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Marriage Builds Wealth?
By JLP | January 18, 2006
I saw this article titled Study Finds That Marriage Builds Wealth on Chicago Tribune’s website and thought I’d share it. This agrees with what I have thought all along. According to the article, most people lose three fourths of their wealth when they get a divorce. If the divorce rate is currently at 50%, it’s no wonder Baby Boomers aren’t adequately prepared for retirement.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 6 Comments »
January 18th, 2006 at 7:57 am
I’ve heard that women’s quality of life (including income) usually drops but men’s stays the same or increses.
January 18th, 2006 at 8:07 am
I’m not so sure that marriage builds wealth but I’ve certainly seen divorce destroy a lot of wealth. Where does it go? Attorneys?
January 18th, 2006 at 9:14 am
Oh wow, if it indeed builds wealth, then we better get married quickly!
January 18th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
The article makes a very important argument, which is more that marriage builds _life_, by imposing a structure on life that is conducive to prosperity and proper child-rearing. It turns out that the ancient “life sequence” of school, love, marriage, kids is the best one if you want to have a chance of raising kids properly and want to build an economic life. Ignoring “the sequence” by casually having kids or easy divorce dooms mothers and kids to a world of low pay and crappy life from which there is little chance of escape.
It may sound painfully 1950s, but the study is purely an economic one. It turns out that the ancient morality is rooted in iron rules of economic reality.
January 18th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Oops – I should have clicked your link! I thought you were talking about this article that was on realclearpolitics.com today. They both make related points, but the City Journal article is far more profound – and far less politically correct.
January 19th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
I read both articles – the one recommended by JLP & the one that Foobarista linked — I must say, the link provided by Foobarista was definitely the best article I’ve read in a long time! The more financial article was very simplistic in comparison.