What is the point of getting a prenup?

A prenup is a legally binding agreement that outlines the division of assets and finances in your relationship, serving as a blueprint for your financial future together. It creates financial solutions that work for both parties while establishing clear expectations about money, taxes, estates, and financial responsibilities throughout the marriage.

Is asking for a prenup a red flag in a relationship?

Asking for a prenup isn't a sign of lack of trust or commitment. It's actually an opportunity for couples to have open and honest conversations about their goals, values, and financial future together from a place of love and mutual respect.

Who should get a prenup?

Anyone can benefit from a prenup, not just wealthy individuals. Couples commonly seek prenups when one partner has significantly more debt or assets, either owns a business, plans to be a stay-at-home parent, or has children from previous relationships they want to ensure receive their intended inheritances.

What are the main benefits of having a prenup?

Prenups ensure the financial well-being of both partners by creating clear guidelines and expectations, promote open financial communication that helps prevent money-related relationship problems, and provide peace of mind through transparency and comprehensive understanding of each other's financial situations. They can also shield partners from substantial debts and establish support for stay-at-home partners.

Do prenups only cover what happens during separation?

No, prenups are relevant throughout the entire marriage, not just during separation. They can detail how taxes will be filed, how estates should be handled, who pays for what expenses, and how future earnings and assets will be considered during the relationship.

Why Get a Prenup: What You Need To Know

Getting a prenup allows you and your significant other to plan for your future together. Committed relationships can be complicated, but they're made even more so once you and your partner choose to get married. Because spouses share a certain degree of financial entanglement from a legal perspective (especially in community property states like California), preparing for what lies ahead is a smart choice.You probably don't plan on having your relationship fail, but signing a prenup should still be a priority. It's like car insurance: you probably aren't planning to crash your car, but having car insurance allows you to drive forward with confidence. Signing a prenup should be seen in the same light. It's essentially a blueprint for your future that provides significant benefits and peace of mind. Not sure where to start? Neptune has all the resources you need to start the prenup conversation with your partner.

What's the Point of a Prenup?

Prenuptial agreements are legally binding and outline the division of assets and finances moving forward in your relationship. Again, think of them as a sort of blueprint for your financial future together.

While they often get a bad reputation, they're actually incredibly useful tools built from a place of love and trust for each other to create financial solutions that work for both parties, even if the relationship doesn't work out. Rather than creating power imbalances, they approach finances and assets as a logistical detail to settle before tying the knot.

Couples seek prenups during their engagement for several reasons, including:

One partner has significantly more debt or assets than the other
One or both partners own businesses they want to be kept separate
One partner plans on being a stay-at-home parent and wants a financial plan in place that considers their non-financial contributions to the relationship
One or both partners have children from previous relationships and want to ensure their children get their intended inheritances

Is Asking for a Prenup a Bad Sign?

Prenups face a lot of stigma, often associated with a lack of commitment. Some see them as a sign that the relationship is doomed from the start due to a lack of trust. While a prenup often includes clauses that come into action during separation, they can also be relevant throughout the relationship. For example, a prenup may detail how taxes will be filed or how estates should be handled. They also can dictate financial standards for the relationship, such as who pays for what or how future earnings and assets will be considered.

Asking for a prenup isn't an inherent sign of a lack of trust. Rather, it’s an opportunity for you and your partner to have an open and honest conversation about your goals and values and what you see in your future.

When serious relationships fail as often as they sometimes do, it's practical to take the time to consider how you and your partner would proceed—even if you don’t plan to separate. Many think abuse or infidelity are the only reasons to separate, but sometimes, couples simply drift apart with time.

Sometimes, people realize their priorities no longer align with their partner's. And sometimes, people realize they're better off as friends than romantic partners. These can lead to the relationship failing without either party really being at fault or doing anything wrong.

People don't typically get married expecting it to fail, which actually makes the prenuptial period the perfect time to talk about these topics. As you and your partner plan your life together, you have each other's best interests at heart. Your collaborations and financial planning come from a place of love and truly wanting what's best for each other.

Who Benefits From a Prenup?

Everyone can benefit from a well-written prenup. Contrary to popular belief, they're not just for the rich. People of all income statuses can greatly benefit from working together to craft a prenup tailored to their unique financial status.

Benefits of a Prenup

Prenups provide several benefits for both partners beyond the legal terms of the agreement, including:

Ensuring the financial well-being of both partners: Some people think of prenups as one-sided, but well-crafted ones facilitate the financial well-being of both parties. In some cases, they can shield one party from substantial debts, like student loans, that one partner has brought into the relationship. In others, they can create financial guidelines calling for support for stay-at-home partners by paying into retirement accounts during the relationship. Others still may include stipulations for carrying a certain amount of life insurance to ensure a widow or widower is financially stable in the event of their partner's death.
Creating open financial communication: Financial problems and disagreements are among the leading reasons serious relationships fail. Your prenuptial agreement, which clearly articulates financial expectations and responsibilities for both parties, helps ensure that both you and your partner are on the same page. A good prenup also ensures financial transparency by requiring both parties to disclose their entire financial status, including debts and assets. It opens up a direct line of communication about the topic that can help create a more solid foundation for your future together.
Providing peace of mind: A well-designed prenup that both parties agree to and enter willingly offers peace of mind for the married couple. Both partners gain a comprehensive understanding of their financial situations, obligations and expectations while also enjoying the benefit of transparency and open communication.

Create Your Prenup From a Position of Confidence, Compassion, and Collaboration With Neptune

Prenups prepare you and your partner for whatever your financial future has in store for your relationship, and Neptune is here to help facilitate the process of creating one.

From describing the pros and cons of prenups to touching upon common things to ask for in a prenup, you'll find plenty of information to put you on the right path before getting attorneys involved.

Get started by taking Neptune's prenup quiz online to be paired with an attorney.