Marriage and cohabitation are not only personal commitments; they are legal and financial frameworks with long-term consequences on your assets, income, and overall financial security.

This session is designed to bring clarity to how different legal arrangements, marriage, legal cohabitation, and de facto cohabitation, shape your financial life, often in ways people only discover too late. From property ownership and inheritance to debt, protection mechanisms, and decision-making power, the legal structure you choose has a direct impact on your estate, during the relationship and beyond.

Our Degroof Petercam expert will explore the main matrimonial regimes, as well as the legal implications of registered and unregistered cohabitation. We will examine how each framework affects personal and joint assets, what happens in case of separation or death, and how to anticipate rather than react. Particular attention will be given to common misconceptions, overlooked risks, and the silent assumptions that can weaken financial protection over time.

Beyond theory, the focus is on awareness and informed choices. Understanding the financial consequences of marriage and cohabitation allows you to align personal values, long-term plans, and legal structures, whether you are getting married, living together, already married, or simply want to ensure your estate is properly organised.

This session is for anyone who wants to approach partnership with clarity rather than assumptions, and who believes that protecting one’s estate is not pessimism, but responsibility.

About our speaker, 

Annelies Van Gronsveld is the Manager of Estate Planning for the Flanders region. Together with her team, she advises clients and stakeholders on complex wealth‑ and estate‑planning matters, combining strategic insight with a clear and personable communication style.

She holds a Master of Laws with an additional specialization in taxation from KU Leuven. With more than 20 years of professional experience in estate planning, Annelies has built a strong reputation as a trusted expert in the field. Beyond her advisory work, she has also taught at UCLL (University Centre Leuven‑Limburg) and serves as a member of the editorial board of the Registratierechten newsletter.

Known for their analytical mindset and dedication to quality, the team of estate planners plays a key role in shaping thoughtful, future‑proof estate‑planning solutions for families and their wealth.