Young adults who put marriage first are more likely to find themselves in the middle or upper third of the income distribution, compared to their peers who have not formed a family and especially compared to their peers who have children before marrying.,” according to research conducted by the American Enterprise Institute. Paul Edwards is joined by Dr. Brad Wilcox, Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, and Randy Hicks, President and CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity for an in-depth exploration of the success sequence, which posits that Americans are most likely to have a shot at realizing the American dream when they get an education, a job, and marry – in that order.