Do you know what your partner earns? And if you don’t, is that a problem? If it’s just a matter of whether or not you go Dutch on the next date, then perhaps it’s not all that important. But when it comes to joint bank accounts, or a joint mortgage, then that becomes a whole different ballgame.
So it’s intriguing that a recent poll conducted by pensions specialists Portafina suggests that many of us aren’t being entirely honest with our other halves when it comes to our finances. Almost half of those questioned admitted that they didn’t know exactly what their partner earned (with some choosing research their partner’s wage in secret rather than simply asking), while ten per cent said that they suspected their partner had outgoings that they knew nothing about.
Of course money can be something of a touchy subject, particularly if one half earns significantly more than another – and we Brits are masters of avoiding difficult topics.

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