In light of Valentine’s Day, we took a look into a TD Bank survey titled “Love and Money” that explores the financial habits of married/dating couples. The study was done in July of 2016 and surveyed 1,902 respondents who were currently in a relationship. During the survey, couples were asked about how often they talk about money, how much they spend on special occasions, how they manage their money, if they have financial secrets, and more.
It used to be that the man in the relationship was the breadwinner; he went to work, he made the money, and he chose how to spend it. But we all know those day are long over. It’s 2017 and society is more progressive than ever, which means financial roles in the home are changing in a big way. And of course, if society is spending differently, we must market differently to accommodate.
We were able to pull some key insights from the Love and Money survey about how couples are spending those hard-earned dollar bills. We can use them to guide marketing strategy when we’re targeting couples and families, and maybe even get a little relationship advice in the process.
- 42% of respondents reported that they were “extremely happy” in their current relationship. However, 49% of 18-34 year-olds had the same response while only 38% of 38-54 year-olds reported this way as well. What does this tell us? Millennials are happier in their current relationships than their older counterparts.
- 62% of respondents talk to their partner about money at least once a week. Of those couples, 78% say their somewhere from content to extremely happy in their relationship, compared to only 50% who talk about it less than every few weeks. This tells us that those couples who talk about their finances more frequently tend to be happier in their relationships.
- More than 2 in 5 Millennials have used an online dating service, and 21% of total respondents reported the same. Of those that had used an online dating service, 64% met their current partner that way. 64%! That’s a lot of Tinder profiles, eh?
- Of all budgeted categories, couples are most likely to overspend on eating out.
- 54% of couples share all money, while only 15% keep money their money entirely separate from each other. Millennials are less likely to combine their money with their partner, while Baby Boomers are more likely to have shared bank accounts.
- Respondents reported spending an average of $148 on their significant other for major holidays, and only $43 on Valentine’s Day. When it comes to their children, however, an average of $244 is spent on major holidays and $29 on Valentine’s Day.
- 85% of couples travel together, and 58% do so at least once a year. Most of the time, couples save up for vacations together instead of using a credit card, forgoing other expenses, etc.
- 22% of Millennials and 10% of total respondents say they have a financial secret. 48% of those secrets are a hidden bank account.
Owning a home is the biggest indicator of financial stability/independence, in both the respondent and in a partner.
We all know that love is not about money, but it’s pretty clear that money has certain effects on relationships. We can draw important conclusions from reports like this: Millennials are open to new experiences like online dating but prefer to keep their finances independent from their partner’s. People are willing to overspend on the experience of dining out, even though they’ll have nothing tangible to show for the purchase. As for today, the average person isn’t willing to spend an arm and a leg on a Valentine’s Day gift for their hubby.
Today we found out that couples are spending and managing their money in ways that are sometimes surprising, which is only further reinforcement that marketing decisions must be based on hard data. Remember, awesome advertising campaigns don’t exist on a hunch.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Source:
TD Love and Money
July, 2016
MARU/VCR&C