Happy Valentine's Day

Going to the Heart of the Matter

PAUL B. BROWN at New York Times

HERE are a few things, courtesy of Kiplinger's, to ponder while you are waiting to pay for the flowers, or the boxer shorts with the little red hearts on them, you are buying in anticipation of Tuesday:

¶The total amount of money that will be spent nationwide to celebrate Valentine's Day: $13 billion. (That makes it the third-biggest retailing holiday — trailing only Christmas and Father's Day.)

¶Men will outspend women by almost three to one. Men will on average shell out $92. Women, $34.

¶The number of roses produced last year for Valentine's Day: "175 million, just over one for every adult American."

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FINAL TAKE People typically say "it is just as easy to marry a rich spouse as a poor one," in jest. But apparently that's not the way it is always heard, according to Money magazine.

A large number of college students — 14 percent of men, 24 percent of women — said it was at least "somewhat important" to marry someone wealthier than they were.

The magazine points out the students are at least half right. "The smart financial move is to get married and stay married — regardless of your spouse's wealth. Compared with the average single adult, the average married person has a net worth that is higher by 77 percent." Happy Valentine's Day.