The case for prenuptual agreements may have just gotten stronger: According to a new survey by credit-tracking company Experian, 16 percent of newlyweds admit they are hiding a financial account from their spouse.
婚前協議的案例與日俱增。信用監測公司益博睿的一項最新調查顯示，16%的新婚夫婦承認，他們瞞著另一半，偷偷藏著自己的小金庫。
Of those with secret accounts, about 60 percent were men and 40 percent women. Men and women also differed in how much spending they said they'd be comfortable keeping from a spouse. While female respondents said they'd quietly cough up $383 on average, male survey-takers were willing to spend $1,259 without mentioning it to their better halves.
這些藏有小金庫的人中，60%是男性，40%為女性。而對配偶隱瞞多少開銷會讓其心安理得，男性和女性也大有不同。女性調查對象表示，她們通常會小心翼翼地跟丈夫少匯報383美元，而男性調查對象面對其心愛的妻子時，認為少報1259美元，仍可以瞞天過海。
Overall, nearly a third of people admitted to being relatively clueless about their husband's or wife's finances before tying the knot. About two in five respondents said they didn't know their spouse's credit score, while about 30 percent were unaware of their partner's long-term financial goals or student loan debt. And a quarter didn't even know their spouse's annual income.
總體而言，將近三分之一的人都坦言在結婚前對另一半的經濟情況幾乎一無所知。調查對象裡有40%的人，表示他們不知道其配偶的信用評分，而30%的人對其配偶的長期經濟目標或學生時期貸款債務情況毫不知情。更有25%的人甚至不知道配偶的年收入。
"Obviously, some people do have things they want to hide," said Indianapolis-based financial planner Meredith Carbrey. "But a lot of couples just don't make the time to sit down and talk finances, or one person is hesitant out of fear their partner will judge them."
美國印第安納波利斯的理財規劃師梅雷迪斯-卡布雷說：「顯然，還是有部分人想隱藏自己的小秘密，不過大多數夫妻都不願花點時間，坐下來聊一聊他們的經濟情況，又或者夫妻中有一方害怕坦誠相告之後，會被配偶另眼相看。」
Skipping that hard talk about money before getting hitched seems to have consequences. While newlyweds said their biggest financial goal was saving to buy a residence, about a third complained that their spouse's credit score has affected their ability to get a home loan. And nearly 20 percent have actually needed a co-signer for major purchases since walking down the aisle.
婚前對財務問題避而不談會造成不良後果。新婚夫婦常說他們最大的經濟目標就是存錢買房，但幾乎有三分之一的人都抱怨他們配偶的信用評分影響了他們辦理住房貸款。而且將近20%的已婚夫婦在購置大件商品時需要雙方共同籤字署名。
Credit headaches are only one financial problem the survey revealed. While about 40 percent of respondents said credit scores are currently a source of marital strife, about a quarter cited budgeting and 20 percent blamed debt repayment. One in three newlyweds said their spouse's spending habits are different than what they expected.
令人頭疼的信用評分其實只是該項調查反映的問題之一。40%的受訪者表示現在信用評分常常是他們夫妻吵架的導火索，約25%的受訪者因家庭預算問題爭吵不休，另有20%的受訪者因償還債務而怨念重重。三分之一的新婚夫婦表示，配偶的消費習慣與他們預先的期待完全不一樣。
When you are worried about your spouse or fiance's finances, it can be emotionally challenging to broach the topic. But there are ways to get your partner to open up without seeming too critical. Meeting with a financial planner or other professional can help by adding an unbiased third party to the equation, said Carbrey.
當你為配偶或未婚夫（妻）的經濟情況感到擔憂時，打開天窗說亮話，未免有傷感情。不過總有方法既可以讓你的另一半坦然開口，又能局勢看起來不至於太僵。卡布雷表示，理財規劃師或其他相關方面專家就可以充當中立的第三方，不偏不倚地幫助夫婦解決問題。
"That can be a good moment to find out about assets and liabilities, and whether they have too much debt," she said.
卡布雷說：「這是摸清另一半的資產和負債情況，並探明其是否身負巨額債務的最好時機。
Other occasions, such as renting an apartment together, can give you the opportunity to find out your partner's credit score, Carbrey said.
而合租公寓等場合也是你了解另一半信用評分的良機，卡布雷說。
As it turns out, people don't always practice what they preach. When asked what qualities they prioritize in a spouse, 80 percent of newlyweds said they cared about credit scores, while 92 percent of survey respondents said financial responsibility.
事實證明，並非人人都能言行一致。當被問及最看重配偶的哪些品質時，80%的新婚夫婦表示他們最在意信用評分，而92%的受訪者則在意對方是否具備承擔經濟責任的能力。
All the more reason to open up a dialogue with your husband or wife early on, said Carbrey. If it makes sense, one solution can be delegating money-related responsibilities to whichever partner is thriftier.
卡布雷認為，這更說明了，經濟問題越早和另一半說清越好。如果雙方可以談攏，那麼有一種方案就是把財政大權交給相對節儉的一方。
Just be careful to make sure both you and your partner know where important documents are kept, in case of an emergency.
有一點要注意，為了以防萬一，一定要確保夫妻雙方都清楚重要證件藏在何處。
Vocabulary
prenuptual agreements: 婚前協議
clueless: 無線索的
assets and liabilities: 資產與負債
unbiased: 公正的，無偏見的
all the more reason: 更加正當的理由
英文來源：雅虎新聞
譯者：謝海芳（中國日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）
編審：yaning