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New Research From eHarmony Finds Married Couples Differ on Tax Season Stress and Tax Refund Priorities

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 April 2006, 12:00 CDT

PASADENA, Calif., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- eHarmony, the Internet's #1 relationship service, today released results from a nationwide survey of married people's attitudes toward taxes. The survey of 1,389 married people sought to understand how the quality of a person's marriage impacts the stress they experience around tax season and how they plan to use their tax refunds.

The single clearest result is that when it comes to financial issues, there are differences between men and women in how they plan to use their tax refunds and how they imagine their spouses would spend it if left to their own devices. The findings also underscore the significant impact that Marriage Wellness -- making consistent, small efforts toward building a stronger, happier marriage -- can have on the degree of stress that a couple feels during tax season.

"What this survey demonstrates is that couples who take the time to talk to each to other and search for common ground have a far easier time creating financial harmony during this stressful time of year," said Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony's co-founder and long-time psychotherapist. "Tax season can be a tremendous opportunity to make one's marriage better."

Here are some of the key findings from the tax-time survey: Tax Stress * Among people who rated their marriage as "poor" or "very poor," about 3 in 4 (77%) reported feeling tax time stress. * People who have "poor" or "very poor" marriages are twice as likely to experience tax time stress as those with "very good" or better marriages. * Married women were markedly more likely to feel "a lot" of stress about taxes than married men (8% versus 2%, respectively). Tax Refund Plans * Women were notably more likely than men to say that they would "buy something necessary" (31% vs. 24%, respectively) or put the money into savings (47% vs. 42%). * Women were 18% more likely than men to say they would use the money to pay down debts. * Despite both men and women saying they were unlikely to use their refunds to purchase something fun for themselves (less than 10%), they each thought their spouse, left to their own devices, would be TWICE as likely to spend the refund on something fun.

Couples were also given the opportunity to provide advice to newlyweds on how to make tax time less stressful; here are examples of some of the advice they gave:

* "Don't lie to the IRS." * "Look at the big picture and the whole life together you will have." * "Hire a professional." * "Have sex before dealing with the taxes."

"Clearly there is a connection between the quality of a marriage and the amount of stress people feel at tax time," explained Dr. Warren. "This should serve as a wake-up call for people to look at their relationships and devote some time every week to practicing Marriage Wellness."

Dr. Warren offers married couples the following advice to help them address the two major areas of this research: Tax Season Stress and Refund Spending Priorities.

Here are two simple steps to help stressed couples begin to experience the positive effects of Marriage Wellness:

Treat Stress as a Welcome Guest

When stress is treated like a welcome guest in a marriage, it can be used in two ways: as an indicator of a couple's coping skills and as an opportunity to improve a marriage. If a husband and wife aren't reacting well to life events, they should STOP and spend an hour walking together to talk about what this important "thermometer" is measuring in their lives.

Fight Stress with Romance

If tax season has left increased anxiety or ill-feelings, the best solution is romance, and the most important component of romance is time. Married couples should use romance to give each other the gift of quiet, healing time.

Here are two ways that couples can create more financial harmony in their homes:

Get good at resolving your financial conflict

If he wants to buy a High Definition TV with the tax refund, and she wants to put it into savings, these two actions will bring about a swift collision of wills. If couples are well practiced at managing conflict, these kinds of problems can actually help the marriage.

Strive for Financial Similarity

Financial Similarity refers to the ways couples view the money that flows in and out of their home. Taking the time to have an intentional discussion about what to do with a financial windfall will help make both people much happier. Establishing some general guidelines on how to split this kind of income and construct an effective compromise is an excellent marital exercise.

These practical tips show how seemingly small steps performed on a consistent basis help couples put their relationship on a path toward Marriage Wellness. eHarmony Marriage guides and teaches couples how to integrate Marriage Wellness into their own lives -- making their own marriages stronger and happier. It starts with the free, personalized 5 Key Insights into Your Marriage report -- available only at http://www.eharmony.com/.

About eHarmony

eHarmony is the Internet's #1 relationship service and the only site dedicated to building the relationships of both singles and married couples. In 2000, backed by 35 years of clinical and empirical research, eHarmony became the first relationship service on the Web to use a scientific approach to matching highly compatible singles. Millions of people of all ages, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds have met using the company's patented Compatibility Matching System(TM), and tens of thousands have found strong and satisfying marriages throughout the world. Six years later, the company launched a new service, eHarmony Marriage, a personalized, interactive, online "marriage wellness" program designed to help couples achieve stronger, healthier and happier marriages. eHarmony was founded by America's best-known relationship expert, best-selling author and clinical psychologist Dr. Neil Clark Warren.

eHarmony Press Contact: Greg Peverill-Conti Davies Murphy Group (781) 418-2426 eHarmony@daviesmurphy.com

eHarmony

CONTACT: Greg Peverill-Conti of Davies Murphy Group for eHarmony,+1-781-418-2426, eHarmony@daviesmurphy.com

Web site: http://www.eharmony.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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