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Economic stress can affect relationship satisfaction, conflict, and decisions about partnerships.

Structural financial realities and deeply established financial behaviors may be more difficult to change.

Financial stress should be treated as a couple problem—not an individual failure.

Separate "dream conversations" from "money-management conversations."

One of the biggest challenges facing middle age and younger Americans is the fact that the economic landscape has shifted beneath our feet. Our relationships are being impacted by the fact that wage growth has not kept up with the costs of housing, childcare, and healthcare amongst other fundamental expenditures. The affordability crisis is also a relationship crisis given the direct impact that financial stress has on not only how we navigate issues of money together but also how we choose our partners.

Understanding Financial Compatibility in Relationships

Let’s start with financial compatibility and expectations. Compatibility can be composed of lifestyle goals (or expectations), financial behaviors, and each individual’s ability to reach those goals independently. According to the Urban Institute, since 2017 home prices have increased by 81% and rent by 54% while wages only grew by 43%. Even though there is some evidence in some pockets of the U.S. that home ownership is growing amongst middle-aged single women, a majority of Americans can’t afford to purchase a home even in a dual-income household. Current mortgage interest rates make that even more difficult.

That’s why a sober........

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