As a couples counselor for the past twenty years, I can safely say that the “Big Three” issues that couples see me about are: Money, Sex and Communication.
It’s doubtful that any of you are surprised about this. PayPal conducted their “Can’t Buy Me Love” international survey about the role of money in relationships and the results are pretty interesting.
The survey was conducted focusing around love and money in Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. What was most surprising to me, is that the issue of money seems to be the biggest one for couples across all nations. Perhaps this is because of the challenging economic times we are facing right now.
At least 10 percent of couples surveyed say they have ended a relationship due at least in part to financial issues. The United States and Mexico ranked the highest at 14 percent stating this.
Other interesting results included:
- Around the world, well over half of all couples are keeping separate bank accounts.
- American couples typically bring the largest levels of debt into relationships (51 percent) while most couples in Italy and the Netherlands say they have no debt.
- Money is the number one cause of arguments among U.S. couples (31 percent) followed by household chores (28 percent), in-laws (22 percent) and sex (15 percent).
You can read the original PayPal Survey results by clicking here.
So tell me YOUR experiences of money and love. How have you been challenged? How have you navigated the challenge? How can I help YOU and other couples in this area? Would you like me to write more about this? I NEED your input. Help ME to help YOU!
Thanks so much,
Dr. Adam Sheck
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