During the Great Depression, we are often told, couples and families survived by pulling together. Marriage and family, those eternal institutions, held strong as everything collapsed around them. But how will today’s familial bonds cope with the strain of an economic disaster? In an age of quick-and-easy divorce, it seems likely that many marriages and families will tear apart.

Never fear. The “Today” show, that guardian of moral integrity, is giving advice on how to “recession-proof your marriage.” With golden tips like, “Get big on powwows,” it looks as though we’ll be ok.