3 myths about prenuptial agreements

Prenuptial agreements may not be romantic, but they can set the stage for your marriage by giving you a legal contract that you both understand and agree to. People often forget that marriage is a legal agreement, and they enter into it without thinking about the ramifications. A prenup allows you to do so.

However, you need to make sure you know how it works. Here are a few myths to be aware of:

1. The prenup can deal with non-financial details. For instance, it can stipulate that your spouse has to do the cooking and cleaning or that you get to plan family vacations.

The reality: A prenup is only for financial matters. Don’t include stipulations about behavioral expectations or decision-making responsibilities.

2. The prenup can get you out of child support. If you get divorced, you can use it to show that you don’t owe anything.

The reality: A prenup cannot address child support or child custody at all. The reasoning is simple: Children can’t sign off on the prenup, and so it cannot impact their lives. The court makes custody and support decisions at the time they’re needed.

3. The court has to use the prenup if you signed it.

The reality: If the court deems the prenup to be illegal on any grounds, it may not stand. They do not have to abide by it just because you and your spouse signed it.

If you are thinking about getting a prenup, you can see that it is very important to know how it works, what legal steps to take and exactly what you want to include in it.