[HN Gopher] Moving in Together Doesn't Match the Financial Benef...
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Moving in Together Doesn't Match the Financial Benefits of
Marriage, but Why?
Author : jbredeche
Score : 8 points
Date : 2022-11-07 17:35 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.wsj.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.wsj.com)
| ramesh31 wrote:
| It's simple self selection, showing the class divide in the US.
| Marriage is an intentional act. Cohabitation is, more often than
| not, out of necessity.
| odysseus wrote:
| Some of the answers from the article:
|
| > "Married people may be much more likely to have these
| conversations around what goals they have for their financial
| future," she said. "There seems to be something very special and
| unique about deciding to share finances."
|
| > Unmarried couples may be less willing to commingle their money,
| said Prof. Garbinsky.
|
| The number one cause of divorce in America is money fights and
| money problems ( per
| https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jul13/predictingd... )
|
| Couples who pool their finances increase relationship
| satisfaction - especially in low income families - per
| https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-42962-001
|
| Combining accounts is something my wife and I decided to do right
| away when we got married. It's way less complicated than the
| alternative. We don't have fights about money. We talk about big
| purchases before we make them. Since she's more of a free spirit
| to my money nerd, sometimes I have a little trouble bringing her
| to family budget reviews, but eventually she finds some time to
| talk.
|
| Reviewing our budget/financial health gives us an opportunity to
| talk about our future financial plans, what we want to be able to
| afford, our hopes and dreams. And we never have to think about
| who's going to pay for what out of what account. The money earned
| in the family isn't "her money" and "my money", it's our money.
| brailsafe wrote:
| Wouldn't your lack of bad conflict regarding money be less
| about the fact that you combined finances, and more about you
| yielding to the conflict and accepting its presence in a
| different way? Based on your choice of words, it seems like
| budgeting is a option rather than critical, so if that's the
| case, how would you approach things if both of you needed to
| have the same relationship with spending?
|
| It would seem to me like combining finances would only lead to
| less actual conflict (good or bad) if you've both already
| synchronized your relationship to the money coming in, rather
| than a solution in itself.
| blacksmith_tb wrote:
| https://archive.ph/VFp4P
|
| Only passing mention of filing taxes jointly (which isn't always
| a plus, but certainly can be), joint accounts and greater ease of
| getting a mortgage, etc. Clearly there are already economies of
| scale from living with roommates, but it doesn't seem too
| shocking that being married gives a lot of people a leg up. The
| better question to ask would be "does it continue to be in the
| interest of society to incentivize marriage by offering these
| benefits" - which may or may not be true.
| akomtu wrote:
| "Married people have higher net worths and are more likely to be
| homeowners" - homesless men are more likely to live in a tent, so
| the first step to get out of poverty is to stop living in a tent.
| snapcaster wrote:
| This general reasoning error (or purposeful trick? always hard
| to tell) is in almost every single news article I come across.
| Almost every car accident happens close to home between sober
| drivers, so I always make sure to be far from home and very
| drunk when I drive
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