Younger Americans want to delay money talk in a relationship

Posted on February 14, 2015

Country Financial asked Americans when its best to talk money with your Valentine. (Photo by suman parihar/flickr)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – The financial experts have a tip for those looking for love on Valentine's Day – bad credit is a turn off.

Nearly half of the Americans surveyed by Country Financial this month said singles should be concerned if someone they are dating has bad credit.

Manager of Financial Security Field Support Joe Buhrmann said it's best to have those conversations in a relationship sooner.

"A lot of our younger people are coming with a lot more baggage into the relationship in terms of consumer debt, student debt," Buhrmann said. "I think we've kind of evolved from astrology to FICO (credit) scores as early dinnertime conversation."

The survey shows older Americans are more likely to discuss finances with the person they are dating than the under-30 crowd.

"Waiting to have those tough conversations can really have some long-term consequences to your relationship and your finances," Buhrmann said.

According to the survey, 77 percent of Americans believe debt is a key factor to consider when dating.

The survey shows Americans generally support combining finances with their spouse, a sentiment that gets stronger with age.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

 

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