We investigated the association between sound financial management behaviors and marital quality, particularly the direction of the association and a potential mediator. To do this, we used three waves of longitudinal dyadic data that spanned three years from 279 married couples living in a large northwestern city and a longitudinal path analysis that incorporated the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny et al. Dyadic data analysis. Guilford, New York City, 2006). Marital satisfaction at T1 was positively associated with sound financial management behavior for husbands; we only found actor effects, though. Wives' T2 reports of sound financial management behavior were directly and negatively associated with their own reports of marital conflict at T3. Husbands' T2 reports of sound financial management behavior was negatively associated with T3 economic pressure, which was positively associated with marital conflict. The indirect association was not statistically significant, however. Keywords Dyadic data • Economic pressure • Financial management behaviors • Longitudinal analyses • Marital qualityAlthough scholars have been examining behaviors that contribute to marital quality for decades (e.g., Glenn 1990), one behavior, sound financial management, has been relatively understudied (Dew and Xiao 2013). Xiao (2016) defined sound financial management behaviors as those behaviors that will help individuals and families "to achieve financial goals and enhance financial wellbeing" (p. 3). We use Xiao's definition for the present study. And although many studies have examined other financial issues vis-à-vis relationship quality (e.g., see Dew 2016 for a review), most have focused on negative financial events (e.g., Conger and Elder 1994) or proxies of sound financial management behaviors such as asset/debt levels or individuals' feelings about their spouses' spending habits (Britt et al. 2017;Gudmunson et al. 2007). That is, not many studies have measured financial * Jeffrey Dew

Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) is an important component of evidence‐based practice. To implement ROM in their practice, couple therapists need a brief measure that can quickly assess the relevant aspects of a couple's relationship. The Couple Relationship Scale (CRS) is a 10‐item measure of relational functioning that assesses emotional intimacy, commitment, trust, safety, cohesion, acceptance, conflict, physical intimacy, overall happiness, and personal well‐being. Three studies examined the initial psychometric properties of the CRS. Study One used a sample of 300 individuals to examine the concurrent validity, factor structure, and reliability of the CRS. In Study Two, 53 individuals completed the CRS twice to establish test‐retest reliability. In Study Three, 214 distressed individuals and 135 non‐distressed individuals were used to identify a clinical cutoff and reliable change index (RCI). Results indicated that the CRS has a strong concurrent and construct validity and good reliability. The clinical cutoff was 70.9 with an RCI of 16.

Special acknowledgement and appreciation is given to Chris Neu for contributions to an early draft.