Kevin O’Leary, the investor and entrepreneur best known for his role on “Shark Tank,” says the No. 1 threat to modern relationships isn’t cheating—it’s financial stress.
“Most marriages can survive infidelity. They can’t survive financial stress,” O’Leary said during a recent interview on “The Diary Of A CEO” podcast.
O’Leary argues that marriage, at its core, is an economic partnership. “The first child you’re going to have is money, and it’s going to sit at the table with you every day,” he said. If one partner spends recklessly, the whole unit becomes unstable.
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“If you don’t have money, you don’t have a marriage,” O’Leary said. “It’s that simple.”
That’s why he believes who you marry is the most important financial decision you’ll ever make. While love may bring two people together, O’Leary says it’s shared financial values that keep them together. He recommends couples have open conversations about finances early in the relationship, ideally by the third date, including topics like spending habits, ambition, and long-term goals.
O’Leary breaks down five money personalities: The Mooch, The Spenderholic, The Loafer, The Thief, and The Meanie. His advice? “Marry a Meanie,” because they’re “a balanced spender who lives within their means.”
O’Leary says his mother quietly built a fortune by sticking to simple investing rules: never put more than 5% of your money in a single stock, never more than 20% in a sector, and only buy dividend-paying stocks or long-term bonds.
That approach still shapes how he invests today. He also stresses the importance of avoiding lifestyle creep. “I can’t stand when I see kids making $70,000 a year spending $28 on lunch,” he said. “That’s just stupid.”
In a June post on X, O’Leary reflected on the trade-offs he made while raising a family. “I worked nonstop while my kids were growing up. My wife did the heavy lifting at home. But I was a provider, and that matters.”
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In a follow-up video, he added, “It’s always a really tough decision … you’re often not there for your kids while they’re growing up, because during those formative years, you’re just working. That was my case. So my wife did a great job in raising my kids, but I was a great provider.”
