What Does Your Love Language Say About Your Finances?
by Maggie Leyes
Did you know that how you prefer to receive love can reveal a lot about how you view your finances? According to the recent survey “For Love and Money” by Life Happens, each of the five love languages has a corresponding style of showing love financially.
So, which of the five love languages are you? Look below and pick the answer that fits best. (Don’t overthink it, just go with your gut!)
Do you prefer to receive love through:
- Physical touch
- Acts of service
- Quality time together
- Receiving gifts
- Words of affirmation
Now, here is how the love language you chose translates into money and finances:
Physical Touch
If your love language is physical touch, you’re dedicated to doing what it takes to make sure your relationship is successful. Your top financial behavior is most likely a willingness to have tough conversations about finances, even if they feel uncomfortable.
In general, the study found that this group values financial security, intelligence and humor most in a relationship. Almost half (47%) said they’d feel comfortable talking about finances within three to four months of starting a relationship. That means they’re willing to do the work needed to set their relationship up for success, including saving. This group is most likely to have a savings account (71%). And what about their most taboo financial topic? That would be taking on each other’s debt! (All the other love languages chose prenups as the hot potato.)
Does this sound like you? Then you’d be part of the 6% that identify with this love language.
Acts of Service
If your love language is acts of service, you’re fiscally responsible and know the importance of paying down debt—and you’re willing to help your partner do this as well.
The study shows that this group is fiscally responsible. The majority have a savings account (57%), 401(K) (45%), an IRA (48%) and life insurance (46%). They know the importance of eliminating debt, and as their top financial “act of love,” they’re willing to help pay down mutual debt with their partner. In fact, it’s so key to this group that they won’t talk about marriage until debt is discussed. In addition, a third said they’d show their love by purchasing life insurance, while a quarter said they’d do that by saving money.
If this love language is you, you’re joined by 11% of the survey respondents.
Quality Time
If your love language is quality time, you value spending time with each other more than anything else and care deeply about protecting your relationship and future together. So, you’re most likely to purchase financial protection products, including life insurance.
For this love language group, protection is a very strong theme. That’s why, of all the love language groups, they have the highest ownership rate of life insurance (48%). However, they tend to want to wait until after getting married to bring up life insurance or end-of-life planning. Plus, they are also most likely to own the most financial products of all the love languages, meaning they are well-prepared and informed. This group has their eyes set on retirement, the only group where the majority said they had an employee-sponsored retirement account (52%).
If all of this sounds like you and your financial love language, then you join 22% of people.
Receiving Gifts
If your love language is receiving gifts, you appreciate the finer things in life, but also highly value non-tangible gifts, like the gift of education. That means if you are a parent, you prioritize saving for your children’s education.
The survey found that this group loves nice things, so when they’re looking for a partner, they’re attracted to someone who offers financial security, budgeting skills and career stability. Financial stability was a constant top trait among all love languages. While all the other groups chose intelligence and humor as top traits, interestingly, this group chose two additional financially-focused traits: budgeting and career. But this group isn’t just about what can be unwrapped. They also value non-tangible gifts, like education, so they prioritize setting money aside for college as their top way to demonstrate “financial” love.
If receiving gifts is your love language, you’re among 16% who said so.
Words of Affirmation
If your love language is words of affirmation, you prioritize feeling secure and are working toward the ultimate security symbol—a home—by saving for this goal.
This is the most popular of the love languages, with 40% identifying with this as their main way to receive love (36% of women, 46% of men). This group values feeling secure in every aspect of their lives. One way they do this is by starting conversations around tougher topics early on—much sooner than other groups. In fact, 29% said they’d talk about joint bank accounts after just five to eight dates, vs. just 7% for those whose love language is physical touch. They lead all the love languages in being willing to discuss things like joint finances, debt, income and life insurance at the very start of a relationship. Having these conversations earlier helps them work toward larger goals, including buying a home, which is the ultimate sign of security for them. In addition, this group was the most likely of all groups to say that purchasing life insurance (41%) is a financial way to show their love.
Whichever love language you chose, it’s clear that financial security is an important trait that people look for in their partner. The key is not only to discuss financial topics—from debt reduction, to retirement, to life insurance—but to act on them. Explore ways to work together toward common long-term financial goals and put a solid foundation in place with life insurance, the ultimate financial protection product for your loved one.
Maggie Leyes is Chief Creative Officer for Life Happens. She has been working in the insurance and financial services industry for more than 15 years.