14 People Who Married for Wealth Reveal the Unexpected Consequences

A little money can make our lives a lot easier. After all, there’s nothing better than not stressing about whether the bills will be paid at the end of the month or being able to buy something we really want without thinking twice. That’s why many people don’t hesitate when it comes to marrying for money. However, what happens after the “I do”? Does “happily ever after” really exist, or does money end up not being worth it?

1. When a marriage starts unequal, the price follows you for years

Married a 40-year-old when I was 19. The only reason he married me was that I was beautiful. The only reason I married him was that he had money. I actually do have other redeeming qualities, but he married me because I was beautiful — I know that. Everyone knows that. It doesn’t feel great, but I can deal with it. We’ve been married for 20 years now. Four kids. So we’re stable, and at this point we have a lot in common. And we do love each other. But if I could go back and slap my younger self, I would.

What nobody tells you — or they try to, but you don’t listen because you’re a teenager — is that marrying like this means you will owe him. For everything. He’ll try to control things you never imagined someone else would decide for you. And you don’t just owe him for the money. It’s a lot heavier than that. He’ll never say it out loud, but you’ll know the deal. It’s fundamentally unequal. He’ll pull rank at the most random times, and it will make you feel like you’re falling through the floor.

I don’t hate my life or anything. I accept that I made this bed and now I have to lie in it, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone else. My oldest daughter is two years younger than I was when I met my husband, and I can’t even imagine. © Cheap-Tennis-7592 / Reddit

2. From gold digger dreams to true love: one person’s change of heart

My girlfriend’s parents, who are very wealthy, always talk about giving us their estate, a job...

Although before meeting her, this would have seemed amazing, now that I found my best friend and soulmate, there’s nothing I want more than to live with her in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. © just_be_me / Reddit

3. The allure of marrying into money: when the dream turns into betrayal

I met my wife 10 years ago. I wasn’t really in love with her, but I thought she was a safe bet—someone I could rely on to avoid heartache and build a secure future. She came from a wealthy family, was well-educated, and had that classic ’nerdy’ charm. Being with her seemed like the key to financial stability for me and our future kids.

But I was a fool to think she was the picture of innocence. After years of being married, I found out the hard way: she had been in a long-term affair with someone else. Worse, she had a pattern of cheating in every relationship she’d ever had. It felt like a punch to the gut.

What I didn’t realize was how skilled she was at lying, covering up the truth with half-truths and excuses. Like a child raised with a silver spoon, she was deeply selfish. I saw then that I was paying for my choices.

I gave everything to building a family and a home, only to end up with nothing. Now, I push aside my instincts, even when they scream that something’s wrong, because deep down, I know she’ll never change.

4. Can money and love coexist in marriage? A surprisingly positive story

I come from a family that has experienced this. My mother is 20 years younger than my father, and my father is a very wealthy businessman.

To say that most women in this situation marry just for money is a misconception. In my mother’s case, she is smart, funny, attractive, and was stuck in a poverty-stricken family that gave her no options to excel in life. My dad believed in her and had the income to open doors that had been closed to her whole life.

In their 30+ year marriage, they have traveled, lost all of their money, opened businesses together, made all of their money back, raised a family, and ensured all of their children went to university, are in good marriages, and have gone on to achieve our own successes.

Their personalities match, and they are really good to each other. In my opinion, it’s not so much the wealth that my mom was attracted to, but the ability to provide and generate wealth and freedom. In return, my mom provided a strong home life and a support system for my dad to professionally succeed and maintain home ties.

But I don’t think my mom would have considered a man 20 years her senior as a partner if it weren’t for his ability to provide freedom. After his first failed marriage, I don’t think my dad would have considered a woman 20 years his junior if it weren’t for her ability to provide a good home life and support system for him.

