Fifth of us would flog our partner for less than £1m

How much is your partner really worth?

Next time your partner asks how much you love them, think carefully before you reply. Forget that vague nonsense about comparing thee to a summer’s day. Instead, calculate exactly how much they are worth to you.

In fact, try to put a monetary value on it. A precise figure that accurately that reflects their value to you. In cold hard cash.

Struggling to come with a number? Then let me put it another way. If a cash buyer knocked on your door offering to take your partner off your hands, what price would you accept?

A very decent proposal

One in five Britons who are currently in a relationship would sell their loved one for £1 million, according to a new survey from Gocompare.com.

Now that sounds like a good price for a used partner (and quite frankly you’re not going to get it), but some people would offload theirs for a lot less.

Some 14% of men and 9% of women would sell their partners for under £100,000. Perhaps they are just being realistic.

How much would you sell yours for?

No, you don’t get them back

You probably remember the 1993 film Indecent Proposal, where tycoon Robert Redford offers the happily-married Demi Moore $1 million for a single night of fun and friendship.

This deal is slightly different. It would be a permanent arrangement. No returns, no cooling-off period. And you wouldn’t just lose your partner’s tender affections. You would also lose their income, any help with the children, and that occasional bit of tidying they do around the home.

This means you would have to do all the washing up, vacuuming, cleaning and online banking yourself, not to mention all those things you don’t notice your partner doing, from mowing the lawn to scrubbing the loo.

You might have to find a new job as well.

Money can buy your love

Despite that, 20% of men and 14% of women would still let their partners go for £500,000. I guess that kind of money could buy a lot of help around the home (without any squabbles about who’s turn it is).

And 4% of Britons said they would let their other halves go for nothing. Which is very charitable of them.

Is your partner worth more dead or alive?

So is your partner worth £1 million? There is one easy way to find out. Check their life insurance. The chances are, you haven’t valued them at anything like that amount.

You can probably count yourself lucky if your partner has life cover for £100,000. £1 million? You wish.

How many years of lost income and help around the house would £100,000 cover? Three or four at best. This means that for most of us, our partner is worth a lot more alive than dead.

Name your price!

Your partner’s bathroom habits may drive you crazy. They may refuse to do the washing up. Or pick their nose in public.

If you try selling them on eBay, you probably won’t even get your reserve price. Your high street charity shop won’t take them. Nor will your local recycling station. They aren’t even landfill.

But they may be surprisingly valuable to you. If you have a mortgage in joint names, or other debts such as a personal loan, your partner is worth more than you think.

If they’re the main breadwinner, they’re worth even more. Especially if you have children.

If you are still struggling to put a cash value on your partner, click through to the lovemoney.com Life Insurance Calculator. This should help you express your love in monetary terms.

His n’ hers life cover

Don’t leave your partner in the lurch, show your importance to each other by protecting yourselves with life insurance. And don’t neglect other forms of cover, such as income protection and critical illness cover.

Your partner may not be worth much on the open market, but they’re worth a lot to you. You insure your car, home, holiday and cat, so insure the person you share these things with.

Just in case life really does take them off your hands.

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