Before you get married, you should consider signing a prenuptial agreement with your future spouse. It is easy to assume that because you don’t have a lot of assets right now that you don’t need one. In a nutshell, you might need to consider a prenup, no matter what type of assets you have now.
When you are setting up a prenuptial agreement, you have to think about the future. Is there a chance that you are going to get an inheritance or invest money? Is it possible that you are going to start a business or acquire assets? If so, it is a good idea to have a prenup in place.
A prenup goes far beyond just distributing assets. It can also cover the division of debt. This might be helpful if you or your future spouse has debts coming into the marriage. Even though the likelihood is that premarital debts will be separate, there is a chance that things like refinancing or consolidations could have an impact on how they are viewed. Having the plan outlined in the premarital agreement can make it easier to handle this if there is a divorce.
You have to make sure that your prenuptial agreement is valid when you make it. You can’t try to rush your betrothed into signing it, so make sure that you present it well in advance of the wedding. You also have to ensure that it isn’t one-sided. It must be fair to both sides. It can’t include anything related to child custody or support and it must be handled in writing. Also, it has to be fully accurate and can’t be misleading at all.
