Hitting Pay Dirt: Comment on “Money: A Therapeutic Tool for Couples Therapy”

Money and Emerging Adults: A Glimpse into the Lives of College Couples’ Financial Management Practices

“…), respective and combined incomes vis-à-vis shared expenses (rent, utility bills, etc. ), and future wants and goals (e.g., small wedding vs. large wedding) almost immediately ties-in to important money management topics and tools that young people can benefit from accessing (Atwood, 2012;Stanley & Einhorn, 2007). Learning, for example, about whole wage-, allowance-, pooling-, partial pooling-, and independent-financial systems (Atwood, 2012;Doty et al, 2016) can facilitate couples' explicit conversations and joint decision(s) about which system best fits their personal values and goals.…”

Examining the Relationship Between Financial Issues and Divorce

“…Research on financial issues in marriage is increasing (Dew, 2010), but it is still understudied relative to the impact that household finances have on family life (Daly, 2003). Stanley and Einhorn (2007, p. 293) asserted, “There are three subjects on the short list of those avoided in ‘polite’ society: sex, religion, and money…. Among these three taboo subjects, we think that there is fair attention to one, some to the other, and almost none at all to the last one in our field.”…”

“…Indeed, “money has symbolic potential unlike almost anything else…. Money is unique in that no day goes by for any adult when money is not used, thought of, spent, saved, or worried about” (Stanley & Einhorn, 2007, p. 294).…”

“…Even when controlling for other reasons for fighting, there is evidence to suggest that money arguments among spouses are associated with decreased marital satisfaction (Britt & Huston, 2012). Financial preferences are so individualistic that they can prevent spouses from truly creating a joint sense of being a couple (Shapiro, 2007; Stanley & Einhorn, 2007). Because of the breadth and the strength of individual meanings of money to spouses, we predicted that financial disagreements would more strongly predict divorce than other common types of marital disagreements.…”

Financial Declines, Financial Behaviors, and Relationship Satisfaction during the Recession

“…One way to enhance relationship happiness would be to practice sound financial management behaviors more frequently. Therapists who work with married and cohabiting couples might be able to leverage financial issues to improve the relationship (Shapiro, 2007;Stanley & Einhorn, 2007;Zimmerman, 2010). Alternatively, some couples may need the assistance of a financial advisor who can help them develop sound financial behaviors.…”