If you are coupled up, how do you handle your finances? Do you put all your money into one pot and share all your expenses? Do you still keep separate accounts and split expenses down the middle? Or do you use some hybrid system, maybe keeping a personal account on the side so your spouse doesn’t notice when you splurge on a pair of $400 shoes?
Slate has just launched a five-part series exploring the issue, based partly on an online survey that drew more than 5,800 responses.
The upshot: Married couples are most likely to pool their finances, while unmarried couples are most likely to keep things separate. Only 11 percent of married couples keep finances totally separate, while 53 percent of unmarried couples keep their bank accounts to themselves.
A cool widget allows you to explore the results of the survey and compare with your own financial preferences.
Granted, the Slate survey was not exactly a random sampling of the adult population, with 48 percent saying they have graduate degrees. But the results are consistent with scientific research on the same topic.
Future installments will look at how various couples chose their financial system and how they handle budget issues.