Prenup First, I Do Later

In this day and age how far does I love you really last? There might have been a time and a place where the ‘happily ever after’ was expected but it seems that the dissolution of marriage is a lot more common in today’s time. One can look to the explanation for this: the breakdown of traditional values, a lack of determination to make things work, and the images presented by the media of fleeting romances sprinkled all over the weekly gossip magazines. Whatever the cause, one thing is certain; marriage does not last as long as it once did. There is an exception to very rule, of course, and although many marriages do last until ‘death to you part’ many end before the Honeymoon is even over.

Prenuptial agreement: two words that cause quite a stir whenever uttered.  People argue that setting up a prenuptial agreement is setting one’s marriage up for failure. Others think that it is insulting to make a person divide their financial resources from their spouse instead of joining them in marriage. The reality of the matter is that one should not expect to leave a marriage richer than one was to begin with. People work hard for their money and that money should stay with the person who earned it. Divorces are messy and having to sort out financial issues only further complicates things. Prenups make at least one decision of divorce clear: what’s mine is mine and...not yours. This might sound selfish but the reality is that keeping one’s own assets is more than fair.

Marriage is an important step that should not be taken lightly. One can hope on ‘forever’ but one should not go into marriage blindly. Things happen, feelings change, people change, and sometimes marriage ends in divorce. If one worked hard for one’s money then why should someone else have to claim to it simply because one chose to marry them?  Before getting married think things clearly; not everyone gets the fairytale but everyone has the right to decide to protect one's assets in case ‘prince charming’ ends up being nothing more than a well-dressed phony.