In the News: Pre-Nuptial Agreements

Two newly weds cutting a wedding cake

A new survey has found that one in ten married Britons wished that they had insisted that their partner sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

Pre-nuptials, once seen as the preserve of the very rich, are now becoming more common for the everyday Briton. Following the increase of divorce rates in the past decades, many now see a pre-nuptial agreement as a sensible option should their marriage ever deteriorate. With many high profile cases in the news, people are increasingly conscious of the enormous cost of having a divorce. A pre-marital agreement can serve to reduce some of that cost; it can also be help to quicken to process and to relieve some of the stress that divorce brings.

Others see pre-nuptials as a somewhat cold-hearted option that cheapens the idea of marriage. They reason: if a couple is not fully convinced of their ability to make their marriage last at its outset, then why marry at all?

A tricky question to ask

This survey was carried out on 1,000 married people from across England. 10.1% of those surveyed claimed that they regretted not signing a pre-nup, with a further 2.2% saying they were afraid to ask their spouse before the marriage. 3% said they wanted to have an arrangement but did not know how to get one. The main reason for a lack of pre-nuptial agreement was that the other partner had ‘refused’ to enter into the contract.

A similar amount (10.9%) of those surveyed said they had no interest at all in making a pre-nuptial agreement, for reasons such as finding it unromantic or worrying it would cast doubt over their marriage.

It is always essential to remember that regardless of your personal stance of Pre-Nuptial Agreements, they are not legally binding; final decisions on the division of assets will always fall to the Judge.

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