This is good advice for those who forgo the formality of marriage to live together. This advice applies all romantic couples who have children, financial, and/or assets or other shared valued items.

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People go into these relationships out of love, but they don't use their heads," says Pamela Radzinski, a Southfield divorce and family law attorney.

Yet census data show the number of opposite-sex couples living together hit 6.8 million in 2008. That's up from 5 million in 2006 and up from less than a million some 30 years ago, reports USA Today, citing census data. Cohabiting couples make up roughly 10% of all opposite-sex U.S. couples, married and unmarried.

But if you want to live together in the state of Michigan without marriage, Radzinski advises people to get a written contract.

Though the notion may not sound romantic, Radzinski says she recommends that all couples get a non-marital agreement drawn up by an attorney before moving in together. It should cover issues such as division of property and assets, what will happen to children, and support for a nonworking partner in case of a breakup.

A contract is especially important in Michigan, where those living together don't receive the same protection as married couples, says Radzinski. She offers an example she's seen many times: The woman stays home, the man tells her he'll always take care of her -- until he leaves and she's left with nothing....

Sample cohabitation contract