What You Need to Know About Prenuptial Agreements
May 9th, 2008 by Cristi Trusler
These days, prenups are not only for wealthy couples but for poor couples as well. People from all lifestyles want to register their responsibilities and rights before their marriage. This will help the couple to divide the assets and properties amicably in case if they need to go for a divorce in future.
We should start with a definition. What is a prenup? It is written agreement that a couple signs before their marriage. If death or divorce separates the couple, then the prenup states the rights of the properties of the couple or their legal heirs. It addresses both assets and liabilities.
All types of people realize the benefits of using a prenup and therefore they have started using it. It is not meant for wealthy people alone anymore.
Prenups allow couples with blended families to pass on assets and property to their children while still providing for each other. In this situation, a prenuptial agreement protects the children of the deceased spouse. It can also prevent the assets and property from passing to the surviving spouse.
Prenups can also clarify the responsibilities and the financial rights of each party during the marriage. Consider the situation where one spouse has significant debt. A prenup can protect the other spouse by removing the responsibility of the debt that may have been incurred before the marriage.
If a couple divorces, a prenuptial agreement can help reduce the stress and allow them to separate more amicably. A prenuptial agreement can address whether or not the spouse will receive alimony or spousal support. However, a spouse cannot give up their rights to alimony in a few states.
A prenuptial agreement can benefit anyone, and does not indicate that you and your spouse are not fully committed to honoring your marriage vows! On the contrary, a prenup allows the couple to spell out what they expect from each other financially, and creates a more harmonious union with fewer conflicts, now and in the future.
