Hard Times All Around

From the Wall Street Journal:

According to a new survey by Prince & Assoc., more than 80% of multimillionaires who had extra-marital lovers planned to cut back on their gifts and allowances. Still, only 12% of the multimillionaire cheaters said they plan to give up on their lovers altogether for financial reasons.

Of course, any study of millionaires and their mistresses should be taken with a large grain of salt. The survey–a subset of a larger wealth study–polled 191 individuals with a minimum net worth of $20 million who said they had lovers of at least a year or more (this to screen out the one-night stands, etc.). About two thirds of the respondents were men and one third women. All were married and all had personal control over their finances, meaning the women and men surveyed were the primary wealth holders in their homes.

....The most surprising stats in the study relate to gender and what might be termed “length of service.” Fully 82% of men in the study said they planned to lower the allowances to their mistresses, while more than three quarters planned to provide fewer gifts, less expensive gifts and fewer perks, like jet rides, resort vacations and top restaurant meals.

....The duration of the relationship also seems to play a role in the economics of high-end cavorting. The study found that more than two thirds of the millionaires who had been with their lovers for three or more years planned to cut back. That compares with less than half for those with a tenure of one to three years.

Here are a few of the public comments that followed the article online:

by Hardchoices:

Before September the 15th, I’d promised my mistress both a breast enhancement and a liposuction for the Holidays. Now I can only afford one or the other…so she’s going for the enhancement next month.

But, if things get much worse she’ll have to choose between enhancing just her right or just her left breast. Truth be told, I don’t really care. I love her just the way she is now.

by Mr. Contrarian:

If the wealthy are essentially “selling off” their mistresses, then it would seem that we may be on the verge of a buyer’s market. Thus, the middle class can afford to be happy again!

by Polyga-miss:

Mistresses???!!! Hell, I’m gonna have to “lay” off half my WIVES go!!! And boy will I miss them….but at least I get to keep my truck.