Are you and your significant other a “money match”? My wife and I have very similar money habits, but many other couples apparently don’t. In fact, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania:

“Surveys of married adults suggest that opposites attract when it comes to emotional reactions toward spending. That is, ‘tightwads,’ who generally spend less than they would ideally like to spend, and ’spendthrifts,’ who generally spend more than they would ideally like to spend, tend to marry each other…”

The reason for this, they say, is an innate tendency to prefer mates who possess characteristics that are dissimilar from those that we deplore in ourselves. Interesting.

Since money is a frequent cause of marital discord, we all know where this is headed, right? According to the authors:

“In spite of this complementary attraction, spendthrift/tightwad differences within a marriage predict conflict over finances, which in turn predict diminished marital well-being.”

So… Back to the original question. Are you and your significant other on the same page when it comes to spending and saving? If not, has it created any friction in your relationship? And how have you dealt with it?

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