posted in Asklemmy

suddenly getting married not for love but to pool resources and pay less in taxes doesn't look like a bad idea. Am I broken?

I’m not saying get a loveless marriage to have children, but do get in a loveless marriage to save on taxes, pool resources, living separately, not having sex, like roommates. I’d be playing the system.

Am I broken?

enPage

Replying to @⁨lenore582@linux.community⁩

Marriage, as a romantic notion, is about demonstrating a lifelong commitment to another person.

Marriage, as a legal institution, is about creating an economic incentive for intergenerational land ownership among the government-favored ethnic group.

I might suggest that you, at a bare minimum, like the other person even if you’re not romantically fixated on them. The marriage process comingles assets and incomes in a way that’s very difficult to unwind over time. Idk if I’d consider you “broken” for thinking about it. But you might want to reconsider what you’re getting into, especially if there’s someone other than your prospective partner who does have a romantic interest on one (or, fuck it, both) of you.

For folks who are married, the joke has been made a thousand times “We should have done this when we were poorer”. And I even have a friend who did a court-house wedding, months in advance of the family celebration, just to get the tax rebate sooner.

But, it’s a big decision. You’re sharing credit as a single household. Depending on the state, your partner can have all sorts of medical and legal authority that constrains you. And if you don’t even live with the person you’re married to? The economic benefits slide off quite a bit.

Replying to an earlier post

You’re reacting to the increasing costs of the means of basic existence. In a way it’s rational, though going as far as marriage is a big commitment. If you found someone who felt exactly the way you do and is willing to marry you for the same reasons, I don’t see anything wrong with going through with it. You’d definitely want a prenuptual agreement in case it doesn’t work out, though.

It might be easier to live with friends or family and pool resources with them, though ofc it wouldn’t be the same tax benefit. Maybe talk to a professional accountant to learn if you have ways to save on taxes even without getting married.

Replying to @⁨lenore582@linux.community⁩

You don’t have to get married to share resources, just live together. Before you do, make sure the “sharing resources” is clearly spelled out and agreed to. Also check state laws to see if there is a minimum amount of time of living together when the home is both of yours (in that one can’t kick out the other). Some states will declare you married if you live together for a certain amount of time. Be aware of how your state handles that especially if you don’t want to be “surprised” married.

Replying to @⁨lenore582@linux.community⁩

  1. Marriage generally doesn’t result in tax savings, you’d need an extremely specific scenario for that to be true.
  2. Marriage is the most legally significant thing most people will do in their life except die, it’s expensive and time consuming to undo if you want to later.
  3. Marriage gives real rights to the other person, just because you treat it like roommates doesn’t change that. It’s complicated to prevent a spouse from inheritance or medical decisions. Community property states could make you liable for their debts.
  4. If it’s just for health insurance, try to get coverage without marriage. It’s probably easier to go the marriage route, but it’s sometimes possible to get exemptions or companies that allow a non married domestic partner.