Money Outranks Health, Work and Intimacy as Top Stressor for American Couples, New Survey Finds

Most Say Combining Finances Is More Intimate Than Moving In Together, Yet 2 in 5 Have Made a Major Financial Decision In The Last Year Without Telling Their Partner

WASHINGTON, Oct. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Finances are the biggest source of stress in Americans’ committed relationships, shaping how couples think about trust, intimacy and long-term commitment, according to a new CFP Board report. The findings from To Have and to Hold: Couples Navigating Money and Commitment are being announced today at CFP Board’s Connections Conference 2026 in Las Vegas.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans who are married or living with a partner say money is a top relationship stressor, including 34% who say it is their number one source of stress. No group is immune: the finding holds across gender, race, income level, education and size of investments. Finances greatly outpace other relationship stressors, including health (46%), work-life balance (36%), household chores (35%), job stress/insecurity (33%), intimacy (30%) and parenting (27%). Yet many couples avoid the topic: 46% say money is the most uncomfortable subject to discuss with their partner.

“Money is rarely just about money,” said CFP Board CEO K. Dane Snowden. “It’s where some of the biggest questions in a relationship come up: What do we value? What tradeoffs are we willing to make? Couples don’t need to agree on every dollar, but open conversations and a clear financial plan can help turn hard choices into decisions they own together.”

Money Habits Can Make or Break a Relationship

For many Americans, how a partner handles money can say a lot about who they are. Three in five (60%) Americans in a committed relationship say combining finances is more intimate than moving in together, and 59% say it is a deal breaker for their partner to have bad financial habits. More than half (54%) believe they could not truly love someone whose money habits they distrust, and 49% would not commit to someone with different money habits.

Most couples start out as open books, with 78% saying they fully disclosed their financial situation before committing. That openness often carries into day-to-day decisions: more than 7 in 10 (72%) consult their partner before making a big purchase, though where they draw the line varies. One-third (33%) check in before spending between $100 and $499, while nearly 1 in 5 (19%) do so for purchases under $100. Still, 2 in 5 (41%) have made a major financial decision in the past year without telling their partner, including 23% who did so more than once.

Affordability Keeps Money Conversations Front and Center

Rising costs have made money a regular topic for many couples. Two-thirds (66%) of Americans in relationships discuss affordability at least weekly — including one-third (33%) who do so daily — and more than half (52%) say it has affected how they talk about money with their partner.

These conversations aren’t always easy to resolve. Five in six (83%) have had a difficult money discussion with their partner, yet fewer than half (45%) say their most recent one was completely resolved. Another 33% say they are still working through it.

“Affordability pressures mean couples are talking about money more often, but more conversation doesn’t necessarily lead to more answers,” said Kevin Roth, Ph.D., Managing Director of Research at CFP Board. “A CFP^® professional can bring structure and an outside perspective to help partners move past recurring disagreements, clarify priorities and build a plan they both believe in.”

Financial Planning Can Help Couples Find Common Ground

Partners often bring different financial histories, attitudes toward risk and decision-making thresholds. Working with a competent, trusted advisor, such as a CFP^® professional, can help couples set shared expectations and plan for the future they want to build together.

To find a CFP^® professional who can help you and your partner build a shared financial plan, visit LetsMakeAPlan.org.

Download and read the full To Have and to Hold: Couples Navigating Money and Commitment report.

METHODOLOGY

On September 2, 2026, CFP Board, in partnership with Morning Consult, sent a 10-question survey to randomly selected Americans nationwide who were married or living with a partner. The survey generated responses from 820 Americans when it closed on September 4, 2026. The data is subject to a sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. CFP Board analyzed the data and drew the report’s conclusions and is solely responsible for the report’s content.

ABOUT CFP BOARD

CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public’s benefit. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® certification — widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners — so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP^® certification is held by more than 110,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession’s body of knowledge.

CONTACT: Jane Riley Jacobsen, Director of Public Relations, P: 202-379-2305, E: media@cfpboard.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3c08b0fb-572f-4898-9513-ad2525681a6a

To Have and To Hold: Couples Navigating Money and Commitment

Key findings from new survey report from CFP Board: To Have and To Hold: Couples Navigating Money and Commitment.