Marriage is an LLC

Marriage is an LLC

As of 2023, 6.6% of the US population, or 22 million people, are millionaires. This is the largest number of millionaires in the world, with China and France following with 6 million and 2.9 million, respectively. The average net worth of a US millionaire is $2.2 million. (Google search, 1.26.24 2:37pm EST). That equates to having to pay around 800K a year in taxes for a married couple. According to chatGBT the average cost of a divorce for high net-worth individuals can range from 50K to a quarter-million dollars. These data points highlight one if not many reasons it is imperative to have a relationship coach. 
Of course I am biased. However, that is based on my experience witnessing my clients endure devastation because they waited until it was too late to nurture their relationships. I’ve said it once and I will say it here, “Marriage is an LLC.” This means it requires articles of organization, which include the marriage license, banking statements, housing documents, daily budget, household schedule, planned vacations, stock portfolios, real-estate investments, aging parents’ medical records, and many other items that pertain to a well run relationship. 
Romance is overrated. In fact, it’s the place where con-artists thrive because grand-gestures provoke irrational justifications of shifty behavior. Pop culture has labeled this “Love Bombing”. It’s a dog and pony show. In other words, it’s easy to desire the title of partner but only be prepared to take on the responsibilities of an employee. In the early stages of a relationship people will inflate their contribution and exaggerate their capabilities. It’s a trick and a trap. 
However, if you approach a relationship for what it is, a contract to share resources then you can get “R.O.R.”--return on relationship, which is a phrase my friend Jennifer coined (all rights reserved.) 
So, let’s say you have been married and you fell for the sexy part of the relationship thinking you were handing your life over to your best friend. But, time passes. Kids come into the picture and the division of domestic labor isn’t fair. Resentments start to build up. Soon we are griping about our spouses like an employee gripes about a bad boss. “They expect 18 hours of work from me with shit for pay.” “I am totally looked over and exploited.” “I might just leave. I bet they wouldn’t even care.” And you know what, those are all valid complaints with the same derivative. The structure that formed the relationship cannot sustain the relationship.
Back to the drawing board. 
Maybe one person is sick and tired of compromising for sex. Not just having sex, but the performance in its entirety. Some people try to “spice it up” only to complicate things more. Fucking your way to forgiveness is a terrible relationship strategy, although I’ve seen in work in the business sector. Point being, you are going to have to restructure and decide on your relational “brand identity”. 
A huge part of having amassed wealth is the reputation you create on the way up the ladder. When people gossip about your relationship, it can be corrosive to your bottom line. So, as much as the typical advice is “Be yourself” and “DGAF”, word of mouth travels in both positive and negative directions. We manage the narrative through integrity.
None of this can be accomplished without guidance. Financial advisors spend their day tracking the market and helping their clients make investments. Well, I track behavior, communication styles, primal urges, and con-artist techniques so that I can best advise my clients on how to navigate their life in a way that connects them with purpose and meaning. 
I hope you use this article to reflect on how your family is structured. Is it an S-corp, LLC, sole proprietorship, B-corp, 503C, or like an organized crime syndicate? As you age, your relationship will require extensive audits. If you remain single, audits of why you are single happen at the rate the iPhone releases a new model. Regardless, life is about transforming chaos into order. 
As a trusted advisor, I will guide you to run your life and relationships like a Fortune 500 company. 

 References:

1. Credit Suisse. (2023). Global Wealth Report 2023. Retrieved from Credit Suisse.
2. CNBC. (2023). The United States Now Has the Most Millionaires in the World. Retrieved from CNBC.
3. World Population Review. (2023). Millionaire Statistics. Retrieved from World Population Review.