The Financial Perks of Getting Married

The Financial Perks of Getting Married

Love. Love comes first and foremost. It’s more important than anything I’m writing about in this post. But this is a financial blog. We gotta talk about the financial aspects of getting married. Talking about money may not be romantic but it is important.

Money-related fights are the number one reason for divorce. Statistically, it’s important to know about these benefits. Getting married doesn’t have to lead to divorce and financial ruin. Getting married is actually a financial blessing. Here are the many reasons why:

Taxes

The US government likes people to pair up. I think the government believes it to be a sign of security. A government likes its citizenry to feel secure. A secure citizenry leads to a good workforce and a large GDP.

Therefore, couples are treated with many tax perks:

  • Estate tax marital deduction
  • Gift tax marital deduction
  • Rollover of deceased spouse’s IRA to a remaining spouse
  • You can contribute to each others’ IRAs
  • Greater social security benefits (government-related perk)

A Roommate for Life

This is huge. Think of it this way… you want to buy a house with a $4,000 monthly mortgage payment. If you’re married, it essentially turns into a $2,000 per month payment split between two people.

Think of it in terms of salary as well. Let’s say you make $100,000 per year. You may have $30,000 per year in expenses. Your neighbor down the street also makes $100,000 annually. He has about $30,000 in expenses as well. If you get married, your combined income skyrockets to $200,000. Do you expenses double as well? Very unlikely.

The Olive Theory

‘The Olive Theory’ is a reference to How I Met Your Mother. On this sitcom, the protagonist believes a couple can only work if one person likes something (like olives) while the other one doesn’t. Together, they are complete. They can share things without any waste. They are perfect together.

The Olive Theory in action means you get to share things. One partner may like to wash dishes, the other likes to wash clothing. Shared responsibility works well in a relationship.

For me, I like cooking but dislike washing dishes. As bizarre as it sounds, I have known a few people who like washing dishes. I should marry one of them. This way, we get great food and a squeaky clean kitchen. Talk about a great match! Comment below if you enjoy washing dishes. 😉

Someone to lean on. If one partner gets sick, the other can help. This gets the ill partner back in the game quicker. Instead of taking 2 days off work, the partner may be ready in just 1 day. Even if a doctor is required, the partner can still give an immense level of emotional support. It’s hard for a person to have their finances in order without emotional support. Check Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to see why.

Easier Home Buying

It’s easier to get a loan with a cosigner. It means there are more people to spread the risk. It’s as simple as that. When getting married, you can choose to have a cosigner (in essence) for life. This will bring down interest rates for all items you buy. It’s a pretty sweet perk.

Final Thoughts

Getting married is typically a fantastic financial decision. So much so it almost makes me want to get married! Now… I’ve just got to find a girlfriend. 🙂