Whether you’re an heiress to a small fortune or a successful entrepreneur, you want to protect your rights and property, before you tie the knot with your beloved.
But having the “prenuptial conversation” can be challenging, even if you love and trust your fiancée, and even if the two of you can communicate openly about money issues.
To that end, here are 9 critical tips to make prenuptial planning both stress-free and thorough.
1. Avoid last minute prenuptials.
Give your partner at least 6 to 12 months prior to the wedding to go over the prenuptial and make adjustments. This will reduce stress and panic, and it will also make the agreement more enforceable in the California courts.
2. Take emotion out of the equation.
When you’re in love, you can find yourself governed more by passion than by reason. Don’t be impetuous. Avoid making snap decisions. Instead, get help from objective people you trust about how to structure the prenuptial.
3. Keep it simple and easily enforceable.
The goal here is to create a contract that’s clear, concise, and respectful. You might be tempted to include clauses to the effect of “if you have an affair, then I get the house, kids, and all of your jewelry.” That’s not the point! You just want an enforceable contract that will simply spell out what will happen if the marriage ends in separation.
For help with any California prenuptial questions, connect with the Dinnebier and Demmerle family law team today for a case evaluation.