5 Reasons Regular People Get Prenups

A lot of folks think that prenups are only for rich people. The word brings to mind images of Charlotte battling Bunny for her self worth in Sex and the City. But there are a lot of reasons why regular people get prenups, too.

Reason No. 1: Because Somebody Else Told Them To

Folks who are getting married are getting a lot of input from third parties on their relationship, on their wedding, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. With that often comes the advice of a relative or friend who says “hey I got divorced” or “hey I’m the child of a person who got remarried” and “I got screwed over in the will” or “I got screwed over in my divorce.”

While that advice is often really well meaning, I don’t think everybody needs a prenup.

But it doesn’t hurt to think about it. Because as you’ve probably heard, if you don’t have a plan, the state has a plan for you. Which means it’s a good idea to look at the state rules or get some legal advice about the state rules and think about whether you want them to apply to you or whether you want to do something different depending on the factors at play for you and your partner.

I’ll say it again – not everybody needs a prenup. It would certainly be better not to have one than to have one that’s hastily made or that you don’t really understand or haven’t fully considered. So, take your friend or family member’s advice with a grain of salt and make sure you’re considering whether it makes sense for you and your partner before entering into a binding contract that changes how your state laws apply to you.