engaged or in relationships to explore the impact finances have on relationships.

The TD Bank Love & Money Study revealed that couples who regularly talk about money are happier in their relationships than those who discuss finances less frequently. Among respondents who said they talk about money at least once per week, 42 percent described their relationship as "extremely happy," compared with 27 percent of those who talk about money less than once per month and 38 percent of all respondents.

"Many of us are taught from a young age that money is a taboo topic of conversation, but when it comes to romantic relationships, discussing finances needs to happen sooner or later," said Ryan Bailey, Head of Deposit Products, Payments and Non-Real Estate Lending at TD Bank. "Couples who are hesitant to talk about money should be encouraged to see that doing so could result in a happier relationship."

Millennial Couples Talk – And Fight – More About Money

• Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of millennials (ages 18-34) in relationships talk about money with their significant other at least once per week, compared with only 61 percent of all survey respondents
• More than a third of millennials in relationships (36 percent) fight about money at least once per week, compared with 15 percent of gen Xers (ages 35-54) and 7 percent of baby boomers (ages 55+).  
• Eighty-three percent of millennials believe their significant other overspends in some way, compared with only 63 percent of all respondents.
• Explore more Millennial-specific results of the TD Bank Love & Money Study here.

"Money can be the elephant in the room, but many Americans—and millennials in particular—are trying to relieve the tension," said Bailey. "When arguments arise related to things like overspending, having an open discussion about budgeting and aligning on how to divide or share their finances is important."

LGBT Couples Approach Money Differently

• Fifty-seven  percent of respondents who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender said talking about money and finances is "very important" to a happy relationship, compared to 72 percent of non-LGBT respondents.
• Forty-five percent of LGBT Americans in relationships talk about money with their significant other at least once a week, compared with 63 percent of non-LGBT respondents.
• Almost half of LGBT survey respondents (49 percent) started talking about money with their partner before they started living together or got engaged, compared with 37 percent of non-LGBT respondents. 
• Explore more LGBT-specific results of the TD Bank Love & Money Study here.

Women and Men Aren't On the Same Financial Page

• Women find talking about money more important to a happy relationship than men do: 75 percent of female respondents feel that it's "very important," compared to 67 percent of male respondents.
• Four out of five respondents state they make big financial decisions with their significant other, but men are almost twice as likely as women to say that they are the decision maker (26 percent of men vs. 14 percent of women).
• Women in relationships with children are more likely than men to say that they are the one that spoils their kids with money (42 percent of women vs. 28 percent of men).

Additional highlights from the TD Bank Love & Money Study are available at http://mediaroom.tdbank.com/couplesandmoney.

Survey Methodology
The total sample includes 1339 respondents who are in a relationship (not single). The National sample size of 1339 has a margin of error of +/- 2.9%. Data has been weighted by age, gender and region to reflect the population. The survey was fielded May 28th – June 3rd, 2015.

About Vision Critical
Vision Critical provides a cloud-based customer intelligence platform that helps companies build engaged, secure communities of customers they can use continuously, across the enterprise, for ongoing, real-time feedback and insight.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank^®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at approximately 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth^®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com.

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SOURCE TD Bank

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