Congratulations! You've decided to get married. It's a wonderful time, but there's more to think about than just the perfect wedding and honeymoon. Marriage is more complicated than it used to be. People are marrying later in life and perhaps for the second or third time. Often they are bringing more assets and more liabilities into the relationship, blending children from previous relationships, and generally facing all kinds of new challenges. Marriage contracts, wills and Powers of Attorney are all valuable ways to set your expectations in advance. Do We Need a Marriage Contract? is written in clear, nontechnical language and includes real-life examples based on Canadian cases. Cochrane includes a sample marriage contract to address the critical issues you need to be aware of, including: Protection of assets brought into the marriage The special practical and financial concerns of blending children into new families Family pressure to have a marriage contract Business pressure to have a marriage contract How to have a discussion with your partner and not spoil the romance How marriage contracts work with your wills and Powers of Attorney How to work in a cost-effective way with a lawyer How to avoid the relationship mistakes that lead to divorce This is your future together. Get it right from the very beginning. Take the advice of Michael Cochrane, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in family law, and carefully consider the numerous issues that can affect your relationship.

If half of all cars bought in America each year broke down, there would be a national uproar. But when people suggest that maybe every single marriage doesn't look like the next and isn't meant to last until death, there's nothing but a rash of proposed laws trying to force it to do just that. In The New I Do, therapist Susan Pease Gadoua and journalist Vicki Larson take a groundbreaking look at the modern shape of marriage to help readers open their minds to marrying more consciously and creatively. Offering actual models of less-traditional marriages, including everything from a parenting marriage (intended for the sake of raising and nurturing children) to a comfort or safety marriage (where people marry for financial security or companionship), the book covers unique options for couples interested in forging their own paths. With advice to help listeners decide what works for them, The New I Doacts as a guide to thinking outside the marital box and the framework for a new debate on marriage in the 21st century.

Emphasises the significant role of the individual unwritten contract encompassing the expectations and promises - both conscious and unconscious - that each partner brings to a marriage or committed relationship. When expectations do not mesh, the need for therapy becomes evident.

"... describes and analyzes three types of agreements: premarital agreements, postmarital agreements, and domestic partnership agreements. A premarital agreement is a contract between prospective spouses, including same-sex couples, made in contemplation of marriage. A postmarital agreement is a contract executed by parties to an ongoing marriage and not incident to a divorce or marital separation. A domestic partnership agreement, sometimes known as a cohabitation agreement, is a contract executed by a couple whose domestic arrangements may not be state-sanctioned. However, the term also includes such an agreement executed incident to a civil union or registered domestic partnership. Generally, all of these agreements are used to define the property and support rights of the parties upon termination of the marriage or other relationship by death or dissolution. Some parties also opt to include financial obligations during the marriage or other relationship. This Portfolio does not cover separation agreements that settle property rights, spousal and child support obligations, and child custody matters incident to a separation or divorce"--Portfolio description.

You're committed, you're moving in together and you're blending your households. But are you forgetting something? Many Canadians find themselves in common-law relationships and think that they aren't any different from a legal marriage. It can be a shock to find out that, when the going gets tough, certain rights under the law-not to mention financial obligations-do or do not apply. For instance, if one common-law partner becomes seriously ill or passes away, will the other be able to access joint bank accounts? Their shared home? What happens if there is no will? And what about the kids? These are some of the many serious questions that couples need to consider before sharing their lives, all of which can be addressed in a cohabitation agreement. A cohabitation agreement allows a couple to make sure their partner and any children are taken care of in times of need or crisis; that ownership in properties or financial resources are clear, combined, separated or protected. Most of all, these contracts allow for the peace of mind that comes with having a game plan in place should the relationship end due to death or separation. Take the advice of Michael Cochrane, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, and consider the numerous issues that can affect a common-law relationship. Do We Need a Cohabitation Agreement? is written in clear, nontechnical language and includes real-life examples based on Canadian cases. Cochrane addresses critical issues such as wills and estates, powers of attorney, the special concerns of step-families and same-sex couples, and how to have this discussion with your partner. It will also help you work in a cost-effective way with a lawyer should you decide that an agreement will benefit your relationship. This is your future together. Get it right from the very beginning.

Colin Turnbull made a name for himself with The Forest People, his acclaimed study of African Pygmies. His second book, however, The Mountain People, ignited a swirl of controversy within anthropology and tainted Turnbull's reputation as a respected anthropologist. In this scrupulously researched biography, Roy Richard Grinker charts the rise and fall of this colorful and controversial man—from his Scottish family and British education to travels in Africa and his great love affair with Joe Towles. Grinker, noted for his own work on the Pygmies, herein gives readers a fascinating account of Turnbull's life and work. Originally published by St. Martin's Press