Why You Should Not Date a Financial Illiterate Individual

You may think that money doesn't matter, but guess what? It does. Everything from your career and income level to where you'll be living is influenced by your mindset about money.

I watched a series on Netflix not too long ago entitled REA(L)OVE wherein the show focuses on people who are in the dating scenes and every time there's a buzzer their well-kept secret is being exposed to other people. One guy was in a debt and the ladies somehow got turned off by the said contestant.

Some will say that love is enough and both of you will endure it and work together but what if they are not on the same page as you are? Why should you still date a financially illiterate individual?

Let's first get the definition of the term financial illiterate from quora:

It means not knowing the value of money. Financially illiterate people look at money as a means to get things (most often stuff they can't afford).

Now that we understand the meaning I will focus on some problems that you may experience if you still pursue the said relationship.

They could be emotionally unstable.

This is because they are not able to handle stress as a result of financial problems. They will also easily get stressed out when they see you spending on things that they think are unnecessary. They could be financially irresponsible. This is because they do not know how to manage their money or they just spend it on things that they don't need. They will also think that it's okay for them to spend your money and not theirs.

They will probably not be saving money.

Whether we want it or not, our goals in life are also affected by the money that we save. Long-term plans and discussions will not be a priority as saving money isn't part of the plan at all. If you are in a relationship with someone who is not saving money, it might be time to reconsider your decision. The reason why you are in a relationship is that you want to spend time with each other and have fun together for the longest time ideally for a lifetime right?

If your partner isn't interested in saving money, then he or she will probably not be interested in spending time with you either. You might be surprised to find out that saving money is not a priority for your partner, but it is something you should consider and pay attention to. If your partner keeps spending money on unnecessary things and doesn't seem interested in saving up for anything, then this could be a sign that he or she isn't the right one for you.

They are likely to be caught in debt traps.

As the new iPhone got released recently some people are already in debt traps as they want to be in the loop of having a new gadget. Now being with someone who's tied with debt isn't a good thing. It can be stressful and cause problems in your relationship. If your partner is already in debt, then you need to find out how much they owe and if they have any plans on paying it back. If they can't afford it, then it's time to rethink your relationship. It could be a sign of financial instability.

Ultimately, dating should be about connecting and building lasting relationships, so that you can both bring out the best in each other. Make sure that your partner is someone who understands the value of a sound financial foundation, so you have enough common ground to build a relationship on.

If they don't and you aren't able to talk openly about money with them, then it's probably best to take a step back and reevaluate your relationship. Your finances are too important to let someone who can't respect that have control over them.