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Marriage Rates at a 93-Year Low

Even if you don’t marry, you can still take steps to protect your rights to your children and your assets.

MarriageAccording to data recently released by the Census Bureau, the marriage rate in the US is at the lowest it has ever been since 1920. The first-time inclusion of same-sex couples in the marriage rate, though politically and socially significant, has not helped raise the marriage rate statistic.

The Pew Research Center crunched the numbers on the census data and found that the marriage rate among American 18 and over was at 50.3 percent in 2013, the lowest ever in 93 years. In the first year data was available, 1920, the rate was 65 percent, and at its highest point the rate was 72.2 in 1960.

Since the marriage rate looks at couples that are currently married, rising divorce rates since the 1960s could certainly be contributing to the new low. However, the trend towards many couples not getting married at all could also be a major factor.

There is no such thing as a common law marriage in the state of California. This means that unmarried couples who may live together for decades, pool all their assets, and even have children together will have no legal recourse for disentangling their lives if they ever decide to separate.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do right now to help prepare for the day when you and your long time partner might separate.

First of all, have a plan for your children. The law already provides for child custody orders to be granted to unmarried parents. It will make the separation easier if you establish paternity for your children now. This is as simple as having the father sign a form.

Next, consider how any property or assets may be divided. For married couples, any income received, as well as any property or assets purchased with that income, will be considered joint communal property. This means each spouse is entitled to half of it. When couples are not married, this doesn’t apply. It may be a good idea to keep your earnings in separate accounts to ensure each individual gets their own money back after separation.

Finally, consider how your income will change after separating from your partner. If you have children and they live with you, your ex will probably have to provide child support, but they will be under no obligation to pay spousal support to you as they would if you had been married. So think very carefully before you decide to give up your career to support a partner you are not married to.

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My ex-wife hired an attorney which prompted me to do so for our divorce. Torrence Howell was highly recommended from a friend of mine who used Torrence’s services for a divorce just like mine. The results came out much better than he ever thought it would. With all things being equal I felt Torrence would

-Anonymous May 23, 2018

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