SteR said:
Thanks for that. The major thing I'm taking away from it all is to stay the hell away from marriage/kids unless 100% sure of my decision (obviously this has been mentioned countless times already across these boards).
Sorry man - there is no such thing as 100% SURE when it comes to marriage (having kids, perhaps - since if you have one, you are stuck with them for life and they are not going to disappear financially speaking).
There's no fvcken guarantee that any woman you wife up is gonna be with you for any determined amount of time.
It is playing a Russian Roulette.
I been there, done that a couple of times. These are the hard lessons in life a man pays for dearly.
But life is what you take in risks - sometimes it pays you off to be a millionaire, sometimes it makes a pauper out of you. In the end, I still believe life's not worth living if you are not pursuing your dreams.
So if it is finding that perfect woman for you to marry, best learn from ample experiences before making up your mind. Then do your best - as in everything in life should be. Better to have tried than not - or you will regret it later in your years (but DO be careful about having kids after you get married - that's where the financial pain will be for a lifetime if you are not careful and she runs off with the kid).
Lastly I think I will share with you what I figured out about finding the right woman to marry in this day and age: FIND A WOMAN WHO MAKES AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU DO AND EQUALLY EDUCATED. This will foolproof you going into a financial ditch if she decides to divorce you (at least she will take nothing in the end).
This is your only defense from her attempting to GOLD-DIG you as the primary reason for marrying you.
NEVER marry a woman who has no income, or less educated than you - this is a huge RED FLAG to ignore as surely she is marrying you for the wrong reason.
Be well.
Exodus