The world of committed couples is rapidly changing. In your grandparent's time, few couples lived together without virtue of marriage. By the 21st century, more than 10 million couples, nationwide, are making live-in arrangements commonplace. By their sheer numbers, such pairs need specialized advice on keeping their relationships happy, healthy and fulfilling.

If you're reading this article, chances are you can answer ?Yes? to at least one of these questions:

* Are you now living together, with your significant other?

* Are you thinking about moving in together?

* Is your live-in relationship getting rocky, or not as joyful as you had hoped?

* Do you know someone who needs help with a live-in relationship?

* Are you wondering about the reasons for and the risks of cohabitating?

* Do you want to strengthen your live-in relationship?

Since this is uncharted territory, when it comes to improving the fitness of a live-in relationship, couples need a clear, step-by-step method that is not touchy-feely, judgmental or complicated. Here is groundbreaking information, on key topics, for anyone involved in or interested in learning more about cohabitation:

Changing Views?

75% of high schoolers think cohabitation is worthwhile and harmless. And there has been little public opposition to cohabitation. It is now more widely-accepted than divorce or having a child out of wedlock. Nearly 50% of all children will spend some time in a cohabiting family before age 16. Not unlike previous generations, the majority of young people today want to marry and have children. However, unlike any past generation, most see living together as a logical ?next step? before walking down the aisle, or as an alternative to ever marrying.

No More Cookie-Cutter Couples?

There are actually 20 types of Unmarried Couples in 4 categories from LOW to HIGH risk such as ?Young & In-love?? ?Pregnant & Pressured?? ?Pre-wedding Convenience Seekers?? ?Ring-less Biological Parents?? ?Trial Marriage Practitioners?? and ?Anti-marriage Advocates.? Are YOU one of these?

Business Strategies Save Relationships?

?Happily Unmarried: Living Together & Loving It? is the first book that shows you how to create a winning live-in relationship. Several ?business strategies? work for any stage of your relationship, so couples can be happily un-married and less-stressed, with greater togetherness and fun. Couples learn about:

1. Finding a common vision for the relationship -- before the shock that can happen after moving in together.

2. Writing measurable objectives -- to define why the relationship exists and how to productively re-evaluate the relationship on a regular basis to either end it, constructively, or deepen it.

3. Developing and marketing a relationship ?brand? -- a ?love logo? to head off the judgments and criticisms of friends and family before they start.

4. Merging ?mindstyles? -- to eliminate common battles like? how to spend the holidays, what to do with household possessions? or coping with children from other relationships.

5. Creating clear job descriptions -- that pinpoint each partner's chores around the house, preventing battles over simple things like who takes out the trash!

Dr. John Curtis is an organizational consultant, researcher, business trainer, media personality and author. His education includes a Masters in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development. HAPPILY UN-MARRIED: Living Together and Loving It! explains the meteoric rise in cohabitation and shows how to improve the fitness of the relationships of the millions of couples living together.