And in one surprising finding, 48 percent of people already in same-sex marriages said they had a financial advisor (more than double the proportion of traditional marrieds), but just 18 percent had consulted with a financial or legal professional before tying the knot. Hoffmeister said a desire not to publicize their relationship may be a reason some same-sex couples have not planned in the first place.
A survey in May by the Movement Advance Project, a San Francisco-based think tank, found that 52 percent of same-sex couples live in states that do not protect them from being fired or ejected from their homes because of their sexual orientation. Eighty-six percent of LGBT families live in states where their children could face discrimination because of who their parents are. And 81 percent reside in states where so-called conversion therapy is still permitted.
The need for discretion is one difference between same-sex and opposite-sex couples in the advisor-client relationship that has yet to disappear. “This still makes [same-sex marriages] a difficult discussion,” Hoffmeister said.