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The purpose of this study was to document factors associated with a couple's decision to manage finances entirely jointly (i.e., pooled), somewhat jointly, or separately. Based on survey data from 636 married or cohabitating respondents, test results showed that married and less well-educated individuals are more likely to pool finances with their partners. Additionally, it was determined that the odds of partners pooling finances increase as the size of a household increases and when the household exhibits a positive net worth. In this study, households with two income earners were approximately 50% less likely to pool their finances compared to households with one income earner. It was further determined that those who reported agreeing on issues related to spending were more than twice as likely to pool their finances as compared to those who did not agree with their partner on issues related to spending. The findings from this study advance the marriage and family therapy literature by showing that financial integration style and financial decision-making responsibilities are separate constructs and should not be used as proxies for one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to higher income couples, those with low incomes experience a host of challenges and disparities in their intimate relationships, including lower levels of relationship satisfaction, higher rates of breakup of cohabiting relationships, and higher rates of divorce. In recognition of these disparities, a number of interventions targeting couples with low incomes have been developed. These interventions historically focused primarily on improving relationship skills through relationship education, but in recent years a new approach that integrates economic‐focused interventions alongside relationship education has emerged. This integrated approach is intended to better address the challenges facing couples with low incomes, but the theory‐driven, top‐down approach to intervention development leaves open the question of whether couples with low incomes are interested in participating in a program that combines these two disparate components. The current study draws from a large randomized controlled trial of one such program (N = 879 couples) to provide descriptive information about the recruitment and retention of couples with low incomes in a study of relationship education with integrated economic services. Results indicate that it is possible to recruit a large, linguistically, and racially diverse sample of couples living with low income to participate in an integrated intervention, but the uptake of relationship‐focused services was higher than the uptake of economic‐focused services. Additionally, attrition over a 1‐year follow‐up data collection period was low but required labor‐intensive efforts to reach participants for the survey. We highlight successful strategies for the recruitment and retention of diverse couples and discuss implications for future intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intervention model for couples reporting both relationship and financial stress was developed and evaluated. The model utilized co-therapy teams of marriage and family therapists and financial planners who employed a five-session treatment approach in working with 12 couples. Findings demonstrated numerous benefits of this collaborative model. A recommendation was made that academic programs and professionals in MFT and Financial Planning develop similar interdisciplinary collaborative efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]