Pre-Nup: Terrible Idea?

[ConstantineX]

How does OOT feel about pre-nups? If you really trust a girl, is it below the belt to ask for one? I don't have a personal situation now, but I'd love to hear from some people who have experience in this sort of thing.

Let's hear it.

[graydot]

depends on your net worth [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[iambusto]

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depends on your net worth [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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VERY WRONG The answer mostly likely should be
depends on your future net worth. Remember, what you owned before the marriage is not in jeopardy. its what you gain during the course of your marriage. if you are planning on staying married for at least 5-10 years, even if you dont have anything now, you will have a lot to lose should you get divorced in 10 years.

Not getting a prenup is like going out driving without an insurance.

[kazana]

IMO, if someone refuses to think about a pre-nup, that person isn't mature enough to get married.

Many (most?) marriages end in a divorce. Securing your futures in a responsible way by making sure no one gets the raw end of the deal is the most sensible thing you can ever do.
Believing (=hoping) that in your personal oh-so-special case things can't go wrong is plain stupid.

[ConstantineX]

Ah yeah, let's pretend you're Michael Streehan here. Or someone with significant net worth.

[imitation]

This reminds me to ask this question, I have a house worth about 700k in my name it's not really mine but it is on paper. Apart from that I am basically broke, I will marry my girlfriend from China later this year or next year so she can get a visa, should I get this house out of my name now?

[KilgoreTrout]

Imitation,

Depends on which state you live in, but if the property is not yours, yet is in your name, I'd say you're carrying a significant liability on several fronts.

OP - prenup agreements aren't just for the uber wealthy. My wife isn't on my mortgage. We share expenses though. We didn't do a prenup, so we had to have a complicated Will that assures her share of the property is preserved should I croak before her. I forget the legal term for it, but there's a section of the document that requires us to dispose of the other's interest in the property (i.e. sell the house) if we split.

[gusmahler]

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Ah yeah, let's pretend you're Michael Streehan here. Or someone with significant net worth.

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Prenups aren't just for people with significant net worth. In fact, it may be MORE important for people without significant net worth, because the property they DO have is that much more valuable to them.

E.g., if Melinda Gates gets half of Bill Gates's fortune, it'll be a huge hit in theory. But in reality, $20B is still a lot of money.

OTOH, if you're a middle class family with only three significant assets (a house and two cars), losing the house and a car seriously damages you.

[The4Aces]

dont u ever listen to Kanye West?

[llayner]

I'm a chick and think this is a great idea - its very mature and keeps things from getting messy.

Then again, I make more money than most guys I date so...