MONEY COMMENT
Men Profit From Divorce

By Cliff D'Arcy
July 15, 2003

Purely in financial terms, most men would be better off leaving their partners and children and going it alone, according to a new survey! A social researcher at the Institute for Economic and Social Research came to this conclusion after interviewing 75,000 adults in eleven EU countries.

What's more, married men almost always end up worse off than those who desert their partners and families, even though divorced men often have to buy a new home. The evidence also suggests that getting divorced provides a bigger boost to a man's finances than if either partner acquired a better-paid job!

However, separation invariably leads to a decline in the finances of women. A woman maintaining a relationship is 50% more likely to improve her financial situation than one who remains single. Given the fact that women's wages are typically one-fifth lower than men's, and women usually have custody of any children on divorce, it's hardly surprising that they suffer as one-parent families.

Furthermore, while earnings tend to rise faster than inflation, maintenance payments increase more slowly and are quickly eroded by inflation. In addition, divorced men generally pay less towards family holidays, school fees and other costs.

(Of course, these conclusions don't apply if you are in a non-traditional relationship. For example, if my wife worked full-time, she would earn several times the average male wage, which easily beats a writer's modest salary. Note to wife: with your permission, we'll stay as we are!)

One solution to this problem is for women to become financially successful, which is what we teach in our hugely successful Taking Control Of Your Money workshops for women. So, if you're suffering from "White Knight Syndrome" and are waiting for a man to rescue you from your money problems (yeah, right!), try reading A Girl's Best Friend Is Her Money instead.

Our guide to fabulous feminine financial fitness comes with a discount of £3.25 off the RRP and free postage and packing from our Fool Shop. Alternatively, for the same price, all men - divorced or otherwise - stand to profit enormously from reading the third edition of our best-selling UK Investment Guide.

Finally, one thing is certain: lawyers profit most from divorce - and most are men!

More: Women Take Financial Control | Why Women Lose Out Financially