There are many sound legal and financial reasons to consider a prenuptial agreement or “prenup” before getting married. However, many people simply don’t know how to raise the issue of a prenup before the wedding without upsetting their spouse or disturbing the relationship.
This is quite understandable. After all, who wants to even consider issues regarding the end of a marriage before it has even begun? It may surprise you to know that a prenup is actually the norm, especially in the marriage of millennials. 62% of those over the age of 28 are requesting a prenup before the marriage nationwide. How can you raise the issue of a prenup before the wedding in a positive manner.
A prenup helps to establish separate property from community property and even preserve the right for newly acquired assets to be kept separate in some cases. This is going to be a challenging topic for any couple. However, the hallmark of any sound marriage is the ability to honestly confront, discuss and resolve complicated issues with your spouse. If you are unable to do so before you are married, how will you do so once you’ve tied the knot?
Your partner will have a lot of questions. Be sensitive to their position as well as open and honest in your response. If there is a particularly difficult issue for your intended, seek counsel together. This takes this focus off of you, unites the two of you as a couple, and allows a third party to validate the issues and help work through the process. Invite your partner to help to draft the agreement. This will provide buy-in not only to the process but to the success of the agreement itself.
Successfully completing this project builds confidence in the ability to confront challenges together, and will actually make your relationship stronger.
The attorneys at Burke & Domercq have decades of experience and are Certified Family Law Specialists. We understand how difficult it is to raise the issue of a prenup before the wedding. We provide sound counsel to help inform the need for a prenup in your case, the issues to be considered and facilitate the conversation to help you and your partner to get through the process. We invite you to contact us or call 760-389-3927 to schedule an appointment.