Consider this story:
A man tells his wife that they should work on estate planning to protect themselves and their children. He brings up the subject of writing a will and possibly setting up a trust for their kids. His wife is shocked and says that if he really wants to make a will, she’ll go along with the plan. But it embarrasses her and, she says she’ll never tell anyone about it.
That sounds ludicrous, right? Next, consider the same story, but replace estate planning and wills with the idea of a prenuptial agreement. Now, some readers might side with the wife — even though a prenuptial agreement and estate planning are not that different.
The story is actually true — a young financial professional brought up the idea of a prenup to his girlfriend when they started talking about marriage. He was already making a good deal of money and had assets put away for the future, and he wanted to create stability for himself for life.
Today, many people are getting married after starting or succeeding in careers, so it’s not surprising that they might want to protect what they’ve earned. Even in the face of love, you can still be realistic about your personal goals and needs.
In some cases, people are getting married after already having a family, and a prenup might be less about protecting you and more about protecting your children or other heirs. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. In fact, if more couples talked openly about financial arrangements, they might find themselves with better marriage relationships. If you’re thinking about broaching the subject of a prenup and need some help, consider talking to a family law professional first.
Source: New York Magazine, “With This Ring (and This Contract), I Thee Wed,” Geoffrey Gray, accessed Nov. 04, 2016