Vineland Prenuptial Agreements
Vineland Prenup Attorney Helping Fiancés Make Informed and Confident Decisions
If you are preparing to get married, should you sign a prenup? While not everyone needs a prenuptial agreement, entering into one can serve a variety of purposes. If you are considering a prenup (or if your spouse has asked you to consider a prenup), it will be important to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the various legal considerations involved. A Vineland prenup attorney at Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, P.A. can help.
Our attorneys assist fiancés in Vineland and throughout Cumberland County with making informed decisions about entering into prenuptial agreements. We can help you decide whether a prenup is right for you, and if it is, we can draft a prenup that is custom-tailored to your specific circumstances. We can work with you and your spouse (or your spouse’s attorney) to address any requested changes, and ultimately help you feel confident that you are making sound decisions with your long-term best interests in mind.
Who Should Sign a Prenup?
If a prenup isn’t right for everyone, who should sign a prenup? While every couple’s circumstances are unique, we generally recommend that fiancés consider entering into a prenuptial agreement when they need (or want) to proactively address issues such as:
- Ownership of property brought into the marriage
- Ownership and management of privately-owned businesses
- Financial support for children from prior marriages
- Budgeting and financial management during the marriage
- College savings, retirement savings, and other financial matters
- Conflict resolution during the marriage
- Property ownership, financial support, and parental rights in the event of a divorce
These are just examples. But, as you can see just from this list, entering into a prenup can serve a variety of different purposes—and most of these purposes are wholly unrelated to the prospect of a divorce. If you have questions about whether entering into a prenuptial agreement might be right for you, a Vineland prenup attorney at our firm will be more than happy to walk you through all of the pertinent legal considerations and possible scenarios.
Common Terms in Prenuptial Agreements
With these examples of pertinent legal considerations in mind, there are several terms that we commonly include in our clients’ prenuptial agreements. But, with that said, we want to emphasize that your prenuptial agreement should be unique to you—and it will be unique to you if you choose to work with a Vineland prenup lawyer at our firm. Some examples of common terms that we can custom-tailor to your individual circumstances include:
Identification of Each Fiancé’s “Separate” Property
Oftentimes, fiancés will prefer to identify assets that will qualify as their “separate” property before getting married. While this has implications in the event of a divorce (spouses’ “marital” assets are subject to division, while their “separate” assets are not), it can have important implications outside of the divorce context as well. This applies to all types of property—from savings and retirement accounts to privately-held businesses, and from pets and family heirlooms to cars and other vehicles.
Responsibility for Paying Off Debts Brought Into the Marriage
Along with identifying their “separate” property, fiancés will often want to address responsibility for paying off any debts they will bring into their marriage as well. This can involve everything from agreeing that each spouse will remain solely responsible for his or her own debts to agreeing that the couple will pay off their debts as quickly as possible.
Terms Regarding Spending and Savings
Many couples use prenups for financial management. By setting expectations, guidelines, and milestones for spending and saving up front, fiancés can ensure that they are on the same page, which can help prevent disagreements in the future. Here, too, there are numerous options available, and an experienced Vineland prenup attorney will be able to help you decide what is best based on your (and your fiancé’s) current savings, savings goals, employment, and other pertinent factors.
Means of Conflict Resolution
Many couples also use prenups to decide in advance how they will resolve any conflicts that arise during their marriage. Even if you do not currently anticipate encountering any significant conflicts during your marriage, having a plan in place should the need arise can provide peace of mind for the future.
Divorce-Related Terms
As noted above, while entering into a prenup isn’t only about planning for divorce, couples can (and frequently do) include divorce-related terms in their prenuptial agreements. From property division to alimony, fiancés can address many key aspects of the divorce process in advance so that they can avoid unnecessary costs and conflicts should they ever decide to bring their marriage to an end.
FAQs: Entering Into a Prenup in Vineland, NJ
Do I Need to Hire an Attorney to Prepare a Prenuptial Agreement in Vineland, NJ?
If you are interested in a prenup, it will be important to hire an attorney who can help ensure that your agreement includes all appropriate terms and complies with New Jersey law. If you enter into a prenup that doesn’t comply with New Jersey law, you may not be able to enforce it should the need arise.
Should I Hire an Attorney if My Fiancé Wants Me to Sign a Prenup?
If your fiancé has asked you to sign a prenup, we strongly recommend having the agreement reviewed by an attorney. In this scenario, your attorney’s role is to help you make informed decisions and facilitate an amicable resolution that reflects the unique circumstances of your relationship.
Can’t We Just Use a Prenup Form We Found Online?
Using a prenup form you found online can be risky for a variety of different reasons. Not only do these forms often raise more questions than they answer, but if they don’t comply with New Jersey law, they won’t serve the purposes that you and your fiancé are intending to achieve.
Schedule a Confidential Consultation with a Vineland Prenup Attorney at Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, P.A.
If you would like to speak with a Vineland prenup attorney at Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, P.A., we invite you to get in touch. Please call 877-435-6371 or contact us online to arrange a confidential initial consultation.
