Personal Finance

A third of Americans have cheated on their partner … about money. It’s called financial infidelity and we suspect a similar, or greater, proportion of Australians have done the same thing.

In a different survey, a quarter of Americans said they wouldn’t inform their spouse about financial difficulties with 9 per cent saying they didn’t want to worry their partner and 7 per cent concerned that being truthful would hurt the relationship.

It’s sad isn’t it? Whereas most couples pull together in times of adversity, money seems to be treated differently.

A few weeks ago we talked about financial abuse where one partner completely controls another person’s finances and refuses to relinquish that control. They use that control to financially dominate and abuse their partner.

Financial infidelity is different. It’s where someone goes behind their partner’s back and secretly earns or spends money without their knowledge.

When it comes to financial infidelity, it’s all a matter of degree.