When a couple is engaged and planning their wedding it is a happy time in each of their lives, perhaps the best of times. Consideration of a divorce is probably not an option at this point. However, with the national divorce rate being somewhere above 50%, it is something an engaged couple should consider and prepare for, in the event that the marriage does not last.
The best way to prepare for the divorce is to plan ahead. That is through a prenuptial agreement (also known as a premarital or antenuptial agreement). There is an overwhelming stigma surrounding prenuptial agreements. In fact, many people think of them as an immediate concession that divorce lingers somewhere in the future. However, prenuptial agreements, if gone about in a mutual, instead of adversarial way, can actually position your marriage to begin on the right foot with a comforting and understood future.
The key to this is the creation of a prenuptial agreement within the security of premarital mediation. Through the use of premarital mediation, you and your spouse-to-be can create an informed prenuptial agreement, as you work together to make financial decisions about your future. While examining things with you mediator, such as what you and your fiancé would want to happen with your finances in the event of divorce and how the laws of the state you will live in might affect such decisions, you will begin the ever difficult money discussion that can be a grave spot for many newlyweds. With the help of a premarital mediator, you and your fiancé will be able to have a transparent conversation about how finances will be handled in your marriage and in doing so will be able to strengthen the financial foundation upon which your marriage will stand in the years to come.
Mediation is a favorable alternative that can reduce the financial burden on you and your spouse-to-be. With mediation, a couple pays one mediator rather than two attorneys, dramatically cutting the accumulative cost. Moreover, the mediation process is much more efficient. Since both parties are together during the sessions, decisions can be made in a timelier fashion, shortening the overall billable time. The communication between parties during mediation facilitates negotiation and eliminates the need for excessive correspondence and the endless review of documents between opposing attorneys.
In mediating a prenuptial agreement, neither spouse-to-be will have to feel bombarded or pressured by the other spouse-to-be to sign the agreement. A prenuptial agreement within the setting of premarital mediation can provide the perfect grounds for open dialogue between the soon-to-be spouses and lay the path for a financial future full of mutual understanding and comfort.
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