At first glance, the concept behind marriage insurance may look like the complete antithesis of what a marriage stands for. And believe me, I get it. Why would I pay money to insure something that should never be broken? Isn't marriage a life-long bond between 2 people? Allegedly, yes. Sensibly, the line between fantasy and reality is pretty broad.
Now I know this may come off as a revelation, but people break their marriage vows. Take a gander at the current divorce rates in America:
| Age | Women | Men |
| Under 20 years old | 27.6% | 11.7% |
| 20 to 24 years old | 36.6% | 38.8% |
| 25 to 29 years old | 16.4% | 22.3% |
| 30 to 34 years old | 8.5% | 11.6% |
| 35 to 39 years old | 5.1% | 6.5% |
Some other "revealing" statistics:
The divorce rate in America for first marriage: 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage: 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage: 73%
For shits and giggles, let's compare these statistics to car accident statistics:
* In 2009, the number of car accidents per year in the United States: 6 million*
* In 2006, the number of licensed drivers in the U.S: 203 million ** (this number should be higher, but for the life of me, I cannot find the 2009 statistics)
* The accident rate/person in America: 2.9% ***
Why the hell am I comparing divorce rates to car accident rates? Because marriage insurance isn't available, car insurance is mandatory, yet you are 20-40 times more likely to get a divorce than into an accident.
Let's be honest: nobody ever accused insurance companies of being altruistic. By definition, insurance companies provide guaranteed compensation for a loss, damage, illness, death, fire, tornado, etc in return for a monthly premium. If an accident occurs, the insurance company picks up the tab. If you stay clean, tough shit, you lose, and that twit Flo from Progressive Insurance funnels your funds into the pool.
My point is if you're paying money out the ass for car insurance, which can range anywhere from $1,000-$2,000/year, why shouldn't you pay for marriage insurance when you are 20-40 times more likely to use the coverage? Much like pre-nuptuals, marriage insurance could certainly be a hypersensitive issue. Conversely, forking out $30,000 in legal fees for a divorce attorney isn't a walk in the park.
What if a company sold marriage insurance? What if that same company would pay for your vacations and refund your premium if your marriage lasts 20-25 years? If luck prevails, and you beat the odds of not getting into an accident, the GEICO lizard is not going to whip out his wallet and reimburse the money you paid for his services.
Resources:
* per http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/resources/statistics.html
** per http://caps.fool.com/blogs/us-vehicle-registrations/155001
*** per my awesome math skills
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