Do you NEED to get married?

Marriage is considered an essential part of life. Money is part of that. Recently, society has lamented the cost of being single. But sometimes the costs aren’t financial. And there’s a move—especially among those who identify as women—to eschew marriage.

Topics covered in this episode on marriage

• Is love really enough for marriage?

• Talking about money before getting married

• Prenup!

• Acknowledging the move away from traditional gender roles and heteronormativity

• The cost of a wedding

• Financial benefits of getting married

• When your finances could suffer by getting married

• Women are starting to opt out of marriage—and here’s why

• The cost of divorce

• How to enjoy being single

Sources used for this episode

• The marriage age has risen over time, especially since Miranda got married.

• CNBC gathers information about how money issues can stress a marriage and lead to divorce.

• We discuss the expense of marriage, and you can find information about that from the Wall Street Journal and Fidelity.

• Here’s some information about the tax benefits of marriage.

• What you need to know about married filing separately.

• Disability is a different issue. We discuss divorce to qualify for disability benefits and whether you could lose SSI benefits if you get married.

• Research on women and heterosexual marriages/relationships:

  • Unmarried, childless women are happiest people of all, expert says

  • Pew Research Center

  • Gender gaps in sharing household responsibilities

  • More Pew Research Center on women doing more around the house

  • Married women with children spend more time on housework than single moms

  • Is Marriage a Bad Deal for Women?

• Women and divorce:

  • More couples are divorcing

  • Median age at first divorce

  • Why women file for divorce more than men

• Miranda wrote about how women no longer have to settle for someone who doesn’t contribute to housework or support in non-monetary ways.

• Sarah shares about ending one relationship and finding her husband when more financially stable.

• Financial aspects of divorce:

  • Debt and divorce

  • Cost of divorce

  • How Does Divorce Impact My Business?

  • Our friend Kate Dore’s article about hiding assets in crypto

• Prenuptial agreements:

  • Savvy Ladies

  • Kiplinger

  • Britannica Money

  • Erin Lowry on Miss Be Helpful

• We have resources on managing household finances if you aren’t married and dealing with family issues when unmarried.

• Being single is fine:

  • Miranda writes about enjoying being single

  • TIME on single people being happy

  • University of California on unwedded bliss

Our financial resource

Check out a guide to managing divorce and your finances from Britannica Money. It breaks down what you need to think about as you’re financially decoupling.

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• Sarah Li-Cain

• Miranda Marquit