Proposing marriage is a romantic time, but many believe that the best way to kill that romance is with a prenuptial agreement. However, while talking legalese directly after the proposal may seem unromantic, the reality is that a solid prenuptial agreement may help ensure that your nuptials go the distance.
A good prenuptial agreement can act like an insurance policy for your marriage. According to FindLaw, prenuptial agreements can help document a spouse’s separate property prior to marriage, protect business interests and also protect inheritance.
How does a prenuptial agreement secure property?
This is likely the most classic use of a prenuptial agreement. If one party comes into the marriage with considerably more assets than the other, or if both parties have considerable assets, a prenuptial agreement will help define which parts of those assets are separate property and which are marital property. Again, one of the primary reasons couples divorce is over money, so having all of this sorted out prior to the vows can save a lot of heartache.
Prenuptial agreements also ensure that business interests stay separate from marriage interests. Prenuptial agreements are especially important if one of the spouses is entering into the marriage with business holdings.
How does a prenuptial agreement protect inheritance?
If one or both parties of the marriage anticipate large inheritances, a prenuptial agreement can help ensure that the inheritance stays protected. In fact, it is very common for persons passing down large amounts of wealth to a child to require the child’s future spouse to sign a prenuptial agreement relinquishing claims to the wealth.
Prenuptial agreements can do all of this and more. While not all marriages necessitate a prenuptial agreement, the vast majority of marriages benefit from them.