A major factor in Gen Z and millennial divorce is ‘financial future faking.’ It’s like long-term partner catfishing about money
When money becomes a source of leverage, it “fractures communication, creates misalignment, and erodes trust,” Jackie Combs told Fortune.
Many of us have experienced that gut-wrenching feeling when we realize the relationship we’re in and thought was “the one” turns out to be a total wash.
Sometimes the eventual severance comes down to a difference of morals or plain-old lost feelings. And sometimes it happens when dishonesty, like catfishing, is revealed.
But many people in the younger generations are navigating a new kind of deception: financial future faking. It’s when people make big promises to each other about sharing a home, lifestyle, or long-term financial security early in a relationship without any real intention or follow-through. This phenomenon is an offshoot of “future faking,” a psychological manipulation tactic recognized by major health care and psychological organizations.
Financial future faking is becoming a major factor in Gen Z and millennial divorces—and perhaps a reason why these younger generations marry less often or much later in life.
“I often see a lack of financial intimacy, transparency, and alignment as central factors in divorce,” celebrity divorce attorney Jackie Combs told Fortune. “When money becomes a source of leverage, or when expectations are never clearly articulated, it fractures communication, creates misalignment, and erodes trust.”
Combs, who is a family and matrimonial law attorney and partner at Los Angeles-based firm BlankRome, has represented many Gen Z and millennial celebrities including Emily Ratajkowski, Chris Appleton, and Ines de Ramon. She also represents other high net-worth clients and has been recognized both as a top family lawyer as well as an “Entertainment Business Visionary” by the Los Angeles Times.
The financial future faking trend is especially disheartening for Gen Z and millennials because they’re facing an inflationary period, soft job market, and a housing affordability crisis. So when those in relationships aren’t honest about money and shared goals, the entire lifestyle they’ve dreamed of could all come crashing down.
“Gen Z and millennials are particularly vulnerable to future financial faking for several reasons,” Combs warned. “They are dating in an era of unprecedented financial instability, defined by student debt, housing unaffordability, and delayed economic security.”