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Ugh, Valentine's Day. Today can be rough for all manner of reasons: Maybe you're single and you wish you weren't. Maybe you're separated from your partner. Maybe you're getting over a breakup. Maybe you're stressed about how to celebrate without spending a ridiculous amount of money. Maybe you just plain hate chocolate. There are plenty of reasons to roll your eyes at this largely commercial holiday.
But hey, if you adore Valentine's Day, more power to you. If you're single and loving it, awesome. In a happy relationship and everything's hunky-dory? Great! You and your sweetie are sure to be together forever — just as long as you've had many serious conversations about your finances, that is.
What's that? You guys haven't talked about money yet? Well, this is awkward.
We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but according to new survey results from LearnVest, one in four people has broken up with a partner over money problems. That's no small number: One in four means that any given group of friends likely includes at least one person who has experienced a finance-fuelled breakup. Plus, 77% of millennials say their finances are more of a source of stress in their relationship than sex is, according to LearnVest.
Why is that? Is it because there exists a sort of social script for how to ask for what we want in bed, whereas talking about money is just plain...unsexy? How can we turn that around and make sure those important conversations happen?
We spoke with LearnVest founder and CEO Alexa von Tobel, CFP, to find the answers to those questions and more. Read on for von Tobel's top tips for how to keep your finances from destroying your relationship. As for the hating-chocolate thing, we can't help you there.
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