How to Tell If Your Valentine Is Cheating on You Financially

— -- The woman's fiancé was keeping a secret from her. She remembers precisely when she figured it out. It was after they got engaged. One day, she asked him how much money he made.

“I had always been curious, but didn’t think it was any of my business until we were engaged. Once engaged, I felt, as an equal partner, that I deserved to know what income my fiancé was bringing into our home and life so we knew how we were going to manage our finances together once married. When I asked my fiancé, he responded, 'I don’t know, it always changes.' Then, he changed the subject."

This conversation happened to someone close to Leslie Tayne, an attorney specializing in finance and debt issues and the author of a book "Life and Debt," which helps readers achieve financial wellness. She regularly preaches the importance of solid finances to solid relationships to all her girlfriends — and guy friends too. So if it can happen to someone in her circle, she figures it can happen to anyone. To Tayne’s dismay, the woman was a victim of financial infidelity, though it took her months to fully realize it. In addition to being evasive about his income, this fiancé had debts he wouldn’t tell her about and he didn’t contribute to their mutual finances. Sounds heart breaking, but the thing is, it happens a lot.

In fact, a CreditCards.com survey released this month estimated that 13 million Americans have “cheated” on their partners by hiding a credit card or bank account from them. The survey, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, also found that 19 percent of respondents have spent more than $500 without informing their romantic partner. Respondents went on to say that their significant others should have the right to spend some amount of money without filling them in. The amount varied, depending on the respondents' age and gender. More on that concept later.

Tayne developed a list of telltale signs of financial infidelity, based on more than a decade of counseling clients about their debts.

5 Red Flags of Financial Infidelity