Hunting for the $500K+ Hubbie??

Another lesson in how you need both beauty and brains...

A woman recently posted on Craigslist, lamenting why she could not attract a multi-millionaire husband: "What am I doing wrong?...I'm a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she's not as pretty as I am."

She got this response from a high-ranking banker, and his number-crunching analysis of beauty is fast becoming the stuff of internet legends :)

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.

Firstly, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here's how I see it. Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a cr@ppy business deal. Here's why.

What you suggest is a simple trade: You bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity... in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful! So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset.

Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain. You're 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35, stick a fork in you! So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold... hence the rub... marriage. It doesn't make good business sense to "buy you" (which is what you're asking), so I'd rather lease.

In case you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following: If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades, I need an out. It's as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage. I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know."