It has been revealed which couples argue about money more often

Couples who maintain separate budgets argue about money more often than partners who combine their incomes. Arguments over finances were reported by 80% of couples with separate budgets versus 44% of those who maintain a joint one. At the same time, every other couple stated that after switching to a joint budget, they stopped arguing about money. These findings come from a study by developer Level Group.

A total of 52% of survey participants reported that after combining finances, arguments over money ceased, while another 34% began to conflict significantly less often. Only 14% noticed no changes.

At the same time, partners do not begin discussing financial matters right away. According to the study, 30% of respondents avoided the conversation about a joint budget even after a year of being in a relationship, and 29% still feel embarrassed to talk openly about finances. Only 18% began discussing money almost immediately after starting a relationship. Another 18% mustered the courage for such a conversation only after a year.

"A separate trigger for financial transparency is a mortgage. Among couples who took out a joint mortgage, 46% said that afterward they began discussing money more frequently and in greater detail," said Yulian Ovechkin, Head of the Mortgage Department at Level Group.

As clinical psychologist and schema therapist Kirill Gorshenin notes, a separate budget in itself does not necessarily indicate problems in a relationship. Partners can maintain financial autonomy if this has been agreed upon in advance.

"A far more serious financial lack of transparency involves hidden debts, loans, large expenditures, or loss of income that the other person doesn't know about," the specialist warned.

According to the expert, conversations about money often touch not only on expenses but also on emotional needs. Finances can be perceived as a symbol of care, security, or conversely, power and pressure. That is why phrases like "you spend too much" sometimes conceal a different problem — anxiety about the future or a feeling of insufficient support.