comment: >
  
  You can claim anyone as a dependent, at least in the US. You just have to be able to show that the person claimed was in fact dependent on you. I’d be surprised if Canada was behind us on that one. Lots of couples never get married.
context: There is, it is called Adult Adoption. >
  
  Lemme ask my friend if i can adopt him >
  
  Just putting this out there, but if there is some rich person who wants to adopt an adult daughter for inheritance purposes.... I am here :p
  But yeah, it is pretty rare, and I think it is typically for legal issues such as leaving your money to non-family.  
  There was also a movie that had this theme.  Music in my Heart with Tony Martin. >
  
  If said rich someone also wants an adult son I am here! >
  
  Gonna be honest, it depends on how rich this someone is...
  If they are rich enough, hello brother! >
  
  I'm actually pretty into this.  Unexpected opinion I hadn't thought about,  but absolutely agree with. >
  
  Never had this thought but I’m with you, I’d really like to be able to legally add someone to my family >
  
  You can adopt adults.
  This was how some gay couples gave survivorship rights to their partners before the legalization of domestic unions. >
  
  “Alright fine, but on paper I get to be the dad!” >
  
  *daddy >
  
  Have your parents, or you, adopt them. I believe that adults can be adopted. >
  
  They can indeed >
  
  In what realm would this benefit? And can you make someone not part of your family? >
  
  Let’s say I have someone who I’m extremely close with, like a brother but not by blood. I want them to be able to visit me if I get hospitalized. I want them to be able to make medical decisions if I’m not able to. I want to be able to take time off to visit them if they get really sick (some jobs only allow this for family). >
  
  You can do all that. Lawyers can help you name people for these exact purposes. >
  
  Not true. Every single privilege you extend to a non relative must be specifically spelled out, and any person can take it to court and get a possible injunction against those privileges depending upon their claims to the court, then it can result in a long time before the court settles it and makes a determination, during which the (for example) hospitalized person who granted the rights can die, rendering the entire process moot. And it involves a huge amount of legal fees, $10-20k in some cases. It’s a huge clusterf’ck. Lawyers have all these wonderful ideas but the bottom line is that those ideas cost money and you cannot do them yourself. (because if you do, anyone who may wish to challenge those rights can say “undue influence, no legal representation, etc” to a court, allegations which give them a stronger case for injunction.) >
  
  Those privileges don't automatically extend to all family members either though, so what's your point? >
  
  They automatically extend to a spouse and next of kin are heavily favored in such situations, but sure…my point is if a person who loves and cares (and vice versa) about a non related person want to have rights of survivorship, visitation and etcetera, there is only one way to do it, and I have no intention of sharing it with someone who isn’t either 1)smart enough to figure it out themselves or 2)established to my satisfaction the information won’t be used in a destructive way. 
  But I’ll tell you what it isn’t: if you’re smart it isn’t by hiring lawyers to drain 10s of thousands of your savings so that at the end of it all, you have a bunch of papers that any person can challenge in court based upon whatever bullshit they make up. 
  I don’t know you, or op, but if you read and are a smart person, you can figure it out on your own. If you approach it for the right reasons, your mind will seek the solution and you’ll find it. If not, you won’t. Makes no difference to me, I don’t know y’all. >
  
  I'm at least smart enough to not waste my time reading these random rants from someone that doesn't seem to understand what they are talking about . >
  
  This person is literally arguing just to argue like whyyy >
  
  Idk. I am just staying entertained while I wait for my hot pocket to cook. >
  
  They can. this is called adult adoption. It's rare but you can do it. >
  
  
  There are so many legal privileges that your family has
  
  Like what? >
  
  -Visitation in hospitals/jails
  -automatic inheritance
  -some jobs only let you take time off to see someone sick/inured if they’re family
  -I’m pretty sure it’s easier to move money around
  -insurance policy things
  -easier for them to inherit custody of children if you die >
  
  
  -visitation in hospital/jails 
  
  I guess? Not quite sure I’d call that a right. 
  
  -automatic inheritance 
  
  Only if the person dies without a will. 
  
  -some jobs only let you take time off to see someone sick/injured if they’re family
  
  How would they know they weren’t family? I don’t think they’ll have access to a family tree or anything like that. 
  
  -I’m pretty sure it’s easier to move money around
  
  Nope. 
  
  -insurance policy things
  
  I’m pretty sure you can set the beneficiary of your insurance policy to be whomever you want. 
  
  -easier for them to inherit custody of children if you die. 
  
