Divorce is often such a difficult experience that those who go through it swear they’ll never get married again. However, for many individuals, the first marriage leaves them wanting to do better with another partner, to try and improve on past mistakes.
Getting remarried after a divorce is very common, but it doesn’t make the matter any less risky. If you are considering getting married again, be sure that you take proper steps to protect yourself and learn from the divorce you’ve already weathered.
One of the wisest ways you can learn from one failed marriage before entering another is to work with your partner to create a prenuptial agreement. You already know you want to avoid many of the pitfalls your first marriage suffered, and you know it would have ended more easily with a prenuptial agreement.
When you’re ready to create a prenuptial agreement for your next marriage, be sure to seek out an attorney who can help you work together with your partner to make an agreement that respects and protects both of you. A personalized agreement that benefits both partners is an excellent way to remove many of the pressures that threaten relationships, and may give you some structure to improve your new marriage.
What protections do prenuptial agreements offer?
Prenuptial agreements are useful in a number of ways. One of the most useful aspects of a prenup for a person entering a second marriage is that you establish property that you do not wish to be marital property, such as a vehicle or home. This way, you keep what you have now, even if this marriage ends in divorce at some point.
If you have a business, this protection is a must. You don’t want the life of your business tied to the health of your marriage, especially if you have employees.
Prenuptial agreements also make sure that your assets go to any children from a previous relationships in case you pass away. You can use such an agreement to make sure that your existing family does not get excluded from your estate.
Prenuptial agreements also give you the ability to protect your spouse from your liabilities, if, for instance, you accrued a decent amount of personal debt in your first marriage and divorce, or in your life since the divorce. Just as you can delineate your property from your potential spouse’s, you can create this distinction in your liabilities. This is particularly useful in protecting your spouse from your creditors. If properly implemented, your creditors cannot pursue your spouse’s property to satisfy your debts.
These are only some of the many ways that prenuptial agreements can protect you.
Act now to put your next marriage on a healthy trajectory
If you’re going to remarry, don’t put off protecting yourself. There’s no way to know if this marriage will last forever, but you can still protect yourself now that you know better.
And remember, a prenuptial agreement can offer you and your spouse protections even if you never get divorced!