So many Dutch people have financial secrets from their partner

One in six Dutch people has financial secrets from their partner, according to a survey by Acties.nl. Especially about the salary is sometimes kept silent. More than a third of the participants do not know exactly how much their partner earns.

For the investigation, the financial secrets of 1040 Dutch people were examined.

Salary

What is striking is that the women generally have a better view of their partner’s pay slip than the other way around. Sixty percent know exactly what their other half earns each month. For men, this applies to 55 percent. “Financially or non-financially, keeping secrets from your partner is never a good idea,” says Vince Franke of Acties.nl. “When my girlfriend and I moved in together, we put our finances together in one go. We both had to expose our buttocks for this, but that made everything in the field of money immediately clear. That gives peace of mind.”

Shame

Ten percent of those surveyed find it difficult to talk about personal finances with their loved one. Why do we find that so difficult? One of the reasons is shame. Some candidates are ashamed of how much – or rather, how little – they earn. It is precisely the highly educated who suffer from this more often than the secondary and practical educated. Vince: “I don’t think a relationship has ever ended because of someone’s pay stub. And if my partner does leave me because I don’t earn enough, I would like to know as soon as possible.”

Also read: ‘Suddenly we were arguing about money’

Issues

Because they prefer not to talk about money matters within a relationship, one in five respondents indicate that they are not fully aware of their partner’s financial situation. Among young people up to the age of thirty this is even 27 percent. Vince: “In my view, financial vagueness only leads to problems. I always try to discuss setbacks, big or small, directly with my girlfriend. When you have just driven a hefty fine or have overlooked a bill, that is not always pleasant. But procrastination often comes with cancellation and I’d rather she hear it from me than find out for herself.”

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