When it comes to serious relationships, talking about money can be a sticky conversation for young people.
Tech startup Self Lender surveyed 500 millennial women and men across the country about how they discuss finances with their partners.
On average, respondents said it took six months to a year to start asking about each other’s credit score, debt and savings. Meanwhile, two-thirds of participants say they haven’t even brought up the topic of their better half’s finances.
Finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox said one reason millennials don’t talk about finances with their loves is embarrassment.
“There’s still a lot of guilt, shame and stigma attached to conversations about personal finances,” Khalfani-Cox, author of “Zero Debt,” tells The Post. “Those can be awkward or uncomfortable conversations.”
But people who struggle with money shouldn’t worry too much. Half of the respondents said they wouldn’t be worried if their partner didn’t have their budget sorted out.
When it comes to blending a couple’s finances, about 10 percent of people said they discussed opening a joint bank account, while about half said they waited until after marriage.
However, some young people do choose to talk about money very early on in their relationships. In 2016, The Post interviewed singles in New York City who said they ask about credit scores by the fourth date.
“I was raised in a family of professionals who keep their finances in check and taught me how to handle my money,” Martina Paillant, a 24-year-old Brooklyn resident, said. “I have no student loans and I can already take care of myself financially. I need a man who can take care of himself, too.”
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