Kathy M. Kristof, Los Angeles TimesMen are from Mars, women are from Deloitte & Touche.
That seems to be the conclusion of a new survey in time for Valentine's Day that found that men want a woman with a good sense of humour, while women prefer a guy who has a steady job and pays his bills on time.
"And they say money can't buy you love," said Judy Martindale, a financial planner in San Luis Obispo, Calif. "It's sort of a sad commentary."
The survey of 1,022 adults was commissioned by the Fair Isaac Corp., the company that generates the FICO scores used to rate personal creditworthiness.
The findings indicated that good credit wasn't important just for getting a loan, the company said, but for finding a mate as well. For example, both men and women said being financially responsible was more important than sexual compatibility when it came to sustaining a relationship.
At the same time, the survey found that spending a few frivolous dollars can advance the cause of romance. Buying four dozen roses "just because" was considered "wonderfully romantic" by 69 per cent of respondents, as was being taken out to a nice meal by 94 per cent.
Among other findings
Whether your significant other has credit problems ranked fifth among the list of "must-know'' facts before making a commitment. The other facts, in order, were whether the person was divorced or already married, had spent time in jail, had trouble making romantic commitments, or liked to gamble.
For men, the most important qualities in a spouse were, in order: a good sense of humour, an ability to get along with his family, a steady job/good credit history (a tie for third place), desire for children and a good kisser.
Among women, the top qualities were a steady job, paying bills on time, a good sense of humour, an ability to get along with her family, desire for children and a clean driving record.
