Just Got Married? Why LPA Should Be Your Next Step

Congratulations on your wedding. You have made the biggest commitment of your life. But here is something most newlyweds do not realise: marriage does not give your spouse the right to make decisions for you if something happens.

The Marriage Myth

Many couples believe that getting married automatically means your spouse can:

Access your bank accounts if you cannot
Make medical decisions on your behalf
Manage your property and investments
Handle your affairs if you are incapacitated

This is not true.

Marriage gives you certain legal protections, but it does NOT give your spouse automatic authority over your financial or health decisions if you lose mental capacity.

What Actually Happens Without LPA

Imagine this scenario: six months after your wedding, your spouse is in a serious car accident. They survive but are in a coma for three months.

What can you do?

You CANNOT access their salary to pay your mortgage
You CANNOT make decisions about their medical treatment
You CANNOT access their personal bank accounts
You CANNOT manage their investments or pensions
You CANNOT sell their car to cover expenses

What you CAN do: Apply to the Court of Protection. This takes 6-12 months and costs thousands.

Why Newlyweds Should Act Now

The best time to create an LPA is when you are young, healthy, and have just made a legal commitment to another person.

You have already:

Combined your lives
Potentially merged finances
Made someone your next of kin
Committed to caring for each other

Now complete the picture: Give your spouse the legal authority to actually care for you if needed.

What LPA Gives Your Spouse

Property and Financial Affairs LPA:

Access to your bank accounts
Ability to pay household bills
Authority to manage investments
Power to handle your salary/income
Control over your business interests

Health and Welfare LPA:

Authority to make medical decisions
Power over care arrangements
Decisions about where you live
End-of-life care decisions (if specified)

Common Newlywed Objections

"We are too young to worry about this." Age is not the determining factor. Accidents and sudden illness can happen at any age.

"We have not sorted our wills yet either." LPA is actually more urgent than a Will. A Will only matters when you die. An LPA matters if you are alive but incapacitated.

"We do not have many assets." You have a salary. You have bills. If one of you cannot work and the other cannot access their income, you lose your home.

A Message to Newlyweds

You have just publicly declared that this person is your priority. But without an LPA, if something happens to either of you, the other stands legally powerless.

Do not let bureaucracy separate what marriage has joined together.

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