Why Should You Consider a Prenuptial or Postnuptial Agreement?
Most people enter into marriage wearing rose-colored glasses. Everyone knows that divorce is a possibility, but no one thinks it is going to happen to them. That belief, along with a variety of misunderstandings about prenuptial agreements, leads to many divorces being much more complicated than they need to be.
The truth is, divorce happens because life is unpredictable, and people’s desires and financial situations change. Many couples assume that prenuptial agreements don’t make sense for them because they don’t have large assets to protect. While this may be true now, your future may look quite different than you envision. Landing the right job or making the right investment could set you off on a course you never imagined. Without a prenuptial agreement, a divorce could take that all away from you. If you do have large assets or business interests now, a prenuptial agreement can help protect them.
Others avoid prenups because they don’t want to limit what their spouse will get after a marriage. Prenuptial agreements, however, can be used to do just the opposite. Making an agreement before marriage to provide for your spouse after the marriage ends can keep anger from getting in the way of your intention to make sure your spouse is always taken care of.
While many couples find the mere thought of a prenup distasteful, it is much easier and simpler to work out a financial agreement before marriage, while you are in love, than during a divorce, when emotions and arguments get in the way of negotiation.
If you have already married, you still have the ability to create a postnuptial agreement that typically works in the same way. This type of agreement can protect your assets while ensuring that no future disagreement causes either of you to end up in financial ruin.
To learn more about marital agreements, schedule a consultation with the knowledgeable family law attorneys at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia. We serve clients throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties.