Financial Quiz Could Be Key To Marital Bliss

DENVER (CBS4) - Some experts recommend would-be couples take a quiz to see if they're financially compatible, and 4 On Your Side Money Saver Suzanne McCarroll looked into what kind of questions are asked.

If you get a windfall, would you save it, spend it, invest it, will it to your children? How you answer questions like that can cause deep division in many relationships.

Jamie Coughlin and Keith Jackson took the quiz. The results could have some major implications on their lives. The two are planning to get married. The multiple choice test is designed to help them see if they are financially compatible.

Statistics suggest that 50 to 60 percent of today's newlyweds will divorce. The number one reason cited is money.

Financial planner Nick Richtsmeier uses the multi-question test to see if couples have a good chance of staying together through financial compatibility. Some of the questions are as follows: What percentage of an income should go into long-term savings? How do you feel about investing in the stock market? What would you do if you received unexpected money?

"I think she's probably a little more conservative than I might of thought," Jackson said.

"And you are definitely more risky, like with the unexpected money. I figured you would say save all of it," Coughlin told Jackson.

"If they have significant meaningful differences -- saver versus spender, risk versus conservative -- these key areas where people tend to find disagreements about money, they just need to have a strategy," Richtsmeier said.

The good news is the couple is fairly financially in sync, which on paper suggests they've got a better than average shot at marital bliss.

LINK: Take The Quiz