Jude’s Eclectic Resources

This is something that concerns me and I wanted more information on this subject. Bill and I have been together going on 4 years and we had agreed to get married, but the timing is never right. What are my rights as a common law couple? What happens to me incase of an accident? Following are a few statistics that I uncovered.

 

Many Americans believe that if they are together for a specific length of time, like seven years, that they are engaged in a common law marriage. That is an old myth that is “busted.” While some states do recognize common law marriage, they are few and their restrictions are stringent.

 

Research has found that couples that practice common law marriage are up to three times more likely to suffer a divorce than traditional marriage types unless you have premarital education and participate in common law marriage with the first and only person you live with.

 

 

Because the laws of all states that recognize common law marriage require death or formal divorce to dissolve a common law marriage, you are not skirting your obligations or the gravity of commitment by foregoing a formal wedding.

 

 

All states that provide for common law marriage require that both parties be of majority age, 18 years old. Common law marriage requirements are listed below for all states that recognize such a union:

 

Alabama – mental capacity to enter into agreement; agree to be married and consummation of the relationship

Colorado – present yourself as married and cohabitate

Iowa – intend to be and stay married, continuous cohabitation and public

declaration of marriage

Kansas – mental capacity and legal ability to marry, agree to marry and

publicly represent that you are married

Montana – capacity to consent, agree to marry, cohabitate and have a

reputation of being married

Oklahoma – competency, agree to marry and cohabitate

Pennsylvania – verbal exchange of agreement to marry and a plan to stay

married

Rhode Island – serious intent to stay married and conduct of a married couple

South Carolina – represent yourself as a married couple

Texas – signed form at their local county clerk’s office, agree to marry,

cohabitate and behave as husband and wife

Utah – capable of giving consent and a reputation of being married

Washington, D.C. – cohabitate and express intent to be husband and wife

 

There are a few ways you can represent yourself as a married couple. The first is to tell the community you are married. The second is to use the same last name. The third is to file joint income tax returns and the fourth is to share in financial obligations (mortgage, lease, car loan, utilities, etc.)

 

 

Georgia used to grant common law marital status but discontinued this on January 1, 1997. If you met the state requirements prior to that date and have been involved in the same relationship continuously, your relationship is still recognized as a common law marriage.

 

The same is true in Idaho, though they stopped the practice of granting common law marital status on January 1, 1996.

 

 Ohio also discontinued their common law marriage laws on October 10, 1991.

 

Pennsylvania stopped granting common law marriage status on January 1, 2005.

 

A common law marriage must be dissolved as any other marriage – by divorce or death. There is no “common law divorce”; simply leaving the relationship does not diminish your responsibility to your common law husband or wife.

 

If you intend to live with someone as a married couple but do not wish to enter into a common law marriage, you should each sign an agreement stating that you are each free, independent entities and do not wish to marry or become committed in the eyes of the law.

 

The United States Constitution requires that all states recognize marriages that are legal in another state. That means that you are free to move to a “non-common law marriage state” from a state which you have established this commitment. Please note, however, that the rights of married couples do vary from state to state.

Are you a new parent?  If not, are you expecting to become one in the future?  If so, when that moment comes, your life will literally change forever.  Like most parents, there is a good chance that you would do just about anything to ensure the health and safety of your new baby.  When doing this, do you know what an air purifier can do for you and your child?

There is a good chance that you have heard of air purifiers before. If you haven’t, they are machines, which are electronic. The goal of these machines is to help clean the air indoors. This is often done with filters and collection grids.  These filters and collection grids tend to trap bacteria and air particles, preventing them from circulating around inside your home.  Of course, clean air is important for all, but it is especially important for young children.

If the air inside your home or your child’s room is unhealthy, whether it be due to smoking, pets, or a lack of fresh air, do you know the impact it may have on your child?  Smoking, pet hair, and the lack of fresh air has been known to cause numerous health problems. These problems may include asthma.  That is why it is important that you do everything in your power to keep the air inside your home, or at least the air inside your child’s room clean and pure.  If you are a smoker or a pet owner, the best option may be to quit smoking or get rid of your pets, but if that is not an option an air purifier may do.

When it comes to purchasing an air purifier, especially if you would like it to have benefits to your child, you have a number of different options. Air purifiers tend to come in two main styles. These styles include individual room air purifiers and whole house air purifiers.  Individual room air purifiers tend to clean the air in a specific amount of space, usually anywhere from 200 to 500 square feet. Depending on the size of the room in question, certain air purifiers may even be able to clean the air inside one or two rooms. As you might assume, whole house air purifiers are air purifiers that clean the air inside a whole house. This is done when the air purifier is connected to a home’s heating and cooling system.

Once you have decided whether you would like to purchase a whole house air purifier or an individual room air purifier, you will have to decide on a specific air purifier make and model. When doing this, you will want to keep a number of things in mind. Perhaps, the most important thing to keep in mind is the overall cost of owning an air purifier.  A number of air purifiers are filter-less, but not all are; in fact, most require a filter. In many cases, you will find that these filters need to be replaced, every so often. It is important that you examine the cost of all replacement parts, including the filters. It is the only way to ensure that you are really getting a good deal.

In addition to examining the overall cost of an air purifier, you will also want to examine your uses.  If you would just like to have the air inside your child’s room be fresh and clean, you should be able to purchase just about any air purifier that is currently on the market.  However, if you would like an air purifier to remove the remnants of cigarette smoke or pet hair, you may need to look for an air purifier that specifically treats them.  What you plan on using your air purifier for is important; it is the key to making your purchase worthwhile.