Love grows in many ways, and marriage is about partnership. If two people find a partnership that works, then it’s not for anyone to judge the reasons. © clark_3409 / Reddit

5. Is financial security worth a loveless marriage?

My sister met her fiancé by pure chance in a parking lot. It felt like something straight out of a fairy tale. He was a wealthy man, and their romance progressed at lightning speed, just three months later, he was on one knee, proposing to her.

When she introduced him to our family, I realized just how incredibly lucky we were. We had always lived paycheck to paycheck, struggling to get by, and then this man walked into our lives like a golden ticket. It was the kind of opportunity most people could only dream of. But looking back, I’m not proud of what I did next.

My sister had always been the better one: smarter, prettier, more successful. She was always ahead of me in everything. And somewhere deep down, I convinced myself that she could still make it on her own. She was capable of building a career, earning money, and living a full life.

But I didn’t feel that way about myself. I had always struggled to find my place. I stole my sister’s rich fiancé. My family cut me off—but I was living the dream.

Years later, my mom showed up. She slipped me an envelope, saying, ’Even you don’t deserve this.’ I froze at the photo of my husband with a man in a restaurant. They were so close, almost too close for just friends.

As it turned out, my husband had been cut out of his family’s money unless he got married. His parents had never really accepted him, and his marriage to me had been the only way he could secure his inheritance. I was nothing more than a pawn in a game I didn’t fully understand.

That’s why, when he so easily switched from my sister to me, I realized the truth. He didn’t care who he married. To him, it was just about securing his future. It was never about love; it was about convenience. And in the end, I paid the price.

I lost my sister. I lost my family. And I lost any shred of confidence I had that I could ever truly find love. None of the wealth or material things that came with marrying him were worth the deep humiliation I felt when I finally learned the truth. It all came at too high a cost.

6. The importance of a backup plan: even when marrying rich

My sister married for money. She had a big house, expensive cars, and an unlimited spending limit, etc. She was happy because she got everything she wanted. We grew up poor, and she worked hard for years before she met Sam.

Well, she didn’t love him and cheated on him with the man she loved. She left her glamorous lifestyle to live in a one-bedroom apartment. She now works in the meat deli.

Do what you want, but set up a bank account and save some money for a rainy day. You may end up like my sister, or you may grow to love the man you’re with in time. © if_only_you_knew / Reddit

7. Fake persona, fast pregnancy, empty fortune: the unexpected karma of marrying for money.

I grew up with very little. There were days we went hungry, and I often had to wear my sisters’ old, worn-out clothes. Teachers would always shake their heads, saying it was hard to believe someone as smart and beautiful as me came from such a struggling family.

I realized my way out of poverty: marry rich. I created a whole new persona and made up a fake story. I haunted golf clubs, chasing ’the one.’ Found a man in his 60s. Got pregnant fast to lock it in.
He was always so kind to me and the baby, even though I never really got why he was so fixated on charity and all that other stuff.

Years later, when they read his will, my blood ran cold. He was always passionate about animal rights. He left his entire fortune to some foundation, leaving me and my son with just a small apartment in the middle of New York. I still can’t believe I spent the best years of my young life with that old man.

8. Why I waited so long to leave

I met my ex in college. He went into a field that offered high incomes right after graduation, so while we weren’t rich, we were very comfortable. He became very controlling and watched every penny I spent, getting upset if I bought an extra non-perishable grocery item just because it was on sale. Mind you, he didn’t do any of the shopping or cooking.

I probably waited too long to divorce him because I was worried about the huge drop in income and stability. But I finally did it, and even though it was financially tough for a long time, I was fine — and so much happier without him. © YouMustDoEverything / Reddit

9. Married for money, found real love: an unexpected twist of fate

I grew up as an expat in the Middle East, moved away to attend university, and struggled as a poor student. I met someone who cares a lot for me, although at first, I was 100% in it for the money.

We moved in together, and I actually became very attached to him. He loves me, treats me with great respect, supports my ambitions, and generally takes very good care of me. I wouldn’t say I’m head over heels in love with him, but in my own way, I love him. Where I had never had emotional stability before, he provides it.

