Do We Need a Marriage Contract? : Understanding How a Legal Agreement Can Strengthen Your Life Together

Congratulations! You've decided to get married. It's a wonderful time, but there's more to think about than just the perfect wedding and honeymoon. Marriage is more complicated than it used to be. People are marrying later in life and perhaps for the second or third time. Often they are bringing more assets and more liabilities into the relationship, blending children from previous relationships, and generally facing all kinds of new challenges. Marriage contracts, wills and Powers of Attorney are all valuable ways to set your expectations in advance. Do We Need a Marriage Contract? is written in clear, nontechnical language and includes real-life examples based on Canadian cases. Cochrane includes a sample marriage contract to address the critical issues you need to be aware of, including: Protection of assets brought into the marriage The special practical and financial concerns of blending children into new families Family pressure to have a marriage contract Business pressure to have a marriage contract How to have a discussion with your partner and not spoil the romance How marriage contracts work with your wills and Powers of Attorney How to work in a cost-effective way with a lawyer How to avoid the relationship mistakes that lead to divorce This is your future together. Get it right from the very beginning. Take the advice of Michael Cochrane, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in family law, and carefully consider the numerous issues that can affect your relationship. The EPUB format of this title may not be compatible for use on all handheld devices Do We Need a Marriage Contract; CONTENTS; Acknowledgements; Caution about Legal Information; Chapter 1: Is This Book for You?; Divorce Nightmare: Don't Let This Happen to You; Terminology; Chapter 2: Eyes Wide Open: Due Diligence and Relationship Building; Why Due Diligence?; Relationship Building; Chapter 3: Your Rights and Responsibilities to Each Other If You are Married but Do Not Have a Marriage Contract; The Significance of the Date of the Marriage; What about Having Children?; What about Buying Property?; What about Income and Expenses?; What about Medical/Dental Health Benefits? What about Income Tax Returns?What about Wills and Powers of Attorney?; Chapter 4: The Legal Consequences of Marriage: Rights and Responsibilities If You Separate; When Are You Separated?; What Happens If We Have Children and Separate?; What Happens to Property That We Owned Before We Were Married?; What If One of Us Needs Financial Support After Separation?; What If We Move After Marriage?; Are There Time Limits for Bring.