My girlfriend and I are about to have a child and will soon be moving in together. We are currently holding off on marriage indefinitely, though we plan to marry eventually.
In order to make a good decision in that area, I'd like to know what we are giving up by not being married. I know that I won't have automatic next-of-kin rights, if one of us dies the other will have to go through probate, we can't put each other on our health insurance as a spouse, etc. Some of these rights I imagine we can transfer with legal documents (will, living will, limited power of attorney perhaps), but some seem to be reserved for married couples only.
Can anyone help clarify the advantages/disadvantages? I'm not interested in moral/psychological factors, just legal/practical ones. Also, do I have limited rights to our child as a biological parent instead of the mother's husband? Any help would be appreciated!
2007-01-31 13:31:05 · 2 answers · asked by korvus 2 in Family & Relationships ➔ Marriage & Divorce
One of the biggest is being able to file your taxes as a married couple - especially if only one partner works, this can be a big benefit.
I'm pretty sure your parental rights are the same, married or not. Long term issues would be pension benefits (not sure how that works for a partner vs a spouse) and Social Security, either retirement or disability.
2007-01-31 14:10:21 · answer #1 · answered by ~StepfordWife~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take inventory of your own individual assets,keep receipts, titles, and documents that are only in your name.When your married any assets or trust funds,etc purchased or gifted to you after the marriage becomes community property.
2007-01-31 14:04:17 · answer #2 · answered by Skinz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