I hear stories about love and money every day.
Entrepreneurs who, after 30 years together, decide to divorce and realise that they have built a whole life together and, because of the divorce, have to halve their capital.
Simply put: half of it gone.
Meanwhile, the number of single people in our cities is rising towards 50%. Our tax system is still based on 1995: two incomes, one house, two children.
Singles pay the price for this: I call it the Singles Tax.
And two high-flying careers under one roof doesn’t always work out either. Because: Who does the laundry? Who calls the doctor if one of the children is ill, who remembers that the car needs its MOT? Who takes the children to hockey club?
That’s when the time problem arises. And time is the only thing you can’t buy.
So you pay someone else to do it. A nanny. A cleaner. A chauffeur for the children. Sometimes all three. Two high-earning incomes – sounds good on paper, but by the end of the month, an enormous chunk of it goes to the people who keep your life running.
The hidden costs of two careers add up quickly: childcare, after-school care, holiday camps, an au pair, ready meals because nobody has time to cook. Nobody talks about that figure.
As long as things are going well, love is affordable. But as soon as care or money is needed, I see 65% of relationships breaking down.
We think about all sorts of things. But never about this:
What does your way of living together actually cost you? Have you ever thought about it?
Also read: Why so many highly educated women remain single?
About Jade & Jules
Jade & Jules, founded by Annemieke Dubois, is an exclusive relationship agency for financially independent singles, such as entrepreneurs and business executives, looking for a serious and lasting relationship. With a growing network in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, Jade & Jules sets a new quality standard in matchmaking.
In Flanders, the team of experienced matchmakers Annemieke, Veronique and Nathalie are at your service, in Brussels and Wallonia, you can reach out to Sigrid.