Couples, Money, and Expectations: Negotiating Financial Management Roles to Increase Relationship Satisfaction

TLDR

Couples’ money management is a widely studied topic, yet little is known about its clinical treatment. The study examined how couples’ financial management roles and communication tactics relate to relationship and financial satisfaction. The authors assessed 19 financial management roles—bookkeeping, decision‑making, taxes, etc.—and measured couples’ satisfaction with these roles. Shared money goals and values predict relationship satisfaction more than communication strategies, and satisfaction with role participation outweighs the specific roles performed.

Abstract

How couples handle money has become a popular subject among scholars, practitioners, and the popular press. However, little is known about how finances should be treated within a clinical context. This study examined the financial management roles in which couples participate and their satisfaction level with these roles as well as couples' communication tactics surrounding money and their impact on relationship and financial satisfaction. Results suggested that having shared goals and values about money were a stronger predictor of relationship satisfaction than were communication strategies. In addition, satisfaction with one's financial management role participation may be more important than self-reported financial management roles each partner performs. In this study, financial management roles included 19 areas, including responsibilities such as bookkeeping, financial decision-making, and taxes.