Prenup or not Prenup?

Whether you get engaged on Valentine’s Day or some other time of the year, the least romantic question is whether or not to sign a prenuptial agreement. It’s the contract that fiancés may sign before the wedding day which describes what will happen to them financially in case they divorce.

It may seem hypocritical to plan for a divorce before the day you pledge to share your lives together forever – for richer, for poorer, right? But the ugly truth is that many marriages end in divorce. And divorce is messy, particularly if one or both people have children from a prior marriage, substantial assets, a business, or a potential inheritance.

Rather than spending massive amounts of money on divorce lawyers, invest in a prenuptial agreement. Each of you will need to hire your own lawyer; this is one time when you shouldn’t share.

It’s important to sign a prenuptial agreement long before the wedding date. If you sign it just before walking down the aisle, it could be legally challenged later. You don’t want there to be any suggestion that one person was coerced into giving up their rights.

Ideally, you’ll be able to broach the subject of a prenuptial agreement before the actual proposal. Your conversation may go something like this:

“If you trusted me, you wouldn’t need me to sign one.”

“If you trusted me, you wouldn’t mind signing one.”

If it does, call off the wedding. You have a lot more talking to do first.

Via savingadvice

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