Dating couples should ask each other if they have any secret addictions – such as buying handbags or watching porn – if they want their relationship to survive, according to a leading family law firm.
A test drawn up by London firm Bross Bennett lists the essential questions every couple should ask before they decide to wed or live together.
Areas they advise discussing include how much money each partner has, how intrusive their in-laws might be, how many children they want and whether they favour state or private education.
Couples have been urged to try the compatibility quiz before setting up home together.
Some of the questions:
FINANCIAL: Do you know each other’s assets? How do you view sharing them? Do you have the same attitude to saving? Will you pool your resources or keep everything separate?
FAMILY TIES: What relationship do you have with extended family? Are they local? Over-involved?
CHILDREN: Do you want them? How many? How do you feel about state versus private education?
RELIGION: Do you agree on what religion you will bring up the children under?
LEISURE: Do you like the same things? Is your idea of a dream holiday lying on a beach or rock-climbing with your partner?
LIFESTYLE: Do you have secret addictions – for example, handbags, shoes, chocolate, football, porn?
WORK: Are your career paths compatible? Will you want to give up work when you have children?
HONESTY: Are there any old flames for whom you still hold a candle?
Ruth Bross, partner at the law firm, said: “No employer would offer someone a job without considering their suitability for that position and neither should a couple embark on a lifelong commitment without doing their research.
“Successful relationships are built on honesty, and deceit on any scale is a betrayal of that basic principle. There is little point in building a future with someone if they are not prepared to be truthful.” – Daily Mail