Talk about shared money: Account pooling is associated with financial communication

Couples who pool their financial resources tend to report more positive relationship outcomes. The present research examines whether more financial interdependence is linked to better and more frequent communication about financial decisions. Individuals who fully pool finances with their partner reported better financial communication quality and more frequent discussions about finances than individuals who partially pool finances or keep finances separate, even after controlling demographic differences and after controlling overall relationship satisfaction (Study 1). Financial account pooling was also strongly associated with greater likelihood to discuss hypothetical financial decisions with the partner (Study 2), and when experimentally assigned to focus on joint rather than separate financial accounts, this focus on pooled financial resources resulted in more willingness to discuss financial decisions with their partner (Study 3). Together, these studies show a novel aspect of how financial interdependence affect everyday interactions between partners: Couples who pool their financial resources talk more about money.