Hey all,

I hope you had a nice long weekend. I definitely did.

During my time relaxing, I saw a great article on Forbes about the status of gay marriage a little over a year after the landmark Windsor decision.

I wanted to share some frightening stats from the article:

• 83% of LGBT investors surveyed do not fully understand how federal and state laws apply, including 67% of those in legal same-sex marriages.
• 40% of respondents mistakenly believe that the federal government would treat a state sanctioned civil union or domestic partnership just like marriage.
• 36% of LGBT investors who are or want to be married said financial and legal rights are the most important reasons to get married, compared with 8% of the population. 
• 80% of traditional families surveyed fully combine their finances, compared to 60% of same-sex couples that do.

Simply put, despite all of the gains we have made in marriage equality, mass confusion about our rights and our finances still exists. 

If you’re a part of that 83% that doesn’t fully understand your rights, you’ve come to the right place. From the beginning, I’ve wanted my blog to serve as a platform to inform the GLBTQ community of their rights and financial options. Stick with me, and you will learn what you need to know.  

Not to be a total downer, the article offered some uplifting stats:

• 44% of Americans reside in marriage equality states.
• There are 10 more states issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples than there were when Windsor was decided.

While the progress towards full marriage equality has been great, these stats are a sobering reminder that we still have a long way to go. You can find the entire article here.

Friday I will offer a primer on what you need to know if you don’t fully understand how significantly your rights have changed.