Money does buy happiness, at least up to a point. Financial strain is the leading cause of divorce, and low income correlates with higher blood pressure, stroke risk, and domestic violence. America is generous to the wealthy and hostile to the poor.
All this bullshit that money doesn't buy you happiness. Oh my God, is that a myth? I'm not saying you need to be incredibly wealthy, but middle-income people are happier than poor people, and wealthy people are happier than middle-income people. That's the bad news. America becomes more like itself every day. It's a loving, generous place for people with money. It's a rapacious, violent place for people who don't have money. The number one source of divorce is not infidelity or lack of shared values. It's usually got something to do with money. And also, 70% of divorce filings are filed by women. Make sure you're aligned with your partner around this stuff. It's a thing we don't talk about is that your kids are going to have higher blood pressure if you're economically strained. Kids in low-income households have greater systolic resting blood pressure than kids in middle and upper-income homes. You're much more likely to get divorced. You're much more likely to have a stroke. You're much more likely to be the victim or the perpetrator of domestic violence when you don't have money.
