Prenuptial Agreements: The Back-Door to Divorce?
A prenuptial agreement is a contract that basically spells out the terms of your divorce before you get married. Many couples find the idea of a “prenup” to be exquisitely un-romantic. If you sign a prenuptial agreement, many argue, you are basically stating that you are not really committed to staying married at all. If you were, why would such an agreement ever be necessary?
You can only look to yourself and your spouse to the answer to that question. Rigorous honesty is required here. Are you really willing to commit unconditionally to staying married? This breaks down into a lot of difficult questions. If your spouse cheats on you, will you stay married? What if your spouse cheats on you multiple times, promises to clean up his or her act, and then dives headlong into another string of affairs? What if your spouse sexually abuses your children? Will you stay married no matter what?
If the answer to that question is “no,” then you are not willing to commit unconditionally. If this describes you, a prenuptial agreement might be a wise idea.
