Prenuptial or Premarital Agreements and Postnuptial or Post Marital Agreements are legal documents designed to protect an individual’s assets and to pre-determine how various issues should be handled in the event that a marriage ends. Some topics that can be included in these agreements are division of personal property, family trusts, income property and real property; spousal and child support; child-rearing topics such as religion and education; inherited assets; business interests and more.
It is best to begin discussing and drafting a premarital agreement well in advance of a wedding. However, it is not too late to create such a document if you are already married. Post marital agreements are helpful for married couples in that they allow the married couple to calmly discuss how to handle various issues in the event their marriage ends. Premarital and post marital agreements give parties peace of mind about how issues will be handled in the event that the marriage is terminated. The parties have the opportunity to calmly discuss what is fair in a time of peace.