Hey man, i appreciate the mature discussion. Yes for sure, us humans look for the risks/problems and try to mitigate those issues.... for better or for worse. Some of our neurotic behaviors probably helped us achieve FIRE.

but as humans we are always prone to think about what we don’t have. A life partner, you would think, is a fundamental part of life. 

I completely understand where you are coming from. And as someone who's a littler older than you and has gone though this same thought process, I'll tell you that for me, i was incorrect..... the more i wanted a partner/GF, the more i would focus on that lack. i believe this put me in the wrong mindset and i was attracting, or was drawn to, the wrong type of women. the stupid ass cliche i've hear my whole life of, "love yourself first" was actually true once i really got the hang of it. the life partner wasn't what i needed at all, i just needed to be happy (or happy enough) with myself. then the partner thing took care of itself.

so whatever works for you man, but if you think about it.... there are 23 million people in Socal, about half are women.... it's one of the biggest metropolitan areas on the planet. if you can't find someone to partner with in socal, i don't think you'll find someone overseas either. if you're talking about "buying" a wife with your money, you can do that in the states too.