PAUL LEWIS/ MONEY NEWS
Paul Lewis
If you meet the partner of your dreams this Valentine's Day, will your thoughts turn to marriage? Perhaps they should. Our expert explains why it pays to say 'I do'
by PAUL LEWIS
N ot for love nor money!' That is how one friend declared her reluctance to marry her longterm partner even when I pointed out the financial advantages of doing it. She hated what she called the sexist and religious baggage that came with it. She is not alone. In 2021, for the first time more babies were born in the UK to unmarried people than to those who were in a legal union. But marriage - and its baggagefree companion, civil partnership - does bring financial advantages to both partners and security to the one with the least money.
Marry their money
The moment you are married or civil partnered (CPd) you become entitled to half your spouse's wealth if your union ends. That includes property, possessions, savings, pensions and so on. Of course, while you are together the ownership of property etc does not change. Nevertheless, that moment of legal union is a big moment. That is why wealthy people consider a prenuptial agreement (prenup) to say what should happen if you fall out. Courts are more likely than they used to be to take such an agreement into account, as long as it was made without coercion. C)