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Financial Infidelity Scale

Is your partner cheating on your shared financial values? Take this test to find out.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

February 7, 2024

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Financial infidelity is defined as participating in any financial behavior that one's romantic partner is likely to disapprove of and purposefully withholding this information from them.

When a person engages in financial infidelity, they are most likely to:

As a diagnostic tool, the Financial Infidelity Scale enables psychologists to delve deeper into the underlying motivations and psychological factors driving financial deceit, facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of interpersonal dynamics and trust issues within partnerships. This understanding can inform therapeutic strategies aimed at fostering communication, rebuilding trust and promoting financial transparency.

For lay people, the scale offers a practical tool for self-assessment and reflection, empowering individuals to recognize and confront deceptive financial behaviors within their own relationships. By identifying red flags and assessing the severity of financial infidelity, individuals can initiate constructive conversations with their partners, seek appropriate support or counseling, and take proactive steps to address trust issues and strengthen their financial partnership.

References: Garbinsky, E. N., Gladstone, J. J., Nikolova, H., & Olson, J. G. (2019). Love, lies, and money: Financial infidelity in romantic relationships. Journal of Consumer Research, 47(1). 1–24.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. If I really wanted to purchase something but my partner did not approve of the price, I would consider buying it anyway and not telling them.

2. I do not want my partner reading my purchase receipts, in case they disapprove of my spending.

3. I am never honest with my partner about the amount of savings I have.

4. Sometimes I pretend to be saving money when, in reality, I am not.

5. I would hide a bill from my partner to avoid upsetting them.

6. If I needed the money just for a few days, I would take out credit and not tell my partner.

7. Sometimes I avoid telling my partner how much money I spend on gifts to avoid confrontation.

8. My partner doesn’t know exactly how much money I spend on gifts for friends and relatives.

9. I would not tell my partner if I lost money gambling.

10. If I won a bet, I might buy myself a treat and not tell my partner.

11. If I received an unexpected inheritance, it would be nice to buy things without my partner having to know.

12. I prefer to keep information about my income private from my partner.

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.