Sex, Lies And Financial Adultery

Our online poll suggests that more than a fifth of Fools have secret cash piles hidden from their partners.

In the run-up to Valentine's Day we thought we'd take a look at the financial realities behind today's red roses and expensive restaurant dinners.

We asked Fools a series of questions to see if they trusted their partners when it came to money matters. One in 18 respondents to our poll admitted that they had secret bank accounts whilst more than a fifth have "lifeboat funds" or hidden cash stashes. Digging a little deeper we discovered that men are marginally more likely to have clandestine savings.

Sadly, financial honesty in relationships does not necessarily improve with age. We found that fiftysomethings are as likely to secrete money away as people half their age.

What's more, it's not always the higher wage earner who hides money away. One in three people who furtively hoard money earn less than their partner.

It's a shame that anybody feels the need to have a secret cash stash although I'm sure that some Fools have good reason not to trust their partners when it comes to money. Valentine's Day may be about lovey-dovey stuff, financial reality is for the other 364 days of the year.