Monday, October 25, 2010

“Nothing Says Romance More Than A Prenuptial Contract.”

You may have your doubts about the sentiment above (which is also the opening line of a recent article in the Wall Street Journal) but many couples are beginning to see the truth of this statement.  Younger couples, older couples embarking on second marriages, and couples with family businesses or assets to protect are coming to realize that prenuptial agreements can actually take the pressure off a relationship, making more room for romance rather than less.

A recent ruling in Britain’s Supreme Court has thrown prenuptial agreements back into the limelight, not only in the U.K. and Europe, but also here in the United States.  The above-mentioned article in the Wall Street Journal offers a few basic guidelines for couples considering drawing up a pre-nup, the most important of which include: there must be no signs of duress, each party must have their own legal counsel, and nothing concerning children can be fixed in a pre-nup. 

But if you’re on the fence about whether or not a prenuptial agreement is right for you and your spouse-to-be you may be most interested in the final paragraph of the article, which states that “Prenups are romantic... You’re making a provision for somebody. You’re saying, ‘I want you to know now that you’ll be alright’... this should be part of the process of falling in love and going forward with that commitment.”