Financial Checklist for the Newly Married

Congratulations! You just got married! Maybe you even tied the knot without spending a fortune (now that is truly a feat). Regardless, you managed to get married in the middle of a global pandemic, so you deserve major kudos.

Now what?

As a newly-christened household, there are financial steps you and your partner need to take to make sure you’re legally and financially starting off on the right foot.

Newlywed Legal and Financial Considerations

Changing Your Name

Ahh, the romantic considerations of… a name change.

In Western culture, a woman has traditionally taken the last name of her partner. In Latin America, Asia, and many other parts of the world, women retain their maiden names for their entire lives.

Nowadays, things have changed a bit-your partner may take your last name, you may both keep your last names, or you may hyphenate.

Whatever you decide, you’ll need to make your new names legal as one of the first tasks of married life.

If you’re changing your name, you won’t be able to set up a new joint bank account, get a passport, or put your name on a joint house title without updating certain legal documents.