The Economics of Love

So I've always had trouble defining how I feel about love. I wouldn't call myself wildly romantic, or even just plain romantic (though I remain and aspire to always be deeply in love with my husband). On the other hand, I wouldn't call myself completely practical (though I am quite practical when it comes to love) or negative (though I'm sure an ex or two might disagree, to which case I might reply, "I wasn't negative about love, I was negative about you" -- I guess I'm also a little mean when it comes to love.

But today, I read a terrific article by Ben Stein about the Economics of Love in The Grey Lady, and I found myself agreeing with so many of his points, that I've decided to relabel my particular love philosophy as "economical."

Some highlights from the article including the following points:

1. High investment should equal high returns.

2. Don't invest in junk bonds. The returns aren't high enough.

3. Think long-term. Short-term investments don't yield high enough returns.

4. Do your research before making a huge investment.

5. Go in with realistic expectations.

6. Get a dog and/or cat, so that you'll always have an unfailing source of love in your life. Not sure what that has to do with economics, but he follows it up with a Benjamin Franklin quote about dogs, and Benny was pretty economical, so there you go.

We have a cat (though he is not at all affectionate), and this weekend we're hoping to rescue a basset hound. So all in all, I'm thinking that I'm a pretty good little economist.

Check out the full article here.