Is it harder to find true love, or to be financially successful? The third annual Love & Money Survey, conducted by TD Bank, offers some insight on Americans’ struggle to achieve happiness in both their romantic lives and their financial ones.
Fifty-eight percent of the 1,400 people surveyed said it’s hard to find true love than to be financially successful. Even those who were currently in a relationship felt this way; whether or not they felt their relationship with their partner represented “true love” was unclear.
Jason Thacker, head of consumer deposits and payments at TD Bank, said perhaps the results reflect the confusion many people feel around the meaning of true love. “Generally, people can envision what steps they should take to achieve financial success and what milestones to target. But true love can be a bit more elusive.” Thacker also said that while “financial success feels more within one’s personal control…finding true love can be heavily dependent on a variety of unique factors.”
Money still causes some worries
Perhaps predictably, given their feelings about finding love versus finding financial success, people felt better about their bank accounts than their relationships. Seventy-tow percent of respondents said they feel they have the personal finance skills needed to achieve financial success in life.
Those who felt less optimistic about their money situation listed a few top concerns: living paycheck-to-paycheck, stress from being in debt, and fear that they won’t be able to pay their bills. Baby Boomers said if they could give advice to their younger selves, 61% would tell themselves to start saving and investing sooner, while 26% would tell themselves to wait before getting married.
Young people are waiting to wed
Millennials don’t seem to need this advice; they are already holding off on marriage and other milestones, such as buying a house and having a baby. They are more apt to wait to do these things until they are financially stable and ready to take on the responsibility of marriage, home ownership, and a family.
Terri Orbuch, PhD, known as The Love Doctor, said it’s important for couples to be on the same page when it comes to money matters. “If each partner’s expectations aren’t met or communicated to each other, frustration and disappointment can result that will eat away at the happiness in the relationship.”