#120 : Financial green and red flags in relationships - with Alex Edwards

Finances are the #2 cause of divorce, yet most couples avoid these conversations early on.

🎙️ Today for Money Chill Out podcast, I sit with Alex Edwards to discuss Financial Green & Red Flags in Relationships

Here’s what we cover:

💚 Green flags (alignment & mindset)

• Curiosity > judgment in money conversations
• First-date questions: routines, mentors, goals, debt mindset
• Shared financial goals + open communication
• Monthly/quarterly money check-ins
• Healthy independence (separate accounts where needed)

🚩 Red flags (watch early)

• Avoiding or hiding credit score (responsibility indicator)
• Indecisiveness or poor financial decision-making
• “Quit your job, I’ll take care of you” → control risk
• One partner controlling all money (financial abuse risk)

💔 Reality check

• 20% of women are in relationships they can’t afford to leave
• 25%+ of women in relationships don’t have a separate account
• Financial secrecy / “financial infidelity” (between 1 in 3 to 1 in 2 couples)

🤝 What healthy couples do differently

• Talk about money early and often
• Align on goals, spending styles, and debt
• Treat finances as teamwork, not control
• Consider prenups as a financial clarity plan, not a breakup plan

💡 Ultimately, financial compatibility isn’t about being identical. It’s about building shared systems, honest communication, and aligned goals.