I’m 45, male, 18 years into a relationship, never been married.
One year, when we were on a 3-week vacation in Fiji, I noted that the entire cost of the trip would have been taxed away had we been married. The “marriage penalty” certainly factored into our early thinking.
Now that we are older and have more of a nest egg, remaining single can protect both parties by compartmentalizing risk. If one of us were to lose everything through illness or legal action, “we” would only have lost half. Even if we parted then, there would only be one life to rebuild — the other party wouldn’t have been dragged down too.
Since leading causes of bankruptcy include individual risks such as loss of job or medical bills, staying single becomes a way to protect your partner.
