Lucrative Love Excerpts

Excerpt #1 -

“Oh my God!” I can hear you say. That is such a sordid arrangement—or is it? Every year Forbes releases its list of billionaires—not just paltry millionaires, but the big boys and girls. Of the ninety-nine women on the Forbes 2008 Billionaire list, only ten were self-made. Fewer than twenty got it from their daddies, and the other seventy or so married it. Just because those women didn’t spread their legs in the pages of a popular men’s magazine (well, most of them) doesn’t mean it was a story of star-crossed lovers.
Just for a moment imagine the life that could be yours if you somehow ascended into these ranks. Think about the designer clothing, exotic cars, yachts, and palatial mansions that would be yours for the taking— or at least for the using—at your disposal anytime you wish. Your every desire is at your fingertips—or at least those of the maid or butler. Instead of the goose that laid a golden egg, you’d be laying the goose to get the golden egg.
Now just in case you think women have a much better chance at being treated like eye candy and doted on by a sugar daddy, remember that women live longer than men and tend to inherit the cash. This means there are literally hordes of wealthy widows just waiting to find a boy toy, and since most of these widows are fifty and older, any guy from a twenty-year-old to a retiree has a shot at the good life. How many men envied Ashton Kutcher, the modern face of the boy toy? Who cares if Demi is in her forties?
Before you let your hormones run amuck with excitement, it’s important to remember that a marriage is a partnership no different than a business partnership. Before we go any further, let me ask you a question: If you had a million dollars to open a restaurant, would you ask the first person you met that morning to be your partner? No, of course not. What if this person didn’t have any experience in the food service industry? What’s his or her work ethic? Indeed, you would look for someone who met your needs. I’ve been in several business partnerships over the course of my life, and I can tell you right now that if my business partner ran up our credit cards, lied to me about expenses, or didn’t carry his or her own weight, our partnership would be dissolved.
So, what tops the list when searching for that special someone with cash? I’ve listened to women claim that love conquers all while driving a rusted out Ford Pinto waiting for their husbands to get off the graveyard shift so they can eat breakfast at Denny’s. I, however, pose this question: Does love really conquer all when you’ve worked the same crappy job for twenty-five years, lived in the same house you’ve refinanced three times, and have managed, in the past fifteen years, to venture only as far as the local go-kart races for a vacation? Is love strong enough to withstand years of financial struggle and end up destitute?
I’m not a gambling man by nature, but I’d be willing to bet that those women would prefer to be escorted to a five-star restaurant in Paris for dinner in a stretch limo rather than swat flies while they woof down their 99 cent value menu McBurger. Forgive me for being frank but love doesn’t pay the bills. Life is much better when you’re rich. Money allows you to mitigate or eliminate most of life’s problem and leaves your mind free to focus on the ones that really need your attention.

Excerpt #2 -

Love is not a feeling. The only thing you’re feeling is the afterglow of the adrenalin high. Falling in love is nothing more than a momentary flash of emotions. It won’t take you long to realize that life is completely different with a wealthy and generous partner, and it has nothing to do with how hot he or she is in bed. How hot will you feel about them if they had $36,000 worth of credit card debt, defaulted on their student loans, and suck your bank account dry? That’ll shrivel up that afterglow and a whole lot more.
When you were young, did your parents teach you never to make a rash decision based on emotions? I remember taking my daughter to look for a car for her sixteenth birthday. We spent three months’ worth of Saturdays trolling the car dealerships for the perfect car. Each time she’d see a different car, she squealed with delight and said, “Oh, Daddy, this is the one. I love this car. This is the car I’ve wanted my whole life. Please can I have this car?” A few blocks later, “Oh, Daddy, I know I said I liked that other car, but this one is totally the one. I love this car. I’ll just die if I don’t get this. Please. Please.” It didn’t matter if we were standing in front of a surplussed army tank; she wanted anything with a steering wheel that would take her friends to the mall. As you may have guessed, six months later she was complaining that her car wasn’t cool enough.
Often, many of us go into marriage with this same sense of urgency: We’ll just die if we don’t spend the rest of our lives with that certain someone only to find ourselves wanting to blow our brains out a couple of years later if we have to look at this person for another second. Well, there’s the “falling” feeling in falling in love. Why? Because it feels like we have no choice in the matter. Something strikes us like a bolt of lightning, and down we go. Love is nothing more than a strong instinctive attraction to a person. In the early stages, we usually fall in love with long blonde hair, muscular chest, or sense of humor. Guess what, folks? Life has a way of turning hair gray, melting muscles into flab, and replacing that pleasant smile with a grimace and asshole pre-disposition.
The more two people get to know each other, the more comfortable they become and the less sharp, bright, and exciting the falling in love experience is. This is true in all relationships. In the beginning, you fell in love, anticipated his or her call, wanted to spend every waking moment with him or her, and basically made everyone around you want to barf. This person’s idiosyncrasies were so cute and endearing. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. Slowly but surely, those calls just to say “I love you” drive you insane. You put your phone on vibrate and ignore it. You cringe at the thought of their touch, and sex becomes a way to shut them up rather than fulfill a need. And those sweet idiosyncrasies soon will annoy the ever living shit out of you. Trust me on this one, folks, eventually he or she will piss you off to the point that you want to scrub the toilet with his or her toothbrush.
The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but stop for a moment and think about the difference between newlyweds and couples who’ve been married for several years. If you’ve ever eaten dinner at a restaurant before 4:30 (especially if you live in Florida and they offer a two-for-one special) you’ll see a barrage of old couples wallowing in their self-induced misery. There is definitely a dramatic difference between the initial “love” stage and the rest of the relationship, and making sure you have the finances taken care of gives you a much higher chance of staying in the relationship.

Excerpt #3 -

Not long ago I met a woman—let’s call her Angela—who told me she was appalled that I would promote the idea of marrying for money. So I asked Angela, who is married to a very wealthy oil man, how she and her husband came to know each other. Turns out she met him at the office; she was an executive assistant. She supported his business and came to know him better than almost anyone as they spent so many hours together. They fell in “love” and were married. Of course I’m sure many of those “loving” embraces were on the corporate conference table after hours. She went on to tell me that her husband was the kind of man she always dreamed of marrying, and I’m sure she’s sincere.
Of course, if he hadn’t had a dime to his name, he probably wouldn’t have even turned her head. So they never would have gotten to the “love” stage, and the fact she quit working the second she said “I do” confirms that there’s more going on than she’s admitting. She may think she didn’t marry for money, but I know better, and if I’ve learned anything it’s that the holier–than-thou crowd are only offended by things they have done they don’t want to admit. Angela’s story points to the fact that having a shared and common goal is a solid basis for a lasting relationship.
Its interesting that relationships based on shared interests and common goals can survive problems and issues that would sink a marriage based just on love. Take the example of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Their common political goals are number one, and they openly state that as one of the reasons their marriage has overcome failure, infidelity, and media scrutiny. Business people often hook up with like-minded mates. Bill Gates’s wife worked for him as a Microsoft manager. Carl Icahn’s second wife was his long-time assistant Gail. These people were in the same location, focusing on the same goals, and helping their rich and talented partners get what they want. At the same time, they were getting what they wanted—and you can too.