Dating tip: work on credit score, not pickup lines

COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 1, 2013  /PRNewswire/ -- Despite all the money men and women spend trying to improve their looks and attract the opposite sex, flaunting one's frugal qualities may prove more alluring. According to a new survey from freecreditscore.com™, men and women rank financial responsibility more important than physical attractiveness. Among women, 96 percent say financial responsibility is important, compared to 87 percent noting physical attractiveness as an important quality. Men slightly favor good looks over financial responsibility (92 percent versus 91 percent) but, on average, financial responsibility is second only to personal compatibility when picking out Mr./Mrs. Right.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130801/LA57014-INFO)

"Our survey shows most people consider a partner's ability to manage money before saying 'I do,'" said Ken Chaplin, senior vice president at freecreditscore.com. "Women are clearly more focused on this than men, but a lot of guys say they are thinking about things like the future co-signing of loans or how one partner's bad credit score may impact the other. It makes sense in this economy that we see increased scrutiny from both men and women; a low credit score is a warning of potential problems down the road, after vows are exchanged."

Key highlights of the research:

• Women find financial responsibility (96 percent) more attractive in assessing a romantic partner than physical attractiveness (87 percent) or career ambition (87 percent).
• Credit scores are significantly more important to women (75 percent) than men (57 percent).
• Women rank financial compatibility and sex/intimacy (96 percent) equally as important when considering a long term partner.
• Women view "is financially responsible" (95 percent) and "pays bills on time" (92 percent) as the top two financial attributes when evaluating a romantic prospect's attractiveness. Collectively, men and women view "spends beyond means" (88 percent) and "has debt" (52 percent) as the least attractive attributes.
• Nearly half of the respondents (48 percent) discuss their credit score with a romantic prospect or partner, and 39 percent discuss it within the first year of a relationship.
• Women are more likely to factor credit scores into their dating decisions. However, 30 percent of women and 20 percent of men surveyed would not marry someone with a poor credit score.
• Both men and women worry that a partner's poor credit score could negatively impact securing a loan to buy a house (women 76 percent, men 61 percent), managing a joint credit account (women 59 percent, men 48 percent), getting good interest rates (women 56 percent, men 48 percent) and securing a loan to buy a car (women 47 percent, men 37 percent).

Access the infographic at http://www.freecreditscore.com/images/credit-appeal-infographic.jpg.

Survey methodology
The data points referenced above come from a study commissioned by ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company, produced by research firm Edelman Berland and conducted as an online omnibus survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults ages 30 to 49 (500 men, 500 women). Interviewing took place from June 12–17, 2013. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.

About freecreditscore.com
freecreditscore.com is part of a family of online consumer credit reporting sites belonging to ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. was founded in 1995 to give consumers quick, easy and inexpensive access to their credit profile. It is now the leading provider of online consumer credit reports, credit scores, credit monitoring and other credit-related information. ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. provides credit monitoring to its more than 11.2 million members and has delivered more than 185 million credit reports to consumers. As part of the Experian family, it continues to grow its membership base and develop innovative products to help consumers better understand their credit.

This press release is provided for general guidance and information. It is not intended as, nor should it be construed to be legal, financial or other professional advice. Please consult with your attorney or financial advisor to discuss any legal issues or financial issues involved with credit decisions.

About Experian
Experian^® is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts:

Matt Basta
Edelman PR
1 323 202 1045 (office)|
1 310 292 1676 (cell)
[email protected]

Becky Frost
freecreditscore.com
1 949 202 7296 (cell)
[email protected] 

SOURCE freecreditscore.com