LEGAL- July 9, 2021 This topic corresponds with the article shared on TheLegalYogi Facebook page from Wednesday, July 7th. Please check out the social media links below and feel free to like, follow, and share.
There are several stories of people, especially women, who rely upon promises of being “taken care of” by boyfriends and fiances only to end up with stress, frustration, and possible financial and housing insecurity if the boyfriend or fiancé passes away. Without the proper planning, these promises often do not become a reality. In most jurisdictions, girlfriends and fiancés have no legal rights regardless of the length of the relationship.
How do you avoid being in this position?
The obvious answer is not to put yourself in this position in the first place. You avoid this position by not relying on anyone who does not have any legal obligation to provide for you. If your financial or housing security is dependent on your boyfriend or fiancé, you may need to reassess your situation so that if there is a sudden death, you don’t have to worry about where you will live or how you will support yourself. When dealing with death, grieving can be difficult enough, so plan your life to minimize the possible stress.