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Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples

By Joshua S. Rubenstein
October 06, 2005

More couples than ever are choosing to live together without benefit of marriage. Some simply reject the institution. Some are same-sex partners who cannot marry in New York or most other states. Others have been married previously and do not wish to jeopardize their separate governmental entitlements or to create marital rights that might conflict with their ability to control their separate property.

In light of the growing number of committed unmarried couples and the mounting questions over which, if any, “benefits of marriage” should be made available to them, a re-ex-amination of basic estate planning principles under existing law would seem timely, if not overdue. In particular, from the planner's perspective, it is relevant to contrast the pitfalls and opportunities that are currently presented.

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