Booty Economics: Show me your particulars

There’s a hilarious ad that was posted on Craigslist about a woman looking for a rich husband in New York City. Here is the description from the NYT:

“Last month on Craigslist.com, someone who described herself as a “spectacularly beautiful” 25-year-old placed a personal ad seeking a husband who made at least $500,000 a year, because “$250,000 won’t get me to Central Park West.” As her post hit the blogs, it received a scathing response from a man who said he fit her description and told her that her proposition was a bad business deal. “In economic terms, you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset,” he wrote, because “your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity.”

The entire question and the subsequent response can be read here: The secret of a successful marriage is incompatability. He has the income, you have the patability.

Anyway, as I was reading this exchange, I couldn’t help but think of Marion Jones. How sad. I was watching her sob on CNN and was alarmed to hear that she was now flat broke and had only $2,000 dollars left in her savings account (this woman made millions during her career!).

So, I was thinking to myself..um, there is something to be learned here and it is this: you should never leave your financial future in the hands of other people (even if you have a 401K). At some point, you’re going to have to learn how to invest your money on your own (those brokers don’t give a damn about you. They’re just trying to collect their fee’s).

And that’s what happened to Marion. Her advisor’s milked her and left her out to dry.

What do you think about life’s harsh realities?

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