Who should have a prenuptial agreement?
Pre-nuptial agreements are not only good for wealthy couples; they are good for people from all walks of life. Whether or not someone has millions of dollars in their bank account or less than only five dollars to their name, a pre-nuptial agreement will protect everyone involved in a marriage and family. A pre-nuptial agreement helps individual adults within a marital union to establish their rights before and during a marriage. Pre-nuptial agreements also help married couples to figure out who gets what while they still love each other in case they get a divorce in the future.
If you are reading this and you think that getting a pre-nuptial agreement is unromantic, think again. Getting a pre-nuptial agreement can be one of the wisest and most loving gifts that you can give to your future spouse, to your children, and to yourself. A pre-nuptial agreement will outline the financial and contractual expectations of your marriage, should it ever take place. In your pre-nuptial agreement, you can make it legally clear that you will not be responsible for your spouse’s debts from before, during and after the marriage ends.
No matter how much you love someone, you should not have to be held legally responsible for their debts just because you signed the dotted line to become their husband or wife. A pre-nuptial agreement will help you to protect yourself from being taken advantage of. The last thing that you would need as a divorced person is to be held responsible for paying the bills of someone who you no longer want to be involved with anymore.
A pre-nuptial agreement is highly ideal for a person who is planning to marry a single parent. If you are planning to marry someone who has a child or has children, unless you have a pre-nuptial agreement that explicitly states that you are not responsible for financially supporting your step-child, a court might hold you responsible for financially supporting your step-child during and after the marriage ends. Under no circumstances should you have to be responsible for financially supporting a child that is not yours, but unfortunately, the legal system will not always be on your side. However, if you have a pre-nuptial agreement in place before vows are exchanged and the marriage certificate is signed, your rights will be respected and your desires will be honoured.
A pre-nuptial agreement should be viewed in the same way that you view car insurance. Car insurance is a must have; it exists to provide protection for you and for all of the other drivers you come in contact with. A pre-nuptial agreement is like insurance for your life and your relationship. Not having a pre-nuptial agreement could cause financial ruin for you and your children if unexpected deaths and divorces happen. It is much better to establish a pre-nuptial agreement between you and your partner while the two of you still have a lot of love for each other. When two people are unhappy with each other and on the brink of divorce, they rarely try to protect their estranged spouse.
Nobody wants to go in to marriage thinking of divorce and unexpected deaths, but no one knows what the future holds. A pre-nuptial agreement should set the tone for the future in case unpleasant and unexpected circumstances happen.