  Not sure it’s that simple. Would probably be very case by case even if the person was a member of the family. 
  These are pretty corner case scenarios. Plus, even if there was a way to bring the person into your family, they likely wouldn’t be on the same level as a spouse or something. Not sure how useful this would be. >
  
  It is 100% easier to move money out assets around don't even lie lol
  You can gift family a car but not friends otherwise the friend needs to pay tax on the blackbook value to the gouvernement. >
  
  
  You can gift family a car but not friends otherwise the friend needs to pay tax on the blackbook value to the gouvernement.
  
  You still have to pay taxes even if you're family. >
  
  Well it appears I've tax evaded by accident oops. Lol >
  
  Did the title change? Or are you just the one driving it? If they didn't switch the title over to you then it's technically still their car. >
  
  .. I think the title changed but I'm not sure we don't have it anymore >
  
  Adopt an adult >
  
  You can adopt an adult >
  
  YES I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS. A lot of people I know just have close knit friend groups. They don't intend to have permanent partners or families. Sometimes because that's not how they're wired, and sometimes because it's just not financially feasible, especially as we all get closer to 40 and have to really save for retirement. It would be so great if you could put your friends down as siblings. I have two friends that have treated me more like family than my actual family. I would trust them to make decisions for me, and they should have the right to my belongings without hassle or taxes when I'm dead. >
  
  There’s literally no reason to do that. 
  There’s barely any reason to get married anymore. Exocet for tax breaks and health insurance. >
  
  Idk there's reason to do that.. they just listed some >
  
  Pretty much any legal privilege or right a family member has can be afforded to a friend. >
  
  But something small & simple, like bereavement time at work, for example. Frequently this only covers very specific family members (immediate family; parent/sibling/child/spouse, and doesn't apply to cousin/aunt/nephew/neice) >
  
  A lot of people don’t even get that for family members at their jobs. Any job that has bereavement has other forms of time to use. 
  Also, having a friend as your legal family member doesn’t mean your job would be obligated to give you anything for that. >
  
  Um, it's not true that marriage is the only way. You can adopt people no matter how old they are, or they can change their last name, or you yours. You can make people your emergency contacts, or legally divorce your family, or name someone another guardian of your kids without marrying them. Marriage isn't the only way, it's just the most common. And of course, someone can be part of your family without being officially tied through law, so there's always that. >
  
  it's called adult adoption.. i literally am doing it now with my 24yo i used to foster when she was a teen.. AND i just did it my 18yo son in Dec of last year.. adult adoptions are fast and easy, now i can have medical say in what happens in case of an accident, i can split my life insurance without questions being asked about them as my children.. easy peasy. >
  
  Needs to be patched, maybe the next update? >
  
  Marriage is a legal and social contract intended to create the appropriate environment for bearing and raising children. Historically, romance was not a primary purpose of marriage at all.
  If you have some non-traditional contract you'd like to enter into with another adult, you should talk to your lawyer, there's probably already a way to do it. >
  
  who gives a fuck what marriage and family meant historically. we live in the present >
  
  Lol take it easy.  OP made the point that, from a legal perspective, marriage is the only way to bring new adults into a family.  I commented that marriage exists for a specific purpose, and other purposes might be covered under different types of existing contracts.  Nothing to get upset about. >
  
   r/polyamory has entered the chat >
  
  Add? Please have an subtract option. >
  
  This cracked me up 🤣 >
  
  OP’s flair is accurate because he clearly has no idea what he is talking about in over half his post lmfao. >
  
  What for >
  
  Marriage is basically little more than a legal contract anyway. I agree, any consenting adults should be able to form what ever kind of legal family arrangement that works for them. Whether for romantic purposes, health care, platonic stability, just literally almost whatever reason. >
  
  You should really try doing some research before saying stuff like this. >
  
  Civil unions exist for a reason... >
  
  Most of the kind of benefits you're referring to were meant for people with real family relationships. They weren't intended to be the sort of benefits you could grant to friends like a gift. >
  
  There are ways to legally do all the things you're talking about. Adult adoption is totally a thing. Power of attorney is a thing. Emergency contacts can be whomever you want. >
  
  Removes the point of family you silly duck >
  
  Wish as you might, that's just not how families work. >
  
  You should be more specific. You can’t add someone to your family. Marrying someone gives them no special privileges in any legal interactions except with you personally, not any other members of your family, including any children from previous partners. >
  
  
  not any other members of your family, including any children from previous partners.
  
  Not true in Canada.
  Your spouse's child can be claimed as a financial dependent for the purposes of tax.