| |
| |
|
Marriage & Wedding Information |
|
Prenuptial Agreements
"Til death do us part" is still the language used in most weddings. Couples enter marriage with the hope of making a lifetime commitment. If this goal is not reached or if a spouse dies, the desire to be a couple is so ingrained that most will marry again. The inability of the marriage laws to meet the needs of many couples makes the concept of a marital agreement quite positive, despite the bad publicity premarital agreements have reached. The freedom to structure a relationship should not be determined by laws that do not reflect the changing realities of family life in American today. There is no firm tradition of marital contracts in our country because of the inherent resistance of comparing love to a business deal. Many civilized societies through the ages, however, have documented marital agreements with written documents. Celebrities and the media have made couples aware of the concept of a contract executed between a married couple, whether terming it a premarital, prenuptial, antenuptial or postmarital agreement. The rich have known about them for years, but middle-class America, alarmed about the rising divorce rate, is anxious to know more. Who Needs Them? Anyone about to enter a marriage who is concerned about the inadequacies of the laws in the face of today's social realities; Anyone who is remarrying; Anyone concerned about protecting the assets of children from a prior marriage; Anyone who has a financially dependent parent; Business owners, particularly of professional practices and particularly those with business partners, because a spouse effectively becomes a silent partner in the business; Anyone with significant separate property in states where a spouse is entitled to a share of income from separate property. Anyone whose intended spouse has significant premarital responsibilities, such as alimony, child support, or tax obligations. Anyone cautious enough to prefer a written record of the ownership of assets to avoid confusion in the future from creditors or other family members. It's not romantic; it's practical. And limiting a spouse's take upon divorce is far from the only purpose, despite the perception gleaned from the popular press. Doesn't it make sense to make decisions under the best of circumstances instead of during the emotional upheaval of a troubled relationship? As with most things, there's good news and bad news about private marital contracts. The openness needed for such an agreement is good for a relationship; the implication of a lack of trust is bad. A marital contract can avoid expensive and emotionally debilitating divorce trials, but it's expensive to enforce any contract in court. Such an agreement will reduce to writing the agreement for division of property upon divorce, although it can prevent a spouse from obtaining marital rights upon divorce. The love and the law newsletter is written by Johnette Duff, Attorney at Law* Copyright 2003 by Johnette Duff Ms. Duff is licensed in the State of Texas About The Author Johnette Duff is a matrimonial attorney licensed in the state of Texas. She is also the author of three books on love and the law; The Spousal Equivalent Handbook, The Marriage Handbook and Love After 50. Ms. Duff has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, in The Wall Street Journal, Self, New Woman, Smart Money and Modern Maturity and has been a guest on hundreds of radio talk shows.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Gracious Bride The key to being a gracious bride is to be genuine, thoughtful and courteous if you can pull this off making sure you have a good time as well as everyone else the day should be memorable.The mixture of personalities from crazy aunt Martha to your best friends new artist boyfriend and your husbands Architect boss make weddings difficult to pull off and wonderfully fun at the same time. Hawaii Honeymoon Vacations - Romanticizing Your Honeymoon! Hawaii honeymoon vacations could take you to a miracle trip to the most enchanting beaches of Hawaii. There are beaches, long and beautiful across the world but none of them could be a match for the ultimate Hawaii beaches. Invitation Anatomy 101 - Typical Components - Part 1 of 3 "What am I supposed to have in my invitation?" This is one of the most common questions I get asked. The answer is quite simple: Anything! It's true that convention doesn't quite apply anymore with respect to what 'goes' for an invitation these days. Mindfulness and Marriage: Moving Along Marriage has to be the greatest opportunity for mindfulness on the planet.I used to think that parenting took top honors, but really, a good marriage lasts a lot longer than a good childhood. Improve Your Marriage With Better Communication Communication plays one of the most important roles in any type of relationship whether a professional association or a more intimate bond such as marriage. Many of these relationships don't develop into their full potential because the communication link is missing or weak. Why You Should Buy that Wedding Gift from the Gift Registry - OR, the Wedding Gifts from Hell! When you come to choose a wedding gift it's no wonder that marrying couples issue a wedding gift registry. It's how to get exactly what you want; here are some true-life stories of the worst wedding gifts ever. Engagement Rings & Celebrities Whether we like it or not current trends in engagement rings say bigger is so much better. Just have a look at what style engagement rings celebrities are choosing. Maui: A Prime Wedding Destination Most visitors to Hawaii would agree that Maui is the most beautiful of all the settled islands there. For your wedding ceremony, for that special day you'll remember for the rest of your lives, there's no better location than Maui. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told When people think about great love stories, more often than not they'll think about Romeo and Juliet. These, of course, were no more than two hormone-sizzling teenagers whose major fascination for each other was their parents' opposition. 5 Tips To Keep Marital Bliss Alive After You Retire! Let's face it retirement is a time of great transition for spouses. Ample free time and drastic lifestyle changes can be a burden or a blessing for your marriage. Planning Your Honeymoon -- 6 Tips To Help The groom traditionally plans the honeymoon. However, most brides prefer to be in on the honeymoon plans so that they can prepare ahead too. Marriage Advice: Eight Steps to Marital Harmony The formula for marital harmony and success is not a mysterious secret. It's actually very straightforward. Should You Send Save the Date Notices To Your Guests? You've probably heard about Save the Dates since they have become quite popular with brides but you might not know exactly what purpose they serve.People's lives are getting increasingly busier and more tightly scheduled so that's where Save the Date announcements come in handy. Writing Your Wedding Vows the Way Poets Do Let's face it, not many of us have the kind of skills or experience to write truly poetic wedding vows. Or do we? Here's the truth: Even if you don't know Dylan Thomas from Bob Dylan, and you're pretty sure T. How To Fight Cultural Differences In Marriage And Stay Happy When people plan to marry, they expect to find in their partner not only a lover but a friend also. A person with whom they can share their opinions, their emotions, thoughts and fears. Trust in Marriage Trust is the basis of all human relationships. Trust can be thought of as a thermometer that can measure the positive and negative nature of a relationship. Indian Astrology and Marriages Astrology is considered to be the oldest of all sciences, which studies the effects of the planetary positions and movements on our lives. Indian Astrology is an integral aspect of the Vedic literature (Vedic Astrology) and was practiced over the years by Indian sages and passed on to their disciples. An Ethical Alternative to the Conspicuous Excess of the Average Wedding Many happy couples are turning their backs on the traditional wedding gift list in favor of a more ethical approach to their big day. If you are put off by the materialism and "me, me, me" aspect of modern weddings, then why not plan your day to reflect your personal philosophy and beliefs? It's not just gift lists that are being replaced. The History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands These days, many people take wedding bands and engagement rings for granted, and although they give these beautiful items of jewellery with integrity and love, they are often given with no real knowledge of the meaning behind them.Both wedding bands and engagement rings are very special items of jewellery; in fact, they are more than just jewellery - they are the symbols of many emotions and promises such as:LoveCommitmentFidelityEternityHonourBut where - and why - did these popular and sentimental pieces of jewellery stem from?The History Of Wedding BandsThese items of jewellery have a history that spans many centuries and passes through many countries from all around the planet. How You Answer This Question Can Change Your Marriage Imagine the following scenario. Your spouse has given you an important letter to mail and is counting on you to mail it on your way to work.
|
| home | site map | contact us |
