One of the biggest problems in marriages is how a couple spends their earnings. Make the couple a businessman and a businesswoman who run a business, and you have an even more complicated situation. In fact, this is the case that we have for today'

For instance, Derek and Jocelyn Porter, are 50/50 business partners running Philadelphia-based children’s entertainment business D&J Costumes. Jocelyn wants to get a $60,000 car to replace her old Mercedes-Benz. However, Derek argued that it’s not worth the shot and that she should decrease the budget by three folds. He said that this will absorb the blow that their business received due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. 

The debate started after Jocelyn showcased her desire about upgrading her 5-year-old Mercedes e350 to a new model. The price of the new desired Mercedes is $60,000. According to Jocelyn, the 5-year-old Mercedes has been having transmission problems which are costly. The car costs her a monthly payment of $480 with $8,000 remaining on the car loan. The resale value is estimated to be $6,000

Jocelyn insists on buying the German brand Mercedes because she said it “adds a touch of class and quality” to her business, which involves her shuttling costumed characters around the city to birthday parties and other events. “There’s no reason why I should not get anything comparable to what I’m driving,” she says.

However, Derek, who has a minivan, has another point of view. While his small business brings him a revenue of $150,000 every year, the figure has decreased to $10,000 in 2020 after the pandemic had hit the business. The fears of Covid-19 have made it hard for his D&J costumes rental business with people fearing getting infected by renting costumes. Therefore, Derek argued that his wife should get a car in the range of $20,000. 

 “All I’m saying is don’t get another $60,000 vehicle. You may need that money for someplace else,” he says. “Last year the coronavirus was very devastating and I’m lucky just to be in business.”

His wife, however, argued that she was able to pay all her bills last year and that car payments didn’t make any hurdles to her finances. 

 “It doesn’t make sense for anybody to work hard every day and not drive around in what they desire if they can afford it,” she says. “If you prioritize, if you save, if you plan, you can get anything you want in this life.” 

CNBC's Kevin O’Leary’s comments

O-leary argued that couple fights over finances have been an important marital problem in the United States.

 “Every marriage has a debate like this, whether it’s a car or something else,” he says. “In my marriage, it’s my watches. I come home with another watch and my wife goes nuts.”

He calls the disappearance of their revenue “brutal,” and says that it’s important that “America can see the effect that Covid had on businesses like yours.”

The CNBC journalist argued that there is a solution that could make both happy. O-leary said that instead of buying a new Mercedes, Jocelyn could go to a Mercedes dealership and negotiate a three-year lease at her same monthly rate of $480. The lease includes 15,000 miles per year with a drivetrain warranty which requires the dealership to cover the repair costs. 

 “So when the engine light comes on again, you don’t care,” he says. “That’s their problem.”