A legal marriage can sort out a variety of issues faced by parents. For example, a parent often has had to legally adopt a child born to her partner. That may not be necessary anymore. There is one exception. Same-sex couples who are thinking about adopting overseas may want to stay unmarried for the time being. In countries where Americans adopt, officials often discriminate against gay couples and may be more open to a single person.
Pro: immigration
If they’re legally married, U.S. citizens and permanent residents can get their spouses green cards that allow them to live and work in the U.S.
Pro and Con: divorce
Divorce can be expensive, and afterward a person can lose prized possessions to an ex or be stuck paying alimony for years. Then again, the process can be a lot fairer than no process at all, especially if there's a lot of property to split up. The rules of divorce can protect the financially weaker person in a breakup, such as the partner who had a lower-paying job but did much of the housework or parenting. A good prenuptial agreement can lower the risk that couples will end up in an expensive divorce fight in the first place, says BNY Mellon wealth strategist Justin Miller.
Pro: health care
Workers can usually cover their spouses through their employers’ health insurance, and sometimes they can get them dental and supplemental life insurance at work, too. (Some employers will cover domestic partners, but the employer portion of the benefit is taxed as income.) Married people can also cover their spouses’ health expenses through flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. Married couples automatically get the right to visit their spouse in the hospital and make medical decisions on his or her behalf. If your spouse is sick, you have the right to take time off from work through the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Con: financial fights
When you get married, you can be on the hook for your spouse’s debts and bad credit history. Marriage is an economic relationship, too, and can cause trouble if, for example, one person is a spender and the other is a saver. Love can keep you together. Money can tear you apart.