For all the promises exchanged at the altar, parties rarelycommit to telling new spouses what's going on in their bank accounts.

As a result, 33 percent of newlyweds are surprised bya partner's financial situationand 36 percent don't know anything aboutthe partner's spending habits, according to a recentsurvey of Americans by credit-tracking firm Experian Plc.

When asked what the maximum amount was thatthey would spend before discussing it with their spouse, menreplied $1,259. Women said $383. Men were more likely to hidemoney from spouses: Some 20 percent had secret financial accountstheir partners didn't know about, compared to 12 percent of women.Experian conducted its survey, of 1,002 U.S. adultsmarried in the last year, online from Jan. 21 to Feb. 1of this year.

"It could be the people who have the higher salary are the oneswho keep it a secret," said Michael Slepian, a post-doctoralresearcher who specializes in secrecy at Columbia Business School."It does make sense to me that men would keep those financialdetails secret more because I find that women disclose more towardother people." Forty-nine percent of survey respondents identifiedas men and 51 percent as women. The survey did not ask respondentsif they were in same-sex or heterosexual relationships.

Despite the importance of a healthy credit score to such marriedlife milestones as getting a family car or a starter home,only 40 percent knew their partner's credit score before gettinghitched. Fifty-six percent of those polled agreed with thestatement: "Before I was married, I considered how a potentialspouse's credit score could affect my finances." Credit scores werea source of marital stress for 39 percent of newlyweds, and 19percent required a cosigner after getting married—about a thirdbecause of poor credit.

Debt wasn't discussed in detail prior to marriage, with 31percent of those polled not knowing their partners' student loanbalances.

Regardless of whether the financial information withheld from apartner centers on credit, salary, or debt, Slepian said keepinginformation hidden can damage a newly wedded relationship:"People often believe that revealing a secret will have negativeconsequences, but holding off and revealing it later won't makethings better."

Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.