'Sexually Transmitted Debt'
 

And the beat goes on...

Richard :munchin

Consumer Phrase of the Day: 'Sexually Transmitted Debt'
Time, 9 Feb 2011

"A new national survey a different kind of STD that couples must worry about. Turns out if you marry someone who has debt and doesn't tell you about it, you may pay the price for years to come. Plus, if your spouse is financial promiscuous while you're married, you may be on the hook to pay off your spouse's secret spending. The even scarier part – many folks have 'sexually transmitted debt' and don't even know it."

The phrase comes courtesy of CESI Debt Solutions, which commissioned surveys that returned figures such as:

*73% of those married say spending more than $100 without telling a spouse is unacceptable

*79% of those married say they're more likely to talk about financial infidelity with a friend as opposed to their spouse

*30% of those surveyed say financial infidelity is just as bad as sexual infidelity

*80% of spouses spend money their spouses don't know about

And here's how CESI's explanation for why it's given new meaning to the acronym STD:

“Sexually transmitted debt is a term our staff created because we were getting calls from people who were not honest with their spouses about the debt they had racked up,” explains Neil Ellington, executive vice president of CESI Debt Solutions. “Through the act of secret spending, or financial infidelity, debt is incurred that spouses can be legally responsible for, although the specifics vary from state to state. Bottom line, spouses can suffer the consequences of the other's bad spending habits.”

http://money.blogs.time.com/2011/02/...nsmitted-debt/

STD
 

Am I considered financially promiscuous if I continue to hold up the Wall Street Journal with one hand? :o

I think the author could have thought of a better way of phrasing the problem. I could agree with the stats, but keep in mind that their clients are there because of bad financial decisions...some with the knowledge of their significant others...some without.

I know...I was once one of their clients.

My youngest Son nipped this problem pre-nuptials.
My DIL “overused” her credit cards, had high balances, and no financial discipline.
My Son told her that they would marry when the were Debt free, and not before.
In two (2) years they paid off all her debts (including College Loans), and she walked down the aisle a “debt free” Bride – and has remained so for nine (9) years. She is now a conservative (both in her finances / politics) --
SnT

My wife bought a house in Palm Springs that I didn't see until I went down to sign the papers. But after 30 years of marriage, I have learned she is usually right about these things. Happy wife, Happy life...

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