I wouldn’t think of cheating on him or ending the relationship, because frankly, I think this works much better than any other relationship I could have. He doesn’t cheat, either. I’m currently studying for a doctorate in geology, and by the end of it, I will be debt-free. © katable / Reddit

10. No love, just luxury: a pragmatic take on living off a wealthy CEO

I have never been married, but I have lived with 3 different men over the last 6 years.

My family fled from what is now Croatia when I was a kid. My family was pretty messed up, so I left them and haven’t spoken to them. Since then, I’ve been kind of moving up the food chain, and I’m currently living with a middle-aged CEO who spoils me to no end.

I’ve never been in a loving relationship, and I’m not sure I know what that means, but I know I love my life the way it is now. I do plan for a future when I’m old and unattractive, and I have enough set aside to still live a fairly decent life if I’m kicked out today. Also, I’m not stupid enough to think this will last forever. © GirlWithAPast / Reddit

11. “It wasn’t worth it”: a stark warning from someone who married rich

My best friend and I joke around all the time that we’re going to marry some rich old guys and then marry for love after they die.

We happened to be saying this while on line at Victoria’s Secret one day when the woman in front of us turns around and say, “I did it, it wasn’t worth it”. © SuperOtter / Reddit

12. I didn’t marry for money, but his family’s wealth did have an impact

I didn’t marry for money, but the fact that my husband’s family was well-off definitely played a role, since I had dated some really poor guys before who were terrible at managing money and mooched off me (and I was poor too, but I worked hard and actually had money).

We don’t have access to his parents’ money, and we both work every day. I do hate asking them for anything, and we’ve only had to once — but I got them an amazing trip in return.

We know that if we ever ran into financial trouble, we could ask his parents and they’d help us in a heartbeat. That peace of mind is there, and it really does help with our happiness. He also has a lot of money in his name, and even though we don’t have a prenup, I would never want any of it if we got divorced. I’m just glad he’s not a mooch — and neither am I. © Qu33nKal / Reddit

13. Choosing peace over wealth

I dated someone super wealthy, and yeah, I definitely earned every penny. The guy was an emotional train wreck.

I realized I could provide more for myself, single and broke, in terms of happiness and quality of life than I could with him. © MyPCOSThrowaway / Reddit

14. Wealthy family secrets and a miserly marriage: the hidden downsides of marrying rich

While I didn’t marry for money, I found out he had a ton of it. I married young and was very naive. The man I married, I thought, was just an average guy—not well off, but not struggling either. He came from a very sophisticated and educated family, but I didn’t realize how much money they had until after I married him.

As the marriage went on, I realized just how much money he had, and how much of a miser he was. His family had the means to spend freely, but they chose to live as modestly as possible. Now, I’m not criticizing that lifestyle, because it clearly allowed them to accumulate more wealth than any other family I knew. But what I do have an issue with is how he treated me.

I came into the marriage with nothing, as most 21-year-old girls do when they get married. He, as I found out, had a lot coming into it. We didn’t sign a prenup. He was also seven years older. From the moment I said, ’I do,’ it felt like I was indebted to him. I constantly ’owed’ him for everything he ever ’bought’ for me, and he made sure I knew it.

Eventually, I realized that I had stopped eating because I didn’t want to explain why I was spending money. He checked the bank statements daily and would comment, ’Somebody got breakfast this morning!’ or ’Somebody bought x, y, z today.’ At that point, I knew the marriage wasn’t worth it.

If I had married for money, I would have stayed in that marriage. His sister and brother just had babies, and they each received $30k for the kids from trust funds. Money is the root of all evil. I avoid it like the plague. © ACTimshel31 / Reddit

We usually trust our friends blindly, sharing stories, secrets, and good laughs. However, the people in this article ended up disappointed by certain friendships and now keep their guard up with the company around them.