Checking a partner’s credit score used to be a punchline for third-date jokes. Today, it is closer to standard practice.
According to TD Bank’s 2026 Love & Money Survey of 2,000 adults, 46% of Americans say a potential partner’s debt or financial habits would influence their decision to pursue a serious relationship. This sentiment is particularly pronounced among younger demographics: 51% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Z respondents agree, compared to just 39% of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.
This trend defies the common assumption that younger generations are more relaxed, collaborative, and nonjudgmental about money than their parents. However, Ashley Weeks, a wealth strategist at TD Bank who analyzes the survey’s findings, argues that this shift reflects harsh economic realities rather than a fundamental change in values.
“There’s a pretty big divide between Gen X and Boomer responses versus Millennials and Gen Z,” Weeks told *Fortune*. “What we take from that is that these are direct responses to the existing stimuli in the economic space.” Factors like student loan debt, persistent inflation, and soaring housing costs have made personal finance inseparable from other aspects of younger people’s lives—including who they choose to date.
Weeks observes this pattern firsthand. TD Wealth advisors frequently meet separately with different generations within the same family, and the conversations diverge sharply. “For younger individuals, the focus is increasingly on whether someone’s ability to survive and maintain financial independence is a viable factor when evaluating the long-term prospects of a relationship,” he noted, adding that older relatives often fail to grasp the immense financial pressure younger people face today.
Prenuptial Agreements: From Taboo to Standard Practice
More than half of respondents nationwide (54%) said they would consider signing a prenuptial agreement—a figure well above historical norms. Weeks attributes this rise to generational exposure to divorce. “People have seen their parents, and perhaps their grandparents, go through divorces that did not transpire in a way the younger generation viewed as equitable,” he explained.
This dovetails with a broader cultural shift, particularly among Millennial and Gen Z women, who are increasingly framing prenups as pragmatic wealth-planning tools rather than signs of distrust. “By at least considering it, you create your own rules, versus essentially having to live with the default rules of the state you happen to live in,” Weeks said.
Anecdotally, he noted that clients who draft prenups seem less likely to divorce, suggesting that the upfront communication required portends a healthier relationship.
Miami Feels the Most Pressure to Keep Up Appearances
The survey oversampled six major metro areas: New York, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C. Miami emerged as the most financially anxious city. More than seven in 10 Miami respondents (73%) reported feeling at least occasional pressure to appear more financially successful in their personal lives—the highest share of any metro surveyed.
Miami residents were also more likely than the national average to harbor at least one financial secret (65% vs. 56% nationally), and 58% admitted they are sometimes scared or embarrassed to discuss finances with a partner, compared to 48% nationally. This pressure is actively reshaping life decisions: 82% of Miami respondents said they have delayed at least one major life milestone due to finances, compared to 69% of New Yorkers. Consequently, Miami residents were considerably more likely to have received financial help from family (75%, versus 59% in New York).
New York, while reporting lower rates of financial secrecy and delayed milestones, stood out for its financial independence: 30% of New Yorkers said they make financial decisions mostly on their own, compared to 21% nationally. Meanwhile, 56% of New Yorkers would consider a prenup, aligning with the broader national trend.
The Core Driver: Economic Necessity
“I don’t think humans have changed,” Weeks emphasized. “I think the economic environment makes this the obvious path when it takes so much just to buy a house, save up, get credit, or pay off loans.”
He connected this dynamic to young adults increasingly relying on family for financial support, alongside a labor force participation rate that has fallen to its lowest level in 50 years (outside of the pandemic). “If you’re commingling finances with someone, their debts become your debts. Their spending habits become tied to yours. There’s a growing awareness that this will have a major impact on both relationship and life satisfaction.”
Financial Secrecy is Widespread and Hard to Explain
Nationally, 30% of respondents admitted to hiding a purchase or financial decision from a partner or family member, and 11% confessed to keeping a bank account entirely hidden from those closest to them—a statistic that gave Weeks pause. “That takes a level of subterfuge, especially if you’re married and filing a joint tax return,” he said. “That level of deviance stood out and surprised me.”
Weeks noted that credit card debt, gambling, and poor credit scores are the most commonly hidden issues. He attributes this pattern to a fear of judgment rather than deliberate malice. “People are concerned about sharing their spending habits with family members. There are clear communication issues, where individuals feel that being upfront about their actions will inevitably lead to judgment.”
Support Flows Both Ways
The survey also revealed that financial help within families is rarely a one-way street. Roughly two-thirds of respondents said they have received financial assistance from family or close friends, while about 70% reported having given it. This suggests that money moves fluidly across generations, rather than strictly downward from parents to children.
“As people grow and age, they both receive help and, when in a position to do so, give it,” Weeks explained, citing examples ranging from parents funding a down payment to adult children keeping aging relatives on a family phone plan. Notably, about a third of respondents identified as part of the “sandwich generation,” simultaneously supporting both children and aging relatives.
Ultimately, the data aligns seamlessly with current economic realities. As Weeks concluded, “These are typically rational considerations, given that the financial stakes are simply so high.”