Husbands who think their wives spend too much money – whether true or not – experience more financial and marital conflict, according to a new US study.
The researchers from BYU and Kansas State University looked at contrasting financial personalities in a marriage – labelled “tightwads” and “spenders” – and found that spouses’ perceptions of each other’s spending, rather than the reality, predicted whether they disagreed over money.
For wives, having a husband who saw them as a “spender” was the biggest cause of conflict. For husbands, having a wife who they saw as a “spender” was the main contributor to financial disagreement. This was the same for all couples regardless of income and actual spending habits.
In short, if you think your partner spends too much of your hard-earned money – or vice versa – conflict will follow – even if neither is really the case.
“And perception doesn’t always change when circumstances do,” co-author BYU professor Jeffrey Hill said.
But the researcher says there is good news for financially feuding couples with plenty of free and paid budgeting and money management programs now available.
They also add there’s another alternative – clinical help, whether that be a financial planner or a marriage and family therapist.
Who you gonna call?
