Bending the Straight Rules: Legal and Financial Strategies for Same-Sex Couples

If Lady A makes $50,000, and Lady B pulls down $25,000, should they contribute equally to their household expenses, or should their contributions be based on percentage? What legal benefits would accrue if Lady A were to change her name to Lady A-B? Should the Ladies register with their city's domestic partnership registry? In this 90-minute tape, four attorneys and three financial planners succinctly and clearly address these and many other intriguing questions facing same-sex couples. In view of the General Accounting Office's determination that married, heterosexual couples enjoy 1,050 legal and financial rights and responsibilities, the gay world needs to be aware of which rights they can "bend the rules" on to their advantage. Beginning with the advice that couples should first decide that their relationship has been long-lived enough to warrant making these "commitment decisions" (i.e., don't merge finances with Lady B if you've been dating only 3 weeks!), the counselors expertly guide us through issues such as housing, bank accounts, children, business ownership, name-changes, partnership registries, marriage ceremonies, adult adoption, wills, powers of attorney, medical directives, estate planning, domestic abuse, and gay-vs.-straight lawyers. Though there are now a few standard books on these topics, and the video does consist almost entirely of talking-heads, its forthright, pointed style will be appreciated by those couples who do not want to wade through an entire book, but need a few key concepts ("joint tenants with rights of survivorship," "living will," etc.) to prepare them for their first appointment with a lawyer. My only quibble is that the tape's cover proclaims that it will "make you thousands of dollars"; this gives the impression that you will be given, for instance, stock tips that will increase your income. Rather, the way you will help yourself financially is by protecting yourself legally, rather than by learning about fancy tax loopholes, mutual funds, and IRA investments. Despite this misstep, this video is "straightforwardly" and highly recommended. Aud: P. (K. Glaser)