Should You Get a Prenuptial Agreement?

However, , Wedding bells are in the air. You’re up to your eyeballs in floral arrangements and congratulations while planning one of the most important days of your life.

In that pre-wedding bliss, the last thing most couples want to do is think about divorce by getting a prenuptial agreement.

Contrary to popular belief, signing a prenuptial agreement with a Wake County prenup lawyer offers more benefits than you think.

Benefits of Getting a Prenuptial Agreement

Marriage is a big step in your life, and a prenuptial agreement can make sure you’re prepared in several ways.

Reducing Future Conflict

When a relationship ends, the best case scenario is typically a “clean break”: both people walk away and close that chapter of their lives without messy arguments. In a typical divorce, that’s all but impossible.

If you end your relationship and then need to spend the next several weeks, months, or years fighting over money, every conversation is an opportunity for conflict and stress. The process can turn an amicable break-up into an all-out war.

A Wake County prenup lawyer can help you make as many of those decisions as possible before your marriage. If you get divorced in the future, you’ll have less to fight over and can enjoy a less stressful divorce. This is especially helpful if you share kids with your ex and need to maintain a cooperative co-parenting relationship.

Getting it All On the Table

One of the most important parts of a prenuptial agreement is disclosing your assets. Both you and your fiance will need to disclose all of your savings, investments, debts, income, and other financial information.

Considering that money is one of the top reasons married couples fight, that kind of honesty right off the bat can help any marriage. You don’t need to question whether you’re marrying someone who’s drowning in debt or someone who is trying to hide money from you.

Making Logical Decisions

Divorce is an emotional time, no matter how amicable and mutual the break-up is. We can all agree that we don’t always make the best decisions while we’re stressed or emotional.

A prenuptial agreement won’t make your divorce 100% hands-off, but it will limit the number of choices and negotiations you and your ex need to navigate while you’re coping with a divorce. You’ll have the opportunity to make some of those decisions while you’re in a more logical, practical frame of mind with the counsel of a Wake County prenup lawyer.

Account for Unique Circumstances

In North Carolina, the law states that any property you owned before your marriage is, except in certain circumstance, separate property. In the event of a divorce, you and your ex each retain, except in certain circumstances, the assets you came in with. However, anything you acquire during the marriage is considered marital property, and this is what you divide during a divorce.

This isn’t always straightforward, though. For example, let’s say your spouse comes into the marriage with $20,000 in credit card debt. During the marriage, you use your shared assets to pay off the debt. If you get divorced, does your ex need to pay you back for your half of that paid-off debt?

A Wake County prenup lawyer can help you arrange for how to handle unique circumstances.

Getting Started with a Wake County Prenup Lawyer

Some couples shy away from the subject of a prenuptial agreement because they think they’re setting up the marriage for failure before it begins. In fact, the opposite is true.

A prenuptial agreement offers you all the benefits above and helps you start important financial and practical conversations every couple should have before marriage. To find out more about the process or to get started, call our Wake County prenup lawyer.