In this day and age, it has become quite common for a couple to live together before they get married. Although living together definitely has some benefits, there's no denying that it holds certain legal disadvantages. Whereas marriage is a legal contract that confers many rights and obligations by law, the same can't always be said for couples who live together. Because of this, when cohabitating couples split it often becomes a question of how to fairly divide commingled assets or how to award child custody.

However, just because you're not married doesn't mean that you can't take steps to protect yourself. Learn the basics of smart cohabitation, domestic partnerships, and cohabitation agreements.