This post is the first part in a two-part series focusing on love and money from two very different perspectives: the female point of view and the male point of view. Stay tuned for the second part of the "She said, He said" series.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, I’ve done a lot of research regarding the qualities women look for when seeking a mate. I’ve read a variety of studies, articles and lists – admittedly some of these sources were legitimate research articles, while some were simply opinion pieces – but ultimately they all led me to the same conclusion: One of the key traits women look for in a significant other is financial stability.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the person has to be rich – women just want to find someone who has control of their own financial future. Don’t get me wrong, there are some women out there who would love to find a wealthy man who could cater to their every need. But ultimately, the majority of women desire a partner who is financially stable, meaning:

• He has a steady job.
• He hasn’t amassed an uncontrollable amount of debt.
• He budgets and spends wisely.
• He has put some funds aside for the future.

Women find this kind of financial stability attractive for many reasons. There are the surface reasons: “He will be able to take me on nice dates,” or “He won’t have to rely on me to pay his bills,” but then there are deeper reasons.

Women tend to be analytical creatures by nature, so when a woman discovers that a man puts a portion of his hard-earned paycheck into an investment or savings account, she’s noting the fact that he took the initiative to do something responsible for his future. So it’s important to remember that your financial habits say a lot more about you than you may realize.

And women are noticing.

The graphic below illustrates the findings from our 2010 Love and Money survey:

Comment(s)

So is being frugal and spending less then $50.00 on valentines day proof of being smart with my money?