After income levels converge, values align, especially consumption habits become comparable.

Some people are genuinely shrewd, while others just appear to be.

Smart women will plan ahead. Just as you know that a student at an aviation school will likely become a co-pilot within a few years of graduation and a captain soon after—confirming they’ll inevitably become pilots—you’d be wise to make your move during school rather than waiting until they’ve graduated and are swarmed by flight attendants.

If you’re aiming to chase a CEO-type and be provided for, you’re destined to wear a mask: no anger, no sadness, suppressing everything inside, always offering enough smiles and emotional value.

In rural areas, one woman might have 20 men queued up at her door for a matchmaking date. In big-city dating agencies, for every 10 women who register, only one is matched with someone of comparable standing.

In a local environment, settling below your tier is the norm; matching your equal requires active pursuit. Those “practical” men may seem unimpressive, but if you don’t take them, someone else will grab them—and you won’t even get to wait until they graduate.

This world is simple, down to just supply and demand.

When men outnumber women, women can afford to be spoiled and capricious. When women outnumber men, men can afford to be spoiled and capricious too.

Some people’s mindset follows Buffett’s investment principle: I’m not necessarily expecting to make a profit, just hoping not to lose money.

So wanting to find a “practical” man is like investing in a small startup—becoming a co-founder. If the company never grows big, that’s fine; equality suits her just right. If it does grow big, as a co-founder and major shareholder, when you become a CEO, she’s a CEO too—still an even match.

The ones left behind are those who expect a CEO to provide money, emotional value, and an attractive partner, while they’re only responsible for throwing tantrums. (Switching genders wouldn’t change much.)