Research from Scottish Widows shows that 90 per cent of us don’t disclose our income to friends and two out of three don’t even tell their families.

The findings show that money is an uncomfortable topic, with couples far happier to discuss health and sex issues.

And although work is the one place where most of us are actively discouraged from talking about how much we earn, the study shows that men are almost twice as likely to share salary secrets with their colleagues than they are with their friends.

The survey also reveals that more than a third of us don’t know exactly how much our partner earns and can only give a rough estimate.
Mike Hoban, customer & brand marketing director of Scottish Widows, said: “As a nation, we’ve become increasingly liberal – we are happy to talk to our loved ones about sex, relationships and health problems, but despite this modern trend in honesty it seems that money is now the topic we avoid.
“It’s no surprise that the nation is under-saving and under-preparing for the future when money is clearly such an uncomfortable subject. If you really can’t face discussing money with people you know, it might be a good idea to seek professional financial advice.”