The unmarried couple set an agreement for how to handle the sale of their apartment if they break up. Courtesy of Robin Bunevich and Alex Rivas hide caption. When Robin Bunevich and her boyfriend, Alex Rivas, decided to buy a place together, they knew they wanted to live in their favorite neighborhood, Astoria, Queens. They found the perfect two-bedroom, two-bath apartment last year. The purchase was a big, exciting step for the couple, who had previously been renting a place together.
And just as they were getting ready to start the new chapter together, the process also had them thinking about what would happen if they broke up. What happens if you break up? According to the Census Bureau, there were more than 8 million unmarried couple households in β three times as many as in Of these households, more than 3 million have children, a percent increase from As couples live together in greater numbers, old rules about how to divide finances and plan for the future don't fit the modern family.
Up until recently, unmarried couples who lived together in Florida were breaking the law. The state was one of only a few that still outlawed opposite-sex unmarried couples living together. And for many couples across the country, money can be just as taboo a subject as living together once was. Diana Adams, an attorney in New York specializing in nontraditional family law, says it's common for couples to feel uncomfortable talking about finances.
It's best, she says, to be honest and clear. Adams suggests broaching it this way: Now that we are moving in together, I think we should talk about how we should divide up finances, to make sure we're on the same page. Is this a good time to talk about that, or would you like to set a time aside next week?
For couples with uneven income, she suggests sitting down to figure out whether finances should be shared equally or in proportion to income. Couples can then contribute their share to a joint household account for shared household expenses like rent or mortgage, groceries, utility bills or a family cellphone plan.
