1. being rich is not a crime, but being poor is.

“If you are not yet wealthy but there is potential, I can work with that, because there is nothing more sexier than an ambitious man. We need to understand that not all men that earn lots of money do it dishonestly, and being rich is not a crime, but being poor is.”

—Shornee

2. the rich always want what they cannot have.

“I married a rich man. I did not meet him on a dating site, I met him in the real world of life. I did not move in with him when he asked me to I had learned that mistake already from a prior rich finance. I said, “No! I will not live with a man unless I am married to him.” Trust me, say it loud and firmly the rich always want what they cannot have. And that is how he proposed, standing in the streets of Vineyards of Napa he said, “Okay will you marry me?” The prenuptial was worth over a million dollars.”

—Anonymous

3. I wouldn’t date anyone that seemed to be struggling financially.

“My husband is 15 years older than I am. He had one child but had never been married when we met. He has been working in the same field for 18 years. He works in as a director of operations for an international Internet company. He is smart, sensitive, analytical, funny, and controlling at times. He’s very attractive. He’s in great shape and cares about his body….I was doing fine financially when we met. I was keeping my head above water but never felt like I was secure. I had been diagnosed with cancer before we met and I was dealing with the possibility of being financially shattered. I was actively seeking someone that would at least be able to make me feel secure if my cancer got worse and I was unable to work. I wouldn’t date anyone that seemed to be struggling financially. I would say [it was] 80% security and 20% love/capability the day I moved in and I would say it was 60% love and 40% security the day we were married. As I type this, I am very much in love with my husband.”

—Mandi

4. I married for money. Just for money.

“I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but it’s true that I married for money. Just for money. I’ve always wanted a rich husband. And if you think it’s because my father didn’t have the means to give us a decent life, you’re wrong. We didn’t want for anything….So when the time came to marry, I told my parents to look for a man whose family was very well off. Of course I wanted a man who was also kind, considerate and romantic. When I was 24, my parents introduced me to Akash. He worked with his builder father and was nice to talk to. Soon it was decided that we’d marry.”

—Parita

5. when I walked down the aisle towards my future husband I was not in love, but I had security.

“After dating for awhile, I can’t say I fell in love with Shawn, but I did develop feelings for him. Unlike my parents and countless others who I’ve watched argue time and time again about money, Shawn and I lived relatively argument-free and I loved it. That’s why when he dropped to one knee on our two-year anniversary and asked me to marry him I said yes. Now please understand that I wasn’t planning to live entirely off of him, I do have dreams. I finished my degree and started a very successful career in marketing that I love. And no, when I walked down the aisle towards my future husband I was not in love, but I had security and that meant a lot to me. In my mind, marriages face enough obstacles, the last one it needs is one revolving around money.”

—Danielle

6. I now live a very comfortable life.

“I love my husband but one of the main reasons I married him is because he comes from a wealthy family and has a very lucrative career. I now live a very comfortable life with our three beautiful children and have no regrets. I married for money.”

—Anonymous

7. I married for money and not love.

“My parents had groomed me to be a doctor’s wife—clearly, a pedigree that a girl like me could never attain on her own. But my parents and friends thought I was insane to marry someone who would never get my generational references. I was only 5 years old when he was 20. I know—creepy. If you’re married, you know there are many factors that go into the decision to marry ‘the one.’ When I met ‘the one,’ he just happened to be fifteen years older than me and a well-established physician. The Tyra Banks show recently asked me to be a guest on a show in which I’d sit with my husband like two deer—caught in the headlights—and let the audience rip us both a new one as I admitted that I married for money and not love.”

—Melissa