I disagree. We don’t know where or what heritage OP or the BF are in. We also don’t have any idea what he brings to the table. We only know that OP wants to marry this guy and wants to live together. There’s all the reason in the world to recommend breaking up, but in the described situation, I doubt OP is considering that. 

She CANNOT put herself in financial jeopardy trying to support a guy by living with someone who cannot pull his financial weight. In this particular case she’s actually better off getting legal protections & splitting up, than breaking up after living with him. 

While I generally agree with you about this, in this particular case I disagree. OP does not imply dumping this guy and I doubt she’s going to listen to a bunch of strangers on the Internet about dumping this guy, so she’s better off with her assets protected. 

I don’t care about the actual marriage in this situation. I just want OP financially protected before she starts “supporting” him.