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The benefits of marital contracts

 

Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements offer couples in Washington unique ways to stay protected if a divorce happens.

There once was a time when prenuptial agreements were entered into only by the rich and famous, or so it seemed. Today, however, that is far from the case. More and more couples in Washington are taking advantage of the myriad of benefits that a prenup or postnup agreement can provide.

Enter the postnuptial agreement

While the lesser known of the two marital contracts, postnuptial agreements are highly useful. The Daily Beast discusses one particular use of benefit to parents who make the choice to quit the workforce to stay home with children.

Understanding that several years away from a job or career can leave a person with job choices later on that do not financially measure up to what was earned previously; the postnup can stipulate specific financial support for that parent in the event of a divorce. It is a way of compensating a person for the sacrifice inherent in the decision to stay at home.

Prenups and online reputations

Proactive steps toward protection in the event of a future divorce are part of family law that is covered by the traditional prenuptial agreement. This use has evolved with the times and now offers couples the ability to include social media use stipulations to ban one partner from essentially marring the other via Facebook, Twitter or any other social platform. Fox News indicates that it is important to be able to identify the harm that results from any negative posts as a way to increase the enforceability of such terms.

Estate planning assistance

Another use for prenuptial agreements that has come about with societal changes is the ability to use such documents as a means of estate planning. The New York Daily News highlights the growing number of people who get married once their children are older. At this stage in life, people reasonably wish to keep select assets within the family lines of their biological children. A prenuptial agreement can help to outline these choices.

Maintaining a level of reasonableness

No matter what the reason for a marital contract or even a specific clause, the Huffington Post points out the importance of keeping all requirements reasonable. Expecting one person to abide by clauses that are not so can put a contract’s legality into question.

Always work with an attorney

Any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement should be created only with the help of an experienced attorney. Each person should have individual representation to ensure maximum enforceability.

Keywords: prenuptial, postnuptial, contract, agreement, divorce