Prenuptial Agreements

Polygamy & Communism Good for the Environment

In what has got to be one of the most ridiculous studies I've ever seen, Dr. Jianguo Liu, director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University, has claimed that divorce leads to "resource-inefficient lifestyles" that are bad for the environment. This is because when people divorce, they use more electricity, water, housing, appliances, and even gas for driving to and from visitation.

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Postnuptial Agreements

A question that I'm sometimes asked is: Can I enter into a prenuptial agreement after I get married? The answer is: yes, you can. These agreements are known as postnuptial agreements or antenuptial agreements or postmarital agreements.

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Death by Prenuptial Agreements

I am horrified to see this tragedy. In Australia, Terrance John Jackson has just been convicted of murdering his partner, Marita Ameli Brown, because she sought legal advice about getting a prenuptial agreement.

Divorce can be a really ugly event. Unfortunately, this sort of thing does happen during a bitter divorce. However, I have never heard of such a case involving a prenup before. I can't even begin to imagine what must have gone through Jackson's mind.

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Privatize Marriage?

There was an interesting op-ed in the New York Times recently arguing for privatizing marriage. According to the article, throughout most of history the government was not involved in marriages at all. While religious institutions did get involved, people could still get married without the approval of a religious institution and had the same rights as people married through a religious institution. All a couple had to do was agree with each other that they were married and they were.

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Does Family Law Uphold "Maher"?

Maher (also spelt Mahr and Mehr) is a sum of money that the man agrees to pay the woman in a Muslim marriage contract. The idea is to provide some financial security for the wife. Often, this amount is not paid right away or is payable upon divorce. The question is: does secular American family law uphold this obligation to pay in a religious prenuptial agreement?

The answer is both yes and no. There is not much judicial authority on this issue. A recent Ohio case found that payment of Maher should not be upheld in part because the payment was a religious act. On the other hand, there has been a New Jersey case that upheld payment of Maher as constituting part of a valid contract, rather than a prenuptial agreement.

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Prenuptial Agreements Roundup - November 7, 2007

There have been a lot of good posts in the blogosphere lately about prenuptial agreements. Here's a roundup of some of the best ones:

1. I Will Only Marry You If We Get a Prenup - Wise is the person who says this. This article emphasizes the importance of getting a prenup.

2. Basics of Prenuptial Agreements. This article is written on a blog about financial prosperity by someone who is about to get married.

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30 Must Read Articles About Prenuptial Agreements

This is a collection of what I think are some of the best articles on the internet about prenuptial agreements. It's well worth pouring yourself a large cup of coffee and working your way through this list of resources.

Legal Aspects

1. What To Cover In Your Prenup by Jeffrey Lalloway of the Orange County Divorce Blog. This is perhaps the most comprehensive list of considerations I've seen for what should go into a prenuptial agreement. It's a three-part articles; be sure to check out part 2 and part 3.

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Family Law Search Engine

In my last post I discussed the importance of researching quality family law information when deciding what you want in a prenuptial agreement. I reviewed what the best family law blogs out there are.

As most people know, Google is probably the best search engine that exists today. This reputation is well deserved.

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The Top Family Law Blogs

To understand what needs to be put in a prenuptial agreement, you need to understand the basics of family law.
Family law is quite a complicated matter, and a legal consultation lasting several hours just to understand the basics is fairly expensive. Fortunately, there are a number of attorneys who graciously share their expertise and knowledge of divorce and family law for free in their blogs.

There are a number of family law bloggers out there, each with their own style and slant on things. A number of them stand out, and the following is a ranking of the Top 30 Family Law Blogs:

1. Cavers Divorce

  Cavers Law by J. Shannon Cavers

This is my choice of the top family law blog. There is a post almost every day on this blog, including many that examine the lighter side of the law. It's the kind of blog that's so interesting that you lose track of time as you read through it. Recent posts include discussions about voiding marriages after death, losses suffered by children after divorce, and children and relocation.

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The Best Answers to Frequently Raised Objections About Prenups

Prenuptial agreements have often been represented as "weapons" that spouses use in a bitter divorce…pessimistic, "worst-case-scenarios" that seem to say that a marriage is doomed from the start.

As a result, many people voice strong objections when their spouse-to-be suggests that they create a prenup. Most of these objections come from the heart not the head because prenuptial agreements are, in fact, a wise "insurance policy" for any marriage.

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Reasons For Your Future Mate To Say "I Do"… To A Prenup

To the bride and groom, marriage is a loving contract between two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together. In the eyes of the law, marriage is also a contract between two people ... not about love, but about a variety of financial rights and obligations.

It's hard to talk about marriage as if it were "business," but when it comes to creating a prenuptial agreement, that's exactly the approach you should take. A prenuptial agreement isn't a well-planned "exit strategy" or evidence of a lack of faith in the relationship. It is simply protection against an unlikely and unforeseen "what if" circumstance ... an important "insurance policy" on the legal issues of the marriage contract.

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What Can & Can't Be In A Prenuptial Agreement

The range of what can be in a prenuptial agreement is flexible and can accommodate most of the individual wants and desires that a marrying couple may have. On the other hand, there are some strict rules about what cannot be in a prenuptial agreement.

Generally, a prenuptial agreement can deal with the following:

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6 Costly Myths About Prenuptial Agreements

Myth #1 - Prenuptial agreements are only for the wealthy. No. Prenuptial agreements are for ordinary people. Given the high legal fees and stress involved in a divorce, the frequency with which relationships end nowadays, as well as peoples’ increasing financial sophistication and independence, a prenuptial agreement can benefit just about everyone.

Myth #2 - Prenuptial agreements are only useful if your relationship breaks down. No. Prenuptial agreements can be useful estate planning tools. Without a prenup, your spouse may be able to invalidate your carefully thought out estate plan. A prenup can be especially helpful if you have children from a previous marriage or have family heirlooms that you want to keep in the family.

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8 Reasons Why You Should Get A Prenuptial Agreement

A prenuptial agreement is an agreement between two people that deals with the financial consequences of their marriage ending.

All marrying couples have a "prenuptial agreement" - it is known as "divorce law." However, a lot of people are unhappy with the way divorce law works, and prefer to take control of their lives, rather than leave it in the hands of the government. In these cases, it makes a lot of sense to get a customized prenup.

Getting a prenuptial agreement is particularly important in these 8 cases:

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