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Who Wants to Be Rich?
Well you may not become a billionaire or even a millionaire, but research shows that marriage helps couples and individuals generate more income and wealth than singles, and even cohabitating couples.
According to The Marriage Project researchers out of Rutgers University in New Jersey,
"... People who marry become economically better off. Men become more productive after marriage; they earn between ten and forty percent more than do single men with similar education and job histories. Marital social norms that encourage healthy, productive behavior and wealth accumulation play a role. Some of the greater wealth of married couples results from their more efficient specialization and pooling of resources, and because they save more. Married people also receive more money from family members than the unmarried (including cohabiting couples), probably because families consider marriage more permanent and more binding than a living-together union..."
If married couples have so much potential to be wealthy, why are money issues one of the leading causes of divorce? I have one simple answer. When couples take their focus off of their partner's emotional, physical and spiritual needs to worry about their finances or acquire more material possessions, they loose sight of one of the greatest missions and privileges of life: to love another human being.
Money is a wonderful and powerful tool, but don't let it consume you. Here are seven ways to find balance and keep your marriage happy and healthy.
1. Set financial goals for your family and prioritize them.
2. Develop a spending plan that can help both parties feel fulfilled. A great example of this strategy can be found in Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony by Mary Hunt.
3. Owe no one anything but love. Work towards being debt free.
4. Create a savings plan that includes 3-6 months living expenses. Then focus on investments. It may be tight, but try living off of one income for a time.
5. Try to find ways to be generous and give to charitable organizations regularly. If you belong to a church, tithe.
6. Pay the bills together. I know it may seem hard to find the time at first, but it can be a chance to review current spending.
7. Work towards owning a home (or a new car) only when you're ready. Don't feel the urge to do it because you've had a baby, your friends are doing it, or you're "tired of renting".
I leave you with this final word: Richness is not about having more money or showing off what you have. It's about finding abundance where you are and having courage, grace and savvy to go beyond your current circumstance. Be rich.
Keishia Lee-Louis is the Editor and Publisher of http://www.Married4Good.com (launching November 2005). Her work has appeared on iVillage.com, BibleResourceCenter.com, and in numerous other printed publications.
Currently, she lives with her husband, daughter and son and is writing a book on marriage and relationships which will be published Spring 2006.
If you'd like to see more of her work, visit http://married4good.blogspot.com
The Associated Press
New York Times, United States - Jan 7, 2009
“With these new digs, there might just be a new world wedding capital.” The city clerk’s office issued 66600 marriage licenses in 2007 and performed about ...
Manhattan's new Marriage Bureau earns wows as a place to say your vows New York Daily News
NY hears wedding bells, aims to compete with Vegas The Associated Press
Wedding Bells Ring In NYC Marriage Bureau WNYC
Downtown Express - Gothamistall 254 news articles
Washington Post
Kansas City Star, MO - 14 hours ago
And their mutual friends will have to decide which wedding to attend. All would be well if only one of them would cancel (or if they would agree to a double ...
Video: Ann Hathaway's Stellar Year CBS
'Bride Wars' stars Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway are funny allies Los Angeles Times
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Boston Globe
San Francisco Chronicle, USA - 6 hours ago
The opening wedding scene in the new Bill Duke film, "Not Easily Broken" is so overwrought and cliched, it's akin to sitting down with a promising novel, ...
Not Easily Broken ( ** ) AHN
Movie Review: ‘Not Easily Broken’ is a romantic soap opera that ... Providence Journal
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Chicago Tribune, United States - 11 hours ago
By Roger Moore | Tribune Newspapers What it's about: Best friends become dueling brides when they both book the wedding they've always dreamed of in the ...
KVBC, NV - 9 hours ago
The city has renovated it marriage bureau and even built a 24000-square-foot wedding complex with the hope of becoming the most popular wedding site. ...
The Canadian Press, NEW YORK - 21 hours ago
"The magazine is realistic about how people's lives are today, but still the focus is how to have a successful wedding and start a healthy marriage," says ...
New York Magazine
New York Magazine, USA - Jan 7, 2009
Photo: Getty Images Perhaps sensing the economic downturn (and having eventually watched the Sex and the City movie), the city spruced up its civil-wedding ...
MLive.com
MLive.com, MI - 19 hours ago
Luczak said economics could be partly to blame, as young couples struggling to get a foothold in life may be putting off the expense of a wedding.
NBC13.com, AL - 5 hours ago
Just 16 months after their wedding Governor Wallace was shot. The assassination attempt left Wallace paralyzed. Fifty-four days later, he left the hospital ...
KHOU
KHOU, TX - Jan 7, 2009
“I refuse to go into this marriage in debt, “ says Ashley. “That's no way to start out.” -- Watch the flowers. All those arrangements can quickly add up. ...
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