ComScore

The No. 1 Financial Secret People Keep from Their Partner

couple financial secret

You've been with your partner long enough that you not only have a joint bank account, but you also have a shared credit card or savings. (Bravo.) But according to a new study from CreditCards.com, nearly 20 percent of people in relationships also keep a separate savings, credit card or checking account hidden from their live-in love.

Out of 1000 people polled for this survey, 636 were currently married or living with their partner. Out of that group, millennials are twice as likely to say they're hiding a bank or credit card account from their S.O. Eep.

Other groups who admitted to being likely to participate in this form of financial infidelity were people who live in the South and West vs. those in the Northeast and Midwest. 

And—while we hate to be the bearer of bad news—according to CreditCards.com industry analyst Ted Rossman, keeping a hidden account doesn't bode well for the health of your relationship long-term. “Talking about money with your spouse isn't always easy, but it has to be done,” he says. “You can still maintain some privacy over your finances, and even keep separate accounts if you and your spouse agree, but you need to get on the same page regarding your general direction, otherwise your financial union is doomed to fail.”

In other words, that account you keep on the D.L. to hide your addiction to the occasional Sephora shopping spree? The time has come to bare all.

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Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

  • Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
  • Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
  • Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College