You found your perfect match. From the moment the two of you met, everything fell into place. You shared the same hobbies, political views and religious beliefs. You got along well, and spending time together was natural. Pretty soon, you made the decision to get married.
By the time you tied the knot, you’d agreed on the basics – like how many kids you wanted to have and the kind of house you wanted to share. But the importance of collaborative planning for your future didn’t occur to you.
Now a couple years into the marriage, your spouse is spending money through the roof, which is causing you anxiety about your financial security and putting strain on your relationship. What do you do?
A postnuptial agreement can help
Finances are a sensitive topic for many people, and couples often have differing ideas about proper money management. Financial stress is one of the leading causes of conflict in marriages. Creating a postnuptial agreement can be an effective way to eliminate many financial concerns from a marriage – and has even been shown to save marriages that are on the rocks.
What goes in a postnuptial agreement?
A postnuptial agreement is a contract between both members of a married couple. You decide what goes into the agreement, and it can include a wide variety of topics. For instance:
- You can determine how you want to save for your children’s college education.
- You can lay out protections in the event of either spouse’s death.
- You can release one spouse from shared responsibility over the other spouse’s debt.
- You can also plan for other unforeseen circumstances, such as implementing protections in the event that one spouse becomes disabled.
Creating a postnuptial – or prenuptial – agreement should not automatically imply that there is distrust in a relationship. These are smart and responsible planning tools that can alleviate stress and add security to a marriage.