I paid off my then-girlfriend-now-wife's student loans while we were dating, using revenues generated only from the interpretation cases I took as a grad student. It was the manliest I'd ever felt in my life.
Although I think it sort of made her feel obligated to marry me afterwards, which is kinda... I dunno how to describe it.
To put it into perspective, there's an officer in my precinct who was married to a female officer, recently got divorced, then turned around and paid for his new girlfriend's breast implants.
I think you win, bro. There is nothing wrong about taking steps to support your woman. It's the manliest thing that you can do - providing for loved ones.