--- title: Startup Will Pay for Your Wedding, Bet on Your Divorce description: Are you confident that your marriage will last forever? canonical: https://time.com/4154723/startup-pays-for-your-wedding-while-betting-on-your-divorce/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-18T16:21:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:49.955Z og:title: This Startup Will Pay for Your Wedding While Betting on Your Divorce og:description: 'Til death do you part? og:url: https://time.com/4154723/startup-pays-for-your-wedding-while-betting-on-your-divorce/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c81c2fb6a8f70c4/6988760dab6d779d1f6a7a4d/statrup-bets-on-marriage.jpg?branch=production&width=509&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 509 og:image:height: 286 og:image:alt: 573083127 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Startup Will Pay for Your Wedding While Betting on Your Divorce twitter:description: 'Til death do you part? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c81c2fb6a8f70c4/6988760dab6d779d1f6a7a4d/statrup-bets-on-marriage.jpg?branch=production&width=509&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Startup Will Pay for Your Wedding While Betting on Your Divorce > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2f815b87-aa00-4e27-ab31-4dd2ddc1f969&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: One Minute Money: Budgeting Made Easy [Watch (HLS stream): One Minute Money: Budgeting Made Easy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/baHOIlxf.m3u8) (1:19)  _Published 2014-06-24. MONEY's Kristen Bellstrom explains how to make a simple and effective budget._  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Dec 18, 2015 4:21 PM UTC  Close-up of wedding rings on table Close-up of wedding rings on table Jasmin Awad/Getty Images/EyeEm  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Dec 18, 2015 4:21 PM UTC Are you confident that your [marriage](http://time.com/4149862/marriage-truth/) will last forever? Are you willing to bet on it? If so, then new Seattle startup Swanluv has a deal for you. Starting in February, Swanluv will give eligible [couples](http://time.com/money/4129389/unmarried-couples-living-together-legal-protections/) up to $10,000 to fund their [wedding](http://time.com/4123456/toronto-couple-cancels-wedding-resettle-syrian-refugees/). But if the marriage ends, that money has to be paid back — with interest. The company will review candidates’ relationships and set an interest rate based on their compatibility, according to [the _Washington Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/16/this-startup-bets-10000-that-your-marriage-will-end-badly/). And while co-founder Scott Avy wouldn’t reveal the compatibility criteria or the spectrum of interest, he said that the numbers “won’t be too crazy.” The couples who live happily ever after don’t have to pay a cent back, so the success of Swanluv depends on a lot of heartbreak. But the startup won’t directly benefit from divorce. The repaid loans will go toward paying for another pair’s wedding while the company brings in revenue by selling ads. “Swans, they mate for life,” said Avy. “That’s what we’re trying to get behind, everlasting marriage.” ## Transcript Believe it or not, budgeting doesn't have to be painful, and I can prove it. I'm Kristen Bellstrom, and your Money Minute is starting right now. [ MUSIC ] Start with the income you take home after taxes, and expenses like health insurance. Also, be sure to exclude any money you can't count on, such as year end bonuses, or tax refunds. Next, download your last two months worth of bank and credit card statements, then assign each purchase a category such as clothing or groceries. Once you've got a good picture of where your money's going, you'll likely spot places where you could be spending less. Your goal should be to reduce your spending to under 90 % of your income. Okay, I know what you're thinking. Great, but where am I supposed to cut? Well, for starters, try tackling one or two of your big expenses. Maybe you could eliminate season baseball tickets or trade in a pricey car for a cheaper one. If that's too much, you might prefer trimming back on several small expenses, like that daily $ 4 latte. Finally, don't be afraid to tweak your budget as you go. If you're having a hard time staying within your new spending limits, it's totally fine to adjust them. It often takes a couple tries to get it just right. And that was 60 seconds well spent. 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