Prenuptial agreement

Nothing is more of a romance killer than a prenuptial agreement. A lawyer will tell you that this is just sound financial planning due to the increasing divorce rate. No matter how much you love her, you must still take into consideration the matter of a divorce.

You might fall hard

Almost half of the marriages end in a divorce. So, you must play it safe and protect both of you by agreeing to a specific division of wealth. But is really marriage a business merger? Many would say that it is. Marriage is the ultimate union of the emotional, physical and financial. Most people nowadays fight more about money than about raising children. That is why it makes total sense to sign a prenuptial agreement before the marriage, just in case you might get a divorce.

Not just for the rich couples

There are people who think that a prenuptial agreement will ruin the romantic notion of the marriage, while others won’t even think about going through with a wedding without a prenuptial agreement. Even if you might think that this is just for the rich ones, you are wrong because they might afford to lose some money but will you? 

Checklist before marriage

A lawyer would advise you to take into consideration a prenuptial agreement if you:

1. Anticipate a large increase in income

2. Plan to practice a lucrative profession

3. Have children from a previous marriage

4. Own a business

5. Might be receiving a considerable inheritance

6. Have a lot of assets

7. You are richer than your wife

Other important things you must take into consideration:

Do it early in the relationship: You shouldn’t wait until you have already made all the wedding preparations or you might have an unpleasant surprise.

Be open and honest: This is a sensitive topic, so try not to become defensive or condescending. Everyone has a passionate opinion on the matter and if you try to beat her over the head with it, it could cause major strife.

Different lawyers: This might be uncomfortable, but it is recommended.

Full disclosure: If you do not include all of your assets, the contract might be null and void in court.

Detailed agreement: The prenuptial agreement should not include just the financial terms, because you must be both taken care of. You must also disclose the terms of a divorce that include the raising of the children and certain wedding gifts.

An unbearable insurance clause

A prenuptial contract is important but it is not for everyone despite the fact that a lawyer might disagree. There are people who do not conform to social statistics and defy the conventions. There are people for whom a prenup will be useless. Moreover, there are marriages which stand the test of time and for those a prenuptial agreement will be unjustified. It might be a sign that you are having doubts about the marriage and you should be getting married without reservations or traces of doubt.

It is up to you

It is your opinion that matters. I for one think my life is pretty pragmatic enough and I want to keep at least a bit of romance, love and marriage being the last possible domain where I want to be pragmatic.