Marriage

[fluffpop62]

WEDDINGS!

duhh

[microbet]

Children: It's about having two committed parents, not keeping the kids from being ostracized. I mean currently, not historically. Also, your legal rights as a father are precarious if you aren't married.

But, yeah, of course, it's about true love.

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

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It's a symbol of commitment. Symbolism is powerful and valued by many people. It does not need to have "practical" value to have value.

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its a written contract that symbolises the fact that you will stay with her or give her half your stuff.

[Fast Food Knight]

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Besides the tax break (which shouldnt be underestimated)

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Could someone educate me on this? From the cursory research I've done, it appears, roughly, that the tax advantage applies to couples that have a disparate income, but couples with similar incomes (eg me and 'Chair) actually wind up paying more in taxes than if they filed separately.

Of course, I realize there are insurance (medical, auto) advantages to being married, but I'd really love a good explanation of the benefits/penalties for married folks.

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

if your spouse has a much smaller income, you will save alot.

[kazana]

About 7 years ago I didn't want to get married ever. Pretty much with the same reasoning OP has mentioned.

But that attitude changed and a bit more than a year ago I got married. Some of the reasons were (in reversed order of importance):
- Our families (parents) kind of expected it from us. This wasn't any main concern to either of us, since we don't really care all that much what our parents expect from us. But it's good to know that our decision pleased them.
- Visa. My wife is South African, I've got an EU passport. We both love to travel and are living as expats and want to continue to work in several different countries. It's much easier to travel and get working permits this way. We're also hoping that my wife can acquire an EU passport some time to make traveling much easier for her.
- She is religious. So marriage obviously is pretty important to her.
- I'm agnostic, so the religious institution of marriage doesn't really matter to me. But I chose to marry to show her that I'm committed to be with her for the rest of our lives. Unlike my previous relationships where I did not have that intention.

So, for me, it was mainly because of the symbolic gesture, and for her, as a religious person, it was just the logical next step in our relationship.

FWIW, tax breaks and legal reasons haven't been a serious consideration in this at any time.

[jordiepop]

tax breaks ,,, insurance?

[kazana]

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[ QUOTE ]
It's a symbol of commitment. Symbolism is powerful and valued by many people. It does not need to have "practical" value to have value.

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its a written contract that symbolises the fact that you will stay with her or give her half your stuff.

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Prenup. 'nuff said

[nsdjoe]

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Besides the tax break (which shouldnt be underestimated)

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Could someone educate me on this? From the cursory research I've done, it appears, roughly, that the tax advantage applies to couples that have a disparate income, but couples with similar incomes (eg me and 'Chair) actually wind up paying more in taxes than if they filed separately.

Of course, I realize there are insurance (medical, auto) advantages to being married, but I'd really love a good explanation of the benefits/penalties for married folks.

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you sound smrt

[Rushmore]

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IANAL, nor am I an expert on this subject, but there are a couple of legal issues here that I think you omitted. They include, but are not limited to, inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, and, umm, maybe some other things. I'm pretty sure there are some situations like these where spouses have legal rights to visit you in the hospital if you're not conscious to let them in, inherit your stuff if you don't have a will, or perhaps access other stuff of yours if the two of you are not bound in a state-recognized marriage. If you love someone, these ancillary benefits are worth something.

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Inheritance rights=transfer of land/other property.

As for "hospital visitation right," I have a will, which covers all of this thoroughly.

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A will has no effect until you are dead. So I assume you mean a living will. Here's the thing: I don't need a living will for my wife to visit me in the hospital. My friend with her live-in boyfriend does. Is that a big deal? I don't know. I've been in hospitals with my sick parents before and no one ever asked for ID to visit, so I think the whole "visiting in the hospital" excuse may be exaggerated.

But don't gay marriage proponents have a list of 1000 things that married people get automatically that single people don't? Here's something I found from a quick Google:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bene.htm

As the link points out, some of those things can't be contracted for. E.g., my employer gives my spouse health insurance and life insurance on me. A co-worker with a live-in doesn't get those benefits. I get bereavement leave if she dies. A co-worker with a live-in doesn't. If my wife dies in a flaming car wreck, I can sue the car manufacturer as her next of kin and win millions of dollars. A live-in can't do that.

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When one employs an attorney to prepare a will, they will also prepare a general power-of-attorney, an advance directive (specifying resuscitation/organ donation/heroic measures, etc.), and a denotation of Personal Representative (who will make medical decisions on your behalf).

When I said "will," that was what I meant.

Anyway, it is an inane world that requires legal documentation to visit people in the hospital, but I suppose it's necessary <sigh>.