10.3.1) Should I get married after I graduate from college? (Life after U.C. Davis)
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This article is from the U.C. Davis FAQ, by David F. Prenatt, Jr. netesq@dcn.davis.ca.us with numerous contributions by others.
10.3.1) Should I get married after I graduate from college? (Life after U.C. Davis)
That's a very personal decision, but many people whom I know do get
married towards the conclusion of their undergraduate education or
shortly thereafter. Many other people also make plans to get married
at this time. Too often this is done for all of the wrong reasons.
I can honestly say that most people whom I meet do not understand
that the institution of marriage is primarily a legal contract that
creates many legal obligations that have little or nothing to do with
love, romance, companionship, or security (the most common reasons
that people give me for why they want to get married). If you are not
married, your default next of kin are your parents (or siblings,
etc.). However, the person that you marry replaces your parents (or
siblings) as your legal "next of kin." In other words, if you are in
the hospital, your spouse becomes the person who decides whether or
not to pull the plug on you.
When you marry someone, not only does that person become your
legal guardian (i.e., next of kin), you become that person's legal
guardian. This means that you become responsible for all of your
spouse's legal and financial obligations and he or she becomes
responsible for all of yours. This is true whether or not either one
of you knows what legal or financial obligations your spouse assumes
or has assumed in the past. If your spouse is a compulsive gambler or
drug addict, he or she can drive you into bankruptcy (usually without
giving you any clues that this is happening); if your spouse cheats on
his or her taxes, you must make good with Uncle Sam. If you decide
that you want to end your marriage, you can do so, but it will cost
you dearly in attorneys fees.
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