Marriage Rights and Benefits

Once you're married, you receive numerous rights and benefits. These range from tax and inheritance benefits, to alimony and child support in the event of a divorce, to your right to take bereavement leave from your job if your spouse, heaven forbid, should die. Marriage rights and benefits fall into the following categories:

• tax benefits, when you file jointly with your spouse
• estate planning benefits, including inheritance rights
• government benefits, including receiving Social Security, Medicare, and disability benefits for your spouse
• employment benefits, such as obtaining health insurance through your spouse's employer
• decision-making benefits, including the right to make medical decisions if your spouse is incapacitated
• financial support, including equitable property division in a divorce
• consumer benefits, such as family rates for health, homeowners', auto, and other types of insurance.

Financial Responsibilities of Marriage

You will take on certain responsibilities when you get married. The responsibilities vary from state to state, but commonly include the following:

• financial support of the children of the marriage
• liability for certain kinds of family expenses
• sharing income and property acquired during the marriage, as community property or jointly owned property
• financial responsibility for your spouse in the case of a divorce.

After the Wedding

After you've tied the knot, you are legally joined to your spouse. This means that, when the honeymoon's over, you may be in line for some paperwork. All of the following are optional, however, depending your relationship:

• Change your name legally.
• Add your spouse to your health insurance policy.
• Add your spouse as your beneficiary on bank accounts, retirement plans, securities, and life insurance policies.
• Update your estate planning documents: will, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills.
• Adopt your spouse's children.