When a Marriage Goes Bankrupt

Marriage is an investment. You need to choose your product wisely. You have to invest regularly. Maintaining good credit is imperative. And, you need to reinvest your profits to make your portfolio grow.

But, just like in finance, sometimes in romance, your initial investment starts to tank. What do you do? How do you know when to ride the wave and hang on for the upswing, and when to abandon ship and cut your losses?

Marriages have their ebbs and flows, but when there’s something inherently wrong, we know it. We can feel it. There’s more arguing, less sex, a lack of communication, and you’re growing apart. That’s your initial investment dwindling.

You want to do what you can to recoup your losses: maybe try date nights, spice up the bedroom activities, talk with a couple’s therapist, read relationship self-help books. But, if you both have put out the effort and things aren’t getting better, it might be best to file for relationship bankruptcy (divorce) than to hang in there until you’re left with nothing of your investment; you become resentful, mad, frustrated and fed-up.

All too often, couples have gotten to that point mentally, but due to the kids, convenience or just being comfortable with a “bad marriage” they stay and live a day-to-day existence.

I’m not telling you to pull out of the “market” at the first sign of losses. Stick with it. Marriages are rocky, but when the negative outweighs the positive, when your attempts can’t bring you back to your feet, it’s time to sell your shares, take what you have left, and give yourself some time to learn from the experience before investing in a new product.

Written By: Leon Scott Baxter

About the Author:

Leon Scott Baxter, the author of “The Finance of Romance”, is known as America’s Relationship Guru. He is the founder of CouplesCommittedToLove.com, the author of three books on love, romance and relationships as well as countless articles on the topic. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at his website, CouplesCommittedToLove.com.