Prenuptial Agreements: How to Write a Fair and Lasting Contract

Table of Contents......Page 10
I. How to Use This Book......Page 14
C. Our Assumptions......Page 15
D. Icons Used in This Book......Page 18
1. A Prenup Primer......Page 20
A. How Prenups Work......Page 21
B. How to Make a Prenup......Page 23
2. Is a Prenup Right for You?......Page 26
A. What You Can Do With a Prenup......Page 27
B. What You Can’t Do With a Prenup......Page 31
C. Will a Prenup Work for You?......Page 33
3. Deciding on the Specifics......Page 38
A. Evaluating Your Situation......Page 39
B. Talking It Through......Page 44
C. Will Your Prenup Pass the Fairness Test?......Page 49
4. Understanding Your State’s Law......Page 52
A. Which Laws Apply to Your Prenup?......Page 53
C. An Overview of State Law......Page 54
D. Researching State Law......Page 68
E. Do You Still Want a Prenup?......Page 71
5. Assembling Your Draft Agreement: The Basics......Page 72
B. Choosing the Clauses for Your Prenup......Page 73
D. Sample Prenups......Page 113
6. Additional Provisions for Your Prenup......Page 126
Optional Paragraph 1: Estate Planning Matters......Page 127
Optional Paragraph 2: Property Transfers or Purchases of Insurance Upon Marriage......Page 130
Optional Paragraph 3: Provisions Applicable to Divorce......Page 133
Optional Paragraph 4: Other Matters......Page 145
7. Turning Your Draft Into a Binding Agreement......Page 146
B. Finding Good Lawyers.......Page 147
C. Preparing the Final Agreement......Page 150
E. If Problems Arise......Page 152
F. Signing the Agreement: Formalities and Fun......Page 154
8. Working Together......Page 156
A. Five Keys to Working Together Successfully......Page 157
B. A Suggested Approach to Working Together......Page 158
C. Communicating Effectively......Page 159
D. Negotiating Lovingly......Page 161
E. What to Do When Problems Arise.......Page 163
9. After You’ve Made a Prenup......Page 170
B. Recording an Abstract of the Agreement......Page 171
D. Completing Your Estate Plan......Page 174
F. Changing Your Prenup: Postnuptial Agreements......Page 175
G. Closing Thoughts......Page 176
A. How to Use the CD-ROM......Page 178
B. Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents......Page 179
C. Files Provided on the Forms CD-ROM......Page 181
B. Worksheets......Page 182
Worksheet 1: Financial Inventory......Page 184
Worksheet 2: Credit History and Spending Habits......Page 188
Worksheet 3: Financial Outlook......Page 190
Worksheet 4: Prenup Goals......Page 192
Worksheet 5: The Basics of Our Prenup......Page 194
Worksheet 6: Comparison of Prenup to Law......Page 198
C. Clauses for Building Your Prenup......Page 200
B. The Ten Basic Paragraphs (Mandatory for All Agreements)......Page 201
C. Optional Paragraphs—Insert After Paragraph 8, Above......Page 221
D. Financial Disclosures......Page 228
E. Abstract of Prenup......Page 230
D. Summary of State Prenup Laws......Page 232
A. Prenuptial Agreements......Page 234
D. State Summaries......Page 235
Index......Page 338