5 Financial Red Flags For Couples

Are you always footing the bill for the other person, and covering for them in what seems like never-ending "tough times"? If they are unemployed, or fighting to stay on top of a killer student loan, so be it. But if there is no offered explanation, be wary.

4. Continual use of your credit card
Is it your credit card that always gets tapped when your boyfriend or girlfriend orders off Amazon (AMZN)? When you are shopping, is there always an excuse for why he or she has to "borrow" your card ("Oops, I left mine at home again"). It may very well mean that your partner's cards are either maxed out or they fear being "rejected" at the register while you look on. Couples may live by the mantra of "share and share alike," but having only one half that does all the sharing is a bad omen.

Be especially wary if your partner frequently pulls your credit card (or cash) from your wallet without asking. Add to your concern if they fail to let you know they did so until after the bill comes in. They probably don't view it as stealing, and neither should you, necessarily. But the action does reveal a potentially fast, loose and unrestrained attitude toward spending (especially when it is other people's money).

5. Blaming everyone but themselves
Taking responsibility is crucial for anyone looking to fix financial blunders. Be wary if your loved one blames everyone but themselves for "mistakes."

The late credit card payment? It was sent in on time, so of course it must have been lost in the mail. That mountainous credit card debt? A thieving roommate or hard-luck relative is to blame. The low credit score? Obviously a computer error. That collection agency that called? Liars! I paid that off years ago!

Errors certainly do happen, and people do sometimes have to fight to restore their good name and credit. But when excuses proliferate with every bill, one might be advised to call the bluff.

-- Written by Joe Mont in Boston.



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