It’s been a while since we’ve covered the prenuptial agreement here at MyDivorceDocuments.com (MDD). As an online divorce review service, we like to take an active interest in all aspects of marriage and divorce, and with a growing number of people in their 20s and 30s considering this option, we thought it appropriate to weigh in.
Should you get a prenuptial agreement if you plan on getting married (again)?
Divorced people certainly tend to be more cautious about love than their first-time-married counterparts. That’s because they’ve been stung by love once, and even if something new and good comes in to their lives, that nagging thought of deja vu is hard to abolish. But divorced or not, if you’re getting married the prenuptial agreement can be a warning sign. It’s one or both of you saying, “Yeah, this might not work out,” before the marriage even has a chance to fail on its own merit. It’s very difficult to put that thought in your head and not have it turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
However…
Not all of the symbolism of a prenup is bad. Take, for instance, the frequency with which younger people rush in to love and marriage. By introducing a prenup to the conversation, you can jar an idealistic fiancee out of the hysteria that love causes and lead them to a reasonable, concrete conversation about the validity of getting married at this point in your lives as well as the future.
You may ultimately decide that you don’t need a prenup, but just bringing it up can do some good in terms of financial planning and setting life goals.
It’s also a time when you can both start thinking about long-term decisions regarding your children. (Even if you don’t have them yet!)
So would we get a prenup if we were serious about getting married?
At one time, the answer would have been a resounding no. Now we’ll just begrudgingly move it to a “depends.” It probably isn’t a good idea to get one when you’re young and in love and just starting out, and neither of you have any real assets of your own to claim. Should you experience divorce once or twice, however, it’s not unreasonable to bring it up with a spouse. They have to understand the experiences that you’ve been through and be sensitive enough to address the subject.
For more on prenups and other divorce forms, check out our LegalZoom review, and good luck, whatever you decide!