People who are considered a sexual and gender minority (SGM) person identify as a sexual orientation other than heterosexual (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual; sexual minority) or whose gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth (e.g., transgender, nonbinary, queer; gender minority). Much of what researchers know about family finance has been identified based on research focusing on cisgender heterosexual people and operates under the assumption of generalizability. Yet, sexual and gender minority (SGM) couples likely experience important differences when engaging with financial services and professionals. We seek to understand the experiences of SGM people in relationships, who are not traditionally represented in family finance. We focus on expanding our understanding of access and inclusion in financial services and education. Specifically, we examined the research question: What can financial service providers and educators do to support SGM couples and families? Qualitative analysis, specifically deductive thematic analysis, examined responses from 300 SGM respondents in relationships (100 women in relationships with women, 101 men in relationships with men, 99 gender minority people in relationships). Using suggestions directly from SGM people will help financial practitioners better understand and know how to provide more inclusive and effective services to these populations.

Accepted Oral Presentation