![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2154852765-e1767993268643.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Many of us have experienced that gut-wrenching feeling when we realize the relationship we\u2019re in and thought was \u201cthe one\u201d turns out to be a total wash. <\/p>\n
Sometimes the eventual severance comes down to a difference of morals or plain-old lost feelings.\u00a0And sometimes it happens when dishonestly, like catfishing, is revealed.<\/p>\n
But many people in the younger generations are navigating a new kind of deception: financial future faking. It\u2019s 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 \u201cfuture faking,\u201d a psychological manipulation tactic recognized by major health care and psychological organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Financial future faking is becoming a major factor in Gen Z and millennial divorces\u2014and perhaps a reason why these younger generations marry less often or much later in life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often see a lack of financial intimacy, transparency, and alignment as central factors in divorce,\u201d celebrity divorce attorney Jackie Combs told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cWhen money becomes a source of leverage, or when expectations are never clearly articulated, it fractures communication, creates misalignment, and erodes trust.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201cEntertainment Business Visionary\u201d by the Los Angeles Times<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The financial future faking trend is especially disheartening for Gen Z and millennials because they\u2019re facing an inflationary period, soft job market, and a housing affordability crisis. So when those in relationships aren\u2019t honest about money and shared goals, the entire lifestyle they\u2019ve dreamed of could all come crashing down.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGen Z and millennials are particularly vulnerable to future financial faking for several reasons,\u201d Combs warned. \u201cThey are dating in an era of unprecedented financial instability, defined by student debt, housing unaffordability, and delayed economic security.\u201d<\/p>\n Combs says another reason younger generations are so susceptible to this is because they were raised in households where money was rarely openly discussed, leaving them ill-equipped to ask direct financial questions or understand whether they\u2019re financially aligned with their partner early on.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis vulnerability is compounded by consumer culture and social media, which glamorizes aspirational lifestyles such as luxury weddings, \u2018soft life\u2019 aesthetics, and trad-wife narratives, without addressing the financial infrastructure required to support them,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n The illusion of a dream wedding can also be a culprit. The wedding services market alone was valued at about $218 billion in 2024, according to BRC Wedding Service Global Market Report 2025, and is expected to grow to a whopping $362 billion by 2029. This underscores \u201chow fantasy often outpaces financial reality,\u201d Combs said.\u00a0<\/p>\n To put it in perspective, the average cost of a wedding is an eye-popping $33,000, according to The Knot, or roughly half the average American salary. And that\u2019s a relatively conservative average, considering weddings in certain markets\u2014and for certain demographics and aesthetics\u2014can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s comforting and exciting to daydream about a luxurious wedding and lifestyle with your partner\u2014although it can often lead to a trap.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen someone offers hope through vague financial promises about the future, it can feel reassuring rather than deceptive, making financial future faking particularly effective,\u201d Combs said.<\/p>\n Some of the common signs of financial future faking include making grand, but nonspecific financial promises, a lack of transparency about income, debt, or spending, and repeated delays in financial accountability or tangible process toward a financial goal, Combs said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFuture promises sound like commitment, but are never structured in reality or a future partnership\u201d is what financial future faking sounds like, she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it\u2019s difficult, and can sometimes feel confrontational, to question a partner\u2014especially in a new relationship\u2014about finances.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSincerity is reflected in alignment between words and behavior,\u201d Combs said. \u201cVague optimism without structure, or a willingness to learn, is a red flag.\u201d<\/p>\n Combs said it\u2019s important to have financial discussions early on before significant emotional or financial commitments are made. That entails having discussions about money before moving in together, signing a lease, or sharing expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, \u201cthat doesn\u2019t mean sharing your 401k balance on the first date,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt means asking thoughtful, value-based questions like, \u2018if you won the [lottery] today, what would you do with the winnings?\u2019 \u2018What does financial security mean to you?\u2019 or \u201cWhat\u2019s your biggest financial fear?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n To get the most out of your conversation, Combs recommended \u201cleading with curiosity and not judgment\u201d because it can help show emotional vulnerability and build trust. And it\u2019s also critical to have these conversations before any discussions about marriage or long-term commitment, because the former can often mean relinquishing financial autonomy. <\/p>\n Basically, if one person in a relationship doesn\u2019t fully understand the financial or legal implications of marriage, they \u201cgive up control over their financial future,\u201d Combs said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese conversations aren\u2019t about forcing commitment,\u201d she emphasized. \u201cThey\u2019re about risk assessment and determining long-term compatibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n #Arrow #Button #Icon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many of us have experienced th… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[3816,3817,2270,5639,300,3818,224,3196],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Beware of the dream wedding<\/h2>\n
How to spot financial future faking\u2014and when to talk about money<\/h2>\n