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According to a recent survey on money and relationships,36% of people are keeping a bank account
from their partner.While this financial unfaithfulness may appear as distrust in a relationship, in truth it may
just be a form of financial protection.With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, men and women
are realizing they need to be financially savvy, regardless of whether they are in a relationship.
The financial hardship on individuals after a divorce can be extremely difficult, even more so when
children are involved.The lack of permanency in relationships, job and family life may be the cause of a
growing trend to keep a secret bank account hidden from a partner, in other words, an"escape fund".
Margaret's story is far from unique.She is a representative of a growing number of women in longterm
relationships who are becoming protective of their own earnings.Every month on pay day, she banks
hundreds of dollars into a savings account she keeps from her husband.She has been doing this throughout their sixyear marriage and has built a nest egg worth an incredible$100,000.Margaret says if her husband
found about her secret savings he'd be hurt and would take this as a sign that she wasn't sure of the
marriage."He'd think it was my escape fund so that financially I could afford to get out of the relationship if
it went wrong.I know you should approach marriage as being forever and I hope ours is, but you can
never be sure."
Like many of her fellow secret savers, Margaret was hurt in a former relationship and has since been
very guarded about her own money.
Coming clean to your partner about being a secret saver may not be all that bad.Take Colleen for
example, who had been saving secretly for a few years before she confessed to her partner."I decided to
open a savings account and start building a nest egg of my own.I wanted to prove to myself that I could
put money in the bank and leave it there for a rainy day."
1. The trend to keep a secret bank account is growing because________.
A. "escape fund" helps one through rainy days
B. days are getting harder and harder
C. women are money sensitive
D. financial conflicts often occur
2. The underlined word "savvy" in Paragraph 1 probably means________.
A. suspicious
B. secure
C. wise
D. simple
3. Which inference can we make about Margaret?
A. She is a unique woman.
B. She was once divorced.
C. She is going to retire.
D. She has many children.
4. The author mentions Colleen's example to show________.
A. any couple can avoid marriage conflicts
B. privacy within marriage should be respected
C. everyone can save a fortune with a happy marriage
D. financial disclosure is not necessarily bad
5. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A. Secret savers
B. Love is what it's worth
C. Banking honesty
D. Once bitten, twice shy
