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Why get married?

Bodhisattva said:
Why do people still get married?

Over 50% end in divorce. Complications seeing your children. Ex-spouses often angry with each other. money spent on divorce.

If somebody told you that over 50% of the time your parachute would not open would you actually go skydiving? Obviously not...
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For tax reasons. Where I live a married couple pays less tax.
 
Good question. As far as I can tell, the main benefit is for child rearing, family planning, and shared property arrangements. In this day and age there's not much benefit to marriage unless you are really really really sure and very committed to a partnership.

The divorce rate is a reflection of our society's degenerate values and lack of capacity to form enduring partnerships. It's also due to the flippant nature of modern marriages not being seen as permanent but rather flexible arrangements.
 
Bodhisattva said:
Why do people still get married?
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It's a cultural phenomena.

We're all brainwashed into following a set plan.

1) go to school
2) get job
3) get married - to one person (used to be opposite gender only)
4) buy house
5) have kid, or kids
6) work until 65 years old
7) retire
8) die

If you deviate from that plan (steps 1-7) you are somehow flawed or slightly insane.
Either way you're not deemed to be a successful human being.
 
Chagos said:
Play on words and I should probably have added a smilie.

But to continue the play, if I don't marry, does that mean I don't love?;)
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lol...nope. And, to finish the play, it doesn't mean that if you marry you *do* love. But that all said, it was a good enough reason for me....I did and I do. :)
 
Chomsky said:
Yes, but this is not necessarily one of them.

An up to date will, would suffice.

Whenever I speak with my personal lawyer, he always asks me what's going on, so he can update my will if necessary.
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When there's two million involved and relatives circling like vultures, a will is likely to be contested, at least for a year or so. Probate can go on forever.

and that couple didn't exactly have a personal lawyer.

That little piece of paper called a marriage license would have made for a smooth transition to the widow..... do we still call her a widow I wonder?

A marriage is really a business deal. That's why the government and sometimes the courts are involved.
 
Dittohead not! said:
When there's two million involved and relatives circling like vultures, a will is likely to be contested, at least for a year or so. Probate can go on forever.

and that couple didn't exactly have a personal lawyer.

That little piece of paper called a marriage license would have made for a smooth transition to the widow..... do we still call her a widow I wonder?

A marriage is really a business deal. That's why the government and sometimes the courts are involved.
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Sorry, I don't buy it.

A guy with $2M in real estate should be able to figure out a way to pony up a grand for a will. He screwed up.

As to marriage being an easier transition than a will, I have no experience in that. But unless a lawyer advises otherwise, I can't see getting married if all you want is a property settlement. Marriage is a lot more than that.
 
Bodhisattva said:
Why do people still get married?

Over 50% end in divorce. Complications seeing your children. Ex-spouses often angry with each other. money spent on divorce.

If somebody told you that over 50% of the time your parachute would not open would you actually go skydiving? Obviously not...
Click to expand...

I'm married. I am one of the success stories.

The problem with marriage is that people go into it with unrealistic expectations. Also, many people are in a hurry to make a mistake.
 
Chomsky said:
Sorry, I don't buy it.

A guy with $2M in real estate should be able to figure out a way to pony up a grand for a will. He screwed up.

As to marriage being an easier transition than a will, I have no experience in that. But unless a lawyer advises otherwise, I can't see getting married if all you want is a property settlement. Marriage is a lot more than that.
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Oh, yes, it's a lot more than that. A marriage means that there is no mine or yours, but only ours. It means the spouse can't be compelled to testify against a spouse in a court of law. It means if a partner dies intestate, then the other partner carries on.

In this case, the house was the only real asset, and the only real source of income. It was rented, and they were living on the rent. It was not like a couple of millionaires who simply neglected to have a will.

Of course, he should have updated his will, but who expects to suddenly die at 49? That was a real shock.
 
Men get married hoping their wife never changes. Women get married hoping to change their man.
 
Lord of Planar said:
In my view, the biggest deterrent to marriage is the kids.

The kids as to value for a tax return.

On the 2016 federal return an individual gets a $6,300 standard deduction. A couple gets $12,600. Exemptions are different, for the total number of people claimed. So a married couple with at least one kid gets a $12,600 standard deduction, but if never married, or divorced, one person claims the $6,300 SD, and the other gets a $9,300 standard deduction filing as head of household.

