The secret partner in your relationship.

Typically, when people get married or have children, they don’t know that all along a secret partner has joined their relationship- the government.

For this blog, “government” refers to the “state government”, so I will be using the term “the state” for the rest of this blog.

When you marry or have children, society has a vested interest in how you treat each other and how children are raised. A lot of public policy regarding child support, spousal support, and property division stems from the state wanting individual people to be responsible for their choices, and not to end up relying on state aid for daily life.

Few people when entering a relationship or when they have children together have a full understanding of the financial and personal obligations that are legally required of each other, especially if they were to separate or divorce.

Prenuptial agreements, also known as premarital agreements, are becoming more and more popular and I encourage them if for no other reason than conversations on finances, children, and property are good conversations to have before making a commitment to one another.

In later blog posts, I’ll address some of the legal responsibilities that occur when you marry or have a child with someone.  For now, know that when you enter into these types of relationships, your hidden partner is the state.