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Should you sign a prenup when getting married?

On Behalf of | Jun 15, 2022 | Divorce |

We all know love is a wonderful thing. And while you might love your future spouse with every fiber of your being, you do not want to imagine a situation where your hard-earned wealth is not protected if your marriage were to end in a divorce.

A prenuptial agreement is a legal contract that a couple signs before getting married. This document guides the process of separating your personal property from marital property should the marriage fail to work, resulting in the divorce.

Here are two questions that can help you understand why you need to sign a prenup before tying the knot:

Do you have more assets than your future spouse?

If you have accrued a substantial amount of wealth before getting married, it is prudent to consider separating personal assets from what you make while in marriage before making things official. And this is where a prenuptial agreement comes in.

Keep in mind that Pennsylvania is an equitable distribution state, meaning that should the marriage end in a divorce, the court will divide marital property in a manner that it considers fair. If your personal assets are commingled with the assets you accumulated in marriage, then you may be disadvantaged during the property division process.

Does your future spouse have a lot of debt?

A prenuptial is extremely necessary if your future spouse is coming into the marriage with a lot of debt. Of course, any debt that is acquired before marriage should be separated from the union. However, problems tend to arise when you need to bail your spouse out of their debt. And while this may make perfect sense, it can leave you feeling cheated if the marriage ends in a divorce.

Find out how you can use a properly created prenuptial contract to protect your rights and interests during the divorce.