I was discussing this with a friend recently (no wedding plans, just a discussion) and we both agreed everyone should have a PreNup. Interesting comments from an article I found:

 

Divorce attorney Vikki Ziegler tells us that you should consider getting a prenup if: you own a business or real estate; you are expecting a future inheritance; you earn more or your net worth is more than that of your partner; you have children from previous relationships; you have elderly parents that rely on your financial support; you or your partner has debt; or you want to leave your assets to others aside from your partner.

 

But that's not all. These days, couples are also signing prenups in order to fairly divide their debt, Ziegler explains. Student loans, third party debt, medical bills and large credit card debts are becoming the new grounds for prenuptial agreements. But this doesn’t only apply to young newlyweds entering marriage. Older couples have debt too, and that includes mortgages, unpaid medical bills, home equity lines of credit or even 401K loans.

 

While newlyweds may be on cloud nine with wedding planning and honeymoon prospects, the idea of a prenup can seem like the ultimate romance killer. But just because divorce isn’t foreseeable doesn’t mean a couple shouldn’t be aware of their individual and combined assets, cash flow and net worth.

 

"If someone is getting married without a prenup, they should see a psychiatrist," says attorney Raoul Felder.

 

And, according to family lawyer Alexis Neely, the discussion about assets and whether to enter a prenuptial agreement is one of the most healthy conversations a couple can have. It may even help prevent divorce by helping to sort out any foreseeable economic hurdles, she adds.

 

If you do forego signing a prenup and find yourself in divorce court, prepare for a long legal battle, Felder warns. "Divorce is the real romance killer!" he says.

Read more: Why EVERYONE Should Have A Prenup...That Means You | Fox News Magazine

Lots of good points there.

 

Agree or Disagree, should everyone have a prenup?

The second paragraph includes almost everyone. Good luck trying to sell that.

The second paragraph includes almost everyone. Good luck trying to sell that.

 

What is your opinion on the question asked, should everyone have a prenup? And if your answer is No under what conditions do you think it is a good idea not to have a prenup?

I think so, yes.

What is your opinion on the question asked, should everyone have a prenup? And if your answer is No under what conditions do you think it is a good idea not to have a prenup?

 

It's probably a good idea. I always thought prenups were for splitting wealth, not debt. Considering the amount of marriages that are broken up over finances, and the majority of those issue's are not having enough money, it's something that should probably be done. This is especially true if you have major debt, like kid's college tuition.

 

With that said, I won't be approaching the misses with this idea any time soon.

I don't think everyone should have a prenup.

 

I believe prenups server their purpose when someone prior to marriage already has an established business and/or monies from inheratance or large sum of money from another source etc. Prenups are great for older couples who have already been established per say.

 

I don't think prenups are a good idea for young couples who are just starting out, for example a couple meets in school and gets married either before or during college or shortly after. The reason is once married and before either of them become a professional etc. more schooling may be requuired and one of the two may have to work to support the other while the other attends school full time etc. Then 20 years down the road the one who was able to continue school is now an established business owner or succesful doctor or lawyer etc. while the other sacrificed their professional dreams to support their spouse while raising the children or working so the other could continue their education or whatever, I feel both are equal partners and if they divorce the one who was able to continue their education and now makes the majority of the money shouldn't dismiss the other who sacrificed a lot to enable the others education etc.

 

So no, prenups should not be done for everyone in every circumstance.

It's probably a good idea. I always thought prenups were for splitting wealth, not debt. Considering the amount of marriages that are broken up over finances, and the majority of those issue's are not having enough money, it's something that should probably be done. This is especially true if you have major debt, like kid's college tuition.

 

With that said, I won't be approaching the misses with this idea any time soon.

 

Being young (only 24) that is what I always thought. Still not exactly sure of how all that works so I can't make a judgement as to whether everyone should have one or not.

The logical voice inside my head says yes. However, I don't know if I could have ever brought this up prior to getting married. I got married in my early mid 20's, and we had nothing except for debt which we immediately combined and worked on getting rid of. I just can't imagine myself saying, "honey I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, but just in case, we need to have a prenup". Not very romantic....but probably smart. Again, for older more established folks who are bringing more to the table, or need to provide for children from previous marriages, it's probably a necessity.

The Catholic Church (which has teachings on virtually everything, as we all know), does not allow for prenuptial agreements in the case of most first marriages. The reasoning is right there in the Catholic wedding rite: "__________ and __________, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

 

A prenup is about the most obvious example of a reservation about marriage as I can imagine. "I will marry you if you only take 1/3 of my money in the case of a divorce" does not put the Catholic Church's view of marriage being a permanent and lasting bond between man and wife in good light.

 

There are specific examples where the Catholic Church DOES allow for prenups, though, such as where a widow and widower...or a woman and a man that both have valid annulments from their previous marriages come to get married. Both have children from previous marriages. The prenup is used specifically as means to determine which properties belonged to individuals prior to the marriage and which are common properties, and thereby can resolve issues of inheritance amongst the children.

Edited July 8, 201313 yr by Colonels_Wear_Blue

I guess I'm old-fashioned. Divorce SHOULD be hard, painful, and possibly expensive. In my mind, a prenup makes it too easy. I admire those couples who work really hard to keep the marriage together. Getting to the "other side" of a major issue is such a wonderful feeling. Don't get me wrong...I understand divorce is necessary in many situations (e.g. cheating by one of the participants comes to mind)...I just don't feel that divorce should be the first thing a couple should consider because they have the convenience of a prenup in place.

I guess I'm old-fashioned. Divorce SHOULD be hard, painful, and possibly expensive. In my mind, a prenup makes it too easy. I admire those couples who work really hard to keep the marriage together. Getting to the "other side" of a major issue is such a wonderful feeling. Don't get me wrong...I understand divorce is necessary in many situations (e.g. cheating by one of the participants comes to mind)...I just don't feel that divorce should be the first thing a couple should consider because they have the convenience of a prenup in place.

 

Absolutely agreed.

I guess I'm old-fashioned. Divorce SHOULD be hard, painful, and possibly expensive. In my mind, a prenup makes it too easy. I admire those couples who work really hard to keep the marriage together. Getting to the "other side" of a major issue is such a wonderful feeling. Don't get me wrong...I understand divorce is necessary in many situations (e.g. cheating by one of the participants comes to mind)...I just don't feel that divorce should be the first thing a couple should consider because they have the convenience of a prenup in place.

This is golden.

No. If you can't trust the one you are with to have some sense if you split up then you don't need to be together.

 

A prenup is about the most obvious example of a reservation about marriage as I can imagine. "I will marry you if you only take 1/3 of my money in the case of a divorce" does not put the Catholic Church's view of marriage being a permanent and lasting bond between man and wife in good light.

 

It is hard (i.e. impossible) to overcome the thought that a pre-nuptial agreement is "divorce insurance", but there are several legitimate, practical reasons to have a prenup.

 

Pre-nups are also a great way for a married couple to avert risk. Consider the businessman who gets sued or incurs large amounts of debt (i.e. medical bills). If all of the couple's assets are marital assets, creditors may have access to all of the property. Through a pre-nuptial agreement, a married couple can protect more of its property and avoid putting all of their eggs into one, married basket.