Pre-marital agreements, also known as prenuptial agreements (prenups),
are contracts signed by potential spouses before an actual marriage occurs.
These documents are created and signed to protect each spouse’s
financial interests, negotiate economic problems in advance, and make
the divorce process more manageable if the marriage later ends.
An increasing number people are deciding to opt for pre-marital agreements.
Typically, wealthy individuals choose to get prenups to protect their
own assets and protect themselves from the debts of their spouse in the
event of a divorce. However, even low-income individuals can benefit from
a pre-marital agreement.
Prenups allow spouses to plan for potential financial situations in advance
before they ever become a problem. For example, a prenup can outline what
will happen if one spouse loses a job. The spouses can agree before the
situation even occurs that the spouse with a job will support the unemployed
spouse until he or she finds another position.
Likewise, a prenup can also outline how property will be passed upon the
death of one spouse. If a spouse has children from a previous marriage,
he or she might wish a certain amount of his or her estate to pass to
those children. Without a will and without a prenup, the state will decide
how to pass on the property to the closest relative, which tends to be
the spouse of the deceased and the children of that spouse.
The primary disadvantages of advantages mostly concern the preconceived
notions of a prenup. Some individuals find the documents unromantic or
think discussing them indicates a lack of trust in the marriage or in
his or her future spouse. It can also be disadvantageous to plan far in
advance if your situation changes. It can be hard to predict how potential
issues should be handled in the future.
If you want to discuss a pre-marital agreement with one of our skilled
Fort Worth family law attorneys, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
Jerry Loftin & Associates can offer you compassionate legal representatives who will do their best
to ensure your legal needs are met. Let us see what we can do for you
and your future spouse.
Contact us at (817) 591-7850 or fill out our online form to schedule a free initial
case consultation today.