Is Marriage for you?

[DapperButch]

I think titsalina fits you perfectly, so I will go with that one (speaking of tits....well, your tits, specifically... we need them back in the photo gallery. Please and thank you.).

I agree that if people live together for a long period of time, and of course if they combine accounts, there should be a legal piece to the breakup.

However, I have a problem with the two year mark. That's nutso. I say 5 years for your Canadian approach.

I think that people need to protect themselves when it comes to co-habitating, like your mother did. I know that the plan for myself and the lovely TF was to at some point after she moved in to get the house appraised. Then, at the time of break up/purchase of a home together, we would do another apraisal. At that point she would get half the equity that had grown over the time we lived in my house together.

If you don't do something like that the person moving into the other person's home gets screwed if there is a break up. If they weren't with you, they would have been building equity in their own home instead of living with your stupid ass for years.

[imperfect_cupcake]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I think titsalina fits you perfectly, so I will go with that one (speaking of tits....well, your tits, specifically... we need them back in the photo gallery. Please and thank you.)
Heh. I would but my face is attached to them!

I agree that if people live together for a long period of time, and of course if they combine accounts, there should be a legal piece to the breakup.

However, I have a problem with the two year mark. That's nutso. I say 5 years for your Canadian approach.

I think that people need to protect themselves when it comes to co-habitating, like your mother did. I know that the plan for myself and the lovely TF was to at some point after she moved in to get the house appraised. Then, at the time of break up/purchase of a home together, we would do another apraisal. At that point she would get half the equity that had grown over the time we lived in my house together.

If you don't do something like that the person moving into the other person's home gets screwed if there is a break up. If they weren't with you, they would have been building equity in their own home instead of living with your stupid ass for years.

I think I'd put it at 3 years. Mainly because heterosexual couples tend to have kids much faster than we do. Our five is more like their 2.5 or less. Much less.
And when kids come into it, game change. I think the 2 year decision was based around the average amount of time kids entered the picture from first moving together. I could be wrong but I thought I read that somewhere.

Anyway first marriages/long term cohabitations tend to fail at the 5-6 year mark (that I read) so I'd put the starter mark at three, unless a child is registered to the couple at any point after cohabitation/domestic partnership starts.

[JDeere]

I've heard that in some states if you are living with someone for over a year and claim them as your spouse, you are common law married.

I have never understood this, why not just get married but I can see how some folks can feel that an actual marriage on paper can affect things, it's one thing calling them your spouse and another being married by law.

< insert strange look on face here

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by JDeere

I've heard that in some states if you are living with someone for over a year and claim them as your spouse, you are common law married.

I have never understood this, why not just get married but I can see how some folks can feel that an actual marriage on paper can affect things, it's one thing calling them your spouse and another being married by law.

< insert strange look on face here

There are 16 states that create common law marriage in some form or another. Some only recognize those from before certain dates (meaning you may no longer create one) and New Hampshire, which only recognizes them for inheritance purposes.

You must present yourselves as married to the community(I'm John and this is my wife Mary) pay joint taxes and get a legal divorce should you split. It is a myth that it automatically happens just by living together, but in those states you should have something signed and notarized that you are living together as two free and independent people (should you not want a common law marriage) if you don't want any issues down the road.

[JDeere]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

There are 16 states that create common law marriage in some form or another. Some only recognize those from before certain dates (meaning you may no longer create one) and New Hampshire, which only recognizes them for inheritance purposes.

You must present yourselves as married to the community(I'm John and this is my wife Mary) pay joint taxes and get a legal divorce should you split. It is a myth that it automatically happens just by living together, but in those states you should have something signed and notarized that you are living together as two free and independent people (should you not want a common law marriage) if you don't want any issues down the road.

That's what I thought! All I've ever heard was about presenting to others as spouses deal.