Prenuptial Agreement Tips You Need To Read Now
So you are getting married soon – well congratulations! However, have you thought about getting a prenuptial agreement (prenup for short)? There are a lot of reasons today why newlyweds want to get a prenup, due to the large quantity of marriages that end in divorce. Most people believe that a prenuptial agreement isn’t necessary, especially if you aren’t a millionaire or famous. Here are some reasons why you may want to get one before tying the knot.
Writing out a prenuptial agreement template forces couples to face the facts about their marriage. Mostly that a marriage is not just a legal merger, but also a spiritual one and a financial one as well. This position is overlooked far too many times, and after you are married it’s too late to modify. Some unscrupulous men (and women) try to hide their financial past as well, such as credit card debts, bankruptcies, foreclosures, or bad investments. If this happens you may be heading down a path of financial ruin and not even know be aware. It is much better to get all the “dirty laundry” out on the table before the wedding bells ring in my opinion. Maybe I’m just a realist?
There is also the issue of trust– many women say that if a man doesn’t trust them, or vice versa, then the union is not a strong one to begin with. This may sound so very romantic and has an ounce of truth to it as well, but if you aren’t aware of each others finances there may be more problems and trust issues in the relationship about finances down the road. Besides, if you trust someone enough to marry them you should be able to sign an agreement in full faith that guarantees nobody will be taken advantage of in the case of a divorce. Even a prenuptial agreement sample can’t absolutely guarantee this, but it’s certainly a great first step, right? After all, you have nothing to hide, so this should be no big deal.
Get a competent legal counsel – this advice is essential no matter what the circumstances are, but in this case many will say any lawyer will do since it’s not a “big deal”. Don’t count on your law student brother to write your prenuptial agreement if he hasn’t ever written one before, especially if he doesn’t do any type of family law. Worse yet, if he’s not even a certified lawyer yet! Get a specialist in these matters, one who really knows your state’s laws and can ask the right questions before putting the legal document together for you to make if official. It really doesn’t cost that much, maybe a few hundred dollars depending on the attorney, but it’s well worth it for your peace of mind before tying the knot. Don’t you just want the best for your marriage? Of course you do, so getting this out of the way can save many headaches later on.