Recent research has found that 27% of married or cohabiting couples in Britain argue more about money than anything else.

The study, by Prudential, looked at couples over the age of 40, and revealed that they are more likely to fall out over the state of their finances than over housework, staying out late or their partner’s choice of friends. The only topic that couples said caused more arguments than money was family/relations.

The research also found that one in five couples don't feel comfortable talking about finances with their other halves. This lack of openness extends into retirement planning, with 20% saying they have never had a conversation with their partner about the income they think they will need in retirement. And while the majority of couples have discussed their pension incomes in the last year, a third (34%) of them only talked about it for half an hour or less.