$15,600 vs $12,600. If in the 25% marginal rate, that $3,000 difference in SD is worth $750, not to be married.

I think most states do a similar thing.
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A two earner high income couple can face a marriage "penalty" as well. Of course there are some marriage winners too where incomes are disparate.
 
Winchester said:
A two earner high income couple can face a marriage "penalty" as well. Of course there are some marriage winners too where incomes are disparate.
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But it shouldn't be this way.

I would prefer a system that doesn't pick winners or losers. Taxes all wage earners with no exemption considerations. You can either afford the lifestyle you choose, or not.
 
I'll tell you why people continue to marry.


It's because, once in a while, we manage to create something beautiful, called family, that lasts beyond a single lifespan.
 
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Lord of Planar said:
But it shouldn't be this way.

I would prefer a system that doesn't pick winners or losers. Taxes all wage earners with no exemption considerations. You can either afford the lifestyle you choose, or not.
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Yep, everyone ought to file their own income tax return as "individual". No single, no married, no head of household. One set of rates and one set of deductions for all. Have kids, good for ya, taxman shouldn't care.
 
Winchester said:
Yep, everyone ought to file their own income tax return as "individual". No single, no married, no head of household. One set of rates and one set of deductions for all. Have kids, good for ya, taxman shouldn't care.
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That's my view!
 
Winchester said:
Yep, everyone ought to file their own income tax return as "individual". No single, no married, no head of household. One set of rates and one set of deductions for all. Have kids, good for ya, taxman shouldn't care.
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I would go even simpler than that - a truly standard deduction ($30K?) with any and all income above that amount taxed at a single percentage rate (20%?). There is no reason why how, or upon who, that income was later spent should have any bearing on the amount of taxes owed on it.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
I would go even simpler than that - a truly standard deduction ($30K?) with any and all income above that amount taxed at a single percentage rate (20%?). There is no reason why how, or upon who, that income was later spent should have any bearing on the amount of taxes owed on it.
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It would be so much simpler. Only have to file a tax return if you had two or more sources of income during the year.

But... but... but...

The bureaucracy of the IRS would shrink, and everyone knows that bureaucracies only grow, and grow, and grow...
 
Lord of Planar said:
It would be so much simpler. Only have to file a tax return if you had two or more sources of income during the year.

But... but... but...

The bureaucracy of the IRS would shrink, and everyone knows that bureaucracies only grow, and grow, and grow...
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The real reason that the federal income tax code is not simplified is the current ability of congress critters to get campaign cash (bribes?) for adding "special" accounting methods, deductions, credits and exclusions to the federal income tax code. If (when?) the congress critters get around to Trump's wish for tax reform you can bet that 90% of the debate will be over what "special" things get tossed, reduced, enhanced or added during that process.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
The real reason that the federal income tax code is not simplified is the current ability of congress critters to get campaign cash (bribes?) for adding "special" accounting methods, deductions, credits and exclusions to the federal income tax code. If (when?) the congress critters get around to Trump's wish for tax reform you can bet that 90% of the debate will be over what "special" things get tossed, reduced, enhanced or added during that process.
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Yes, I know.

The sausage making process is disgusting.
 
Bodhisattva said:
Why do people still get married?

Over 50% end in divorce. Complications seeing your children. Ex-spouses often angry with each other. money spent on divorce.

If somebody told you that over 50% of the time your parachute would not open would you actually go skydiving? Obviously not...
Click to expand...

People are funny.
 
Dragonfly said:
It's a cultural phenomena.

We're all brainwashed into following a set plan.

1) go to school
2) get job
3) get married - to one person (used to be opposite gender only)
4) buy house
5) have kid, or kids
6) work until 65 years old
7) retire
8) die

If you deviate from that plan (steps 1-7) you are somehow flawed or slightly insane.
Either way you're not deemed to be a successful human being.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying which steps we can deviate from :lol:
 
Thorgasm said:
I'm married. I am one of the success stories.

The problem with marriage is that people go into it with unrealistic expectations. Also, many people are in a hurry to make a mistake.
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Or dont get to know their partner well enough first... that was my mistake.
 
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