FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Finances play a major role in relationships, but a new Fidelity study shows couples still don’t talk about it enough.<\/p>\n
“In our study, we found that most couples, they do feel comfortable about their financial partnership, but nearly half of those people said that they avoid money conversations to prevent conflict amongst other things,” says Fidelity Investments Vice President and financial consultant Frank Maltais.<\/p>\n
While 91% of couples believe they can speak openly, only 29% regularly talk about daily finances.<\/p>\n
“Money, it can be emotional,” Maltais said. “It touches on everything from daily spending to long-term goals, and sometimes, those conversations, they can feel a bit uncomfortable.”<\/p>\n
Maltais says it’s important to cover the basics early on. Think income, debt, savings habits and financial goals.<\/p>\n
“Those conversations don’t have to happen all at once, and naturally, they probably won’t, but they should happen consistently,” he said. “We often recommend starting with shared goals.”<\/p>\n
Planning for a trip, saving for home projects — then build to bigger topics, including long-term planning.<\/p>\n
“Couples talk with us about all kinds of things from retirement to health care, college savings or investing,” Maltais said.<\/p>\n
The study also shows only about 42 percent of couples fully combine their finances, and Gen Z is most likely to have completely separate accounts.<\/p>\n
However, separate doesn’t mean disconnected.<\/p>\n
“Whether couples combine everything or keep things separate, maybe do a mix of both,” Maltais said. “Success really comes down to communication and transparency.”<\/p>\n
Nearly 70 percent of couples didn’t fully understand their partners’ finances before living together.<\/p>\n
“The couples that talk about money on a regular basis, they tend to feel more aligned, more prepared,” Maltais said. “It’s just a lot of people aren’t doing it yet.”<\/p>\n
From financial tips for newlyweds to how to normalize talking about money, Fidelity has a number of resources on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n