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I read this quote on Reddit a while back, it was so catchy, I had to use it in the title.

The key to financial security…is stability. And even though some people do not have a spouse, the point is, that in order to build long-term wealth, you should keep what you have…and have as little volatility in your life as possible.

The Big Things…

For most people, buying a car, a house and getting married are pretty significant events in someone's life. They are expensive, and they are meant to last decades or a lifetime. When you disrupt any one of these things, it can get pretty expensive…taking money out of your wealth.

The Car

In the United States, the average new car price is $47,000, most of which is bought on debt. $47,000 invested at 8% over 30 years is approximately $493,000. Every time you buy a new vehicle, for whatever reason, it will significantly impact how much money you have in retirement, depending on when you bought it and how much you buy it for. So keeping the same car for as long as possible allows that money to be put to work in investments rather than debt that you have to pay back (with interest).

Maintenance cost on a vehicle does not even come close to this number.

The House

The average house price in the United States is $374,900...add 5% to 10% to that due to closing costs and all the crap that you have to buy for the new house.

The same kind of math applies to a house that it does to a car. But just like a car, because you need a car to get you from A to B, you have to live somewhere. But the key takeaway of this is often people upgrade their homes with every house that they buy…as they do with a car. And usually people buy when credit is more available, so you often spend more just because it's cheaper credit.

So about every 13 years, people upgrade their home in the United States, whether buying a new house or upgrading their current home. The price difference ranges between $100,000 and $200,000.) for the transaction.

$200,000 invested at 8% over 20 years grows to $932,000.

The Spouse

Marriage is a beautiful thing. Divorce is an awful thing…and very very fucking expensive! Not to mention the emotional toll that it puts on people.

The average cost of divorce in the US is approximately $13,000. However, that is a fraction of what it costs to re-establish your life alone.

You have to buy another house or rent a place to live. And if you only had one car, now you have to buy another car. If you have kids, it makes it even more complicated and expensive. Especially if you live in two different states because of a job move.

As far as retirement is concerned, it is much more expensive to live alone than it is as a couple (per individual costs)…because in a marriage, you often share costs…housing costs, eating costs because of the economies of scale, etc… And with a two-income household, you are much more secure financially, and can weather financial crises better, all things being equal.

In Conclusion:

Keeping the same car, the same house, and the same spouse….ensures more "life" stability and allows the marriage to focus on long-term objectives. Meaning it frees up capital to work in financial assets to build your retirement wealth.

Plus, and added bonus to a good marriage, is that opposites attract. And areas that you are weak in, your spouse is strong in and vice versa. This allows the unit to be stronger than the sum of the individuals…and that translates into more wealth.

Stay frosty people

35% allocated to ph fund.