Valentine's Day SoFi survey explores truth about love and money

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- This Valentine's Day, Bay Area fintech firm SoFi wants to talk about a tough relationship: the one between romance and finance.[br /][br /][b]RELATED: [url HREF="http://abc7news.com/health/raiders-tj-carrie-spreads-joy-reunites-with-stanford-surgeon-who-changed-his-life/3085996/" TARGET="" REL=""]Raiders' TJ Carrie spreads joy, reunites with Stanford surgeon who changed his life[/url][/b][br /][br /]The company conducted a nationwide survey of couples ages 18-45 and found that for many, money can be a touchy topic.[br /][Ads /][br /]In San Francisco's Financial District, Molly and Warren Holmes were celebrating Valentine's Day in an unconventional way:[br /][br /]"We met with our financial planner just a moment ago," Molly Holmes said.[br /][br /]It's not exactly a candlelight dinner, but the couple believes talking about finances will bring them closer together. And SoFi's research shows they're onto something.[br /][br /][twitter ID="963925968057393153" /][br /]"Money is still very much taboo," said SoFi spokesperson Nadia Last. "Half of the people that we surveyed have actually lied to their significant other about the true cost of what they were buying."[br /][br /]Eating lunch two tables away from the Holmes family, Ben and Carrie Mottau said they know that problem well:[br /][br /]"Surfboards for me," Ben Mottau said.[br /][Ads /][br /]"Yeah, you would hide that," Carrie Mottau agreed.[br /][br /]SoFi says its survey got over 3,300 responses and included some surprising results. Among other things, it revealed how much people worry about their debt and their credit scores.[br /][br /]"40 percent of the people we surveyed would rather share their cell phone password -- meaning complete access to their cell phone, their texts, their photos their social media, rather than disclosing how much debt they have," Last said.[br /][br /]The survey posed another no-win question: Is it worse to have your partner cheat on you or ruin your credit score?[br /][br /][b]RELATED: [url HREF="http://abc7news.com/society/how-to-say-i-love-you-around-the-world/1748034/" TARGET="" REL=""]How to say 'I love you' around the world[/url][/b][br /][br /]"Oh, ruin my credit score," Molly Holmes said, as her husband nodded agreement. "I could fix a credit score. I don't think I could fix a cheater."[br /][br /]"My credit ruined," Ben Mottau said, as his wife concurred. "By a landslide."[br /][br /]But 30 percent of those who took the survey disagreed.[br /][Ads /][br /]"(Those) people would rather be cheated on than go into more or less financial ruin," Last said.[br /][br /][/b][br /]On the topic of deception, 10 percent admitted to having a secret bank account their partner didn't know about. It's just one facet of a more complex landscape for both marriage and money than existed a generation ago. Today, the question of whether to combine finances is hotly debated.[br /][br /]"I also think its' weird when you buy each other gifts from the same bank account," said Carrie Mottau. "It's like, what's the point of that?"[br /][br /]But SoFi found 83 percent of those couples who do merge their money say they don't regret it. And some are even starting early.[br /][br /]"They're trying to navigate combining finances in partnership -- so, when they're living together before they get married," Last said.[br /][br /]The survey's bottom line: even if you don't agree on everything, it pays to talk about money.[br /][br /]Read more of the survey results [url HREF="https://www.sofi.com/blog/money-love-pure-deception-couples-really-deal-finances/" TARGET="_blank" ]on SoFi's blog.[/url][br /][br /][b][url HREF="http://abc7news.com/tag/valentine-s-day" TARGET="" REL=""]Click here[/url] for more stories, photos, and video on Valentine's Day.