Is a Prenup Important Even If You're in Love and Have No Assets?

When many hear the word prenup, they often think that it's not intended for them. If you're young and haven't yet built up your savings, then you're likely to feel as if you don't have enough assets to protect. Other couples may feel that they're so much in love, nothing could ever tear them apart. Whether one or both of these describe your relationship, there may some worth in signing a prenup anyway.

First, even the mere discussion about signing a prenuptial agreement has a way of encouraging couples to have those uncomfortable types of discussions, such as about finances, early on. It also has a way of forcing the two of you to really think about future debts you may accrue, savings you may amass and investments you may intend to make.

Discussing a prenup between you and your intended might also tell you a lot about one another. Learning what each other feels is appropriate in terms of paying or receiving alimony if you split is pretty telling. If you do ever divorce, you'll definitely appreciate having signed a prenup before you married when you really were both head over heels in love with one another as opposed to when you're bitter adversaries.

Aside from helping you two think about how you'd split up assets if you divorced, the lifestyle clauses that couples choose to include in prenups may give you peace of mind or more realistic expectations of each other.

It's not unheard of for couples to specify what their intentions are in terms of custody of their pets, which of you is responsible for covering certain bills or handling household chores in a prenup. Other increasingly popular topics addressed in prenups may include whether a spouse would be penalized if he or she was caught cheating on the other, how often a couple vacations or how often a couple is intimate.

In the increasingly image-focused culture we live in, couples may even opt to include a social media clause or gag order as part of their prenup. In the case of these, if one spouse talks poorly about the other in public or on social media, then the prenup may call for him or her to pay a fine.

If you're getting married and wonder if a prenup is ideal for your situation, then you may benefit from discussing your concerns with a Naples attorney.

Source: CNN Money, "Why you should get a prenup even if you're young and broke," Erin Lowry, accessed Dec. 29, 2017