Couples Share the Checkbook, but Men Rule the Portfolio

Another pressing problem is that even when clients are satisfied with the man making financial decisions for the couple, that often doesn't last through retirement. Women who are part of a couple where the man makes most of the decisions were less likely to say they felt excellent or very good about their overall financial situation after they retired (57%) than before retirement (63%). They were also less likely to report those levels of optimism post-retirement than women in any other kind of couple. Women in couples that share decision making were most likely to report feeling positive about their situation post-retirement (71%).

UBS found an interesting dynamic in woman-led couples. Only 16% of couples reported decisions were made primarily by the woman in the couple, but of those, only 34% of women are also the primary breadwinner.

"Those women are more likely to be the primary breadwinner than women in other couples," Scott said, "but they're not the majority in those couples. I think that's just part of the reality that on average, women still aren't making as much as men."

Scott said that satisfaction levels in woman-led couples came as a surprise. "You might have thought that women in that position, where they're taking the lead role, would be more satisfied. Actually we found that not to be the case. Basically it seems like these women really have a large burden on them because in most cases they're still handling most of the household chore-type tasks."

Women in those couples tended to be more aggressive in their investing style than other women. They were also more likely to use an advisor as a sounding board than other women, although the survey found most women who work with an advisor, regardless of the kind of couple they are in, follow the course recommended by the advisor.

These results focus mostly on male-female couples, but the report did offer some insight into how LGBT couples approach financial decisions. Just 3% of respondents identified as LGBT.

LGBT couples were more likely than heterosexual couples to keep separate accounts and make decisions independently of their partner. They also tended to be more aggressive in their risk tolerance.

They also reported being more optimistic about their finances than heterosexual couples, and significantly more optimistic about their ability to reach their goals.

Although LGBT couples were more likely to make financial decisions separately, they were more likely to share decision making responsibilities regarding investing specifically. UBS found almost two thirds of LGBT couples made decisions about buying or selling investments, compared with 39% of other couples. They're also more likely than heterosexual couples to say that they've become more involved with managing investments since the financial crisis: 54% say so, compared with 41% of other couples.

UBS conducted a survey in September and October 2013 that focused specifically on LGBT investors. That survey also found LGBT couples to be more optimistic than other investors, about their own financial situation as well as larger economic issues.

"One major factor there was the undoing of the Defense of Marriage Act," Scott said. It had such "an emotional and a financial impact for this group, that it had an impact on feeling better about their finances and that they'd be able to reach their goals."