Pre-nuptial agreements are something that was considered to be a fad when they first started being commonly used in the UK. The public could read about celebrities who had asked for pre-nuptial agreements and see them in storylines on film and television but it may not have ever been something they considered for themselves. While people hope to marry one person and stay with them for the rest of their life, the public must face the reality that the amount of divorce settlements that happen in the UK is increasing. Many marriages end in divorce and it makes no difference whether the couple have been together for three years or for thirty years. A marriage can sadly fall apart at any age and, if a pre-nuptial agreement has been signed by both parties in advance, the divorce can be made a lot simpler for everyone involved.
One of the great benefits of making a prenuptial agreement is that it is being made at a time when the couple are happy together, rather than when they are angry and miserable during a divorce. Because the couple are happy and still love each other they are more likely to arrange a fair split of the assets when producing a pre-nuptial agreement rather than making demands to spite their ex-spouse. Although some people may say that these agreements are unromantic because they are presuming the marriage will fail, this is simply not the case. The couple do not expect that their marriage will fail; they just want to be prepared in the event that it does.
Throughout a marriage the aspects of a prenuptial agreement may change as the couple buy different properties and earn more money. In these situations, the couple should talk to their solicitor to agree on changes that should be made to the agreement. A pre-nuptial only works if the couple agree on every decision to do with the agreement.
A pre-nuptial agreement is not unromantic or a harbinger of doom; it simply shows that the couple is prepared for the worst and, should the worst come, they will be able to minimise the pain they cause each other. In today’s society where men and women have equal jobs and can earn equal amounts of money, it seems fairer to have pre-nuptial agreements as each person in a couple can stand on their own two feet after a divorce without needing support from the other.
For more information visit Simpson Sissons and Brooke
