by: Hannibal Whitestone
Imagine this scenario. You have worked very hard to build up a small business for yourself. You are your own boss and your business is running quite successfully. The only thing missing from your life is someone to share it with. You finally meet that special someone and choose to get married. But before you make that step, you start to wonder about this life you have built for yourself.
Does she really love me? Is he only after my money? These questions race through your mind. What can you do to make sure that you don’t lose everything you have worked so hard for? The answer lies in prenuptial agreements.
In this day and age, owning a small business is not all that unusual. But the work behind it is just as hard now as it was in the past. And there are also more single people out there especially older people who have had longer to build up assets. There is also an increased amount of people out there who are looking for the quick buck and that, coupled with the higher divorce rate and ease of divorce, can make for a costly marriage.
The best thing that a man, or woman, who has built themselves a successful business prior to meeting the right person can do is have their future spouse sign a prenuptial agreement. These agreements protect the owner of the business against gold diggers and anyone who is confident that their marriage will survive should have no problem signing one. On the other hand, if the person you are about to marry happens to be after you for your money as you so much feared, then they will likely refuse to sign and this will let you know that this “right” person is not so right after all.
Now, imagine, working so many years making a name for yourself and putting aside money for your retirement and then meeting the woman of your dreams. You are swept off your feet and rush off and get married to a woman that you are so deeply in love with. Your marriage is so perfect and you couldn’t ask for anything more. Then several years down the road, she hits you with the request of a divorce. It seems to come out of absolutely nowhere and you are completely heartbroken. You go to court and end up having to fight for the one thing that you have worked hard at. You end up losing half of your money and your business to the woman whom you thought loved you. And she is laughing all the way to the bank. This was in her plan all along. Sacrificing a few years of her life meant nothing to get all that money.
This doesn’t have to happen to you. You can do prenuptial agreements several ways, so consulting an attorney and getting it done the way that is right for you is important. Some prenuptials will allow the spouse to acquire some of the assets earned during the marriage years while others will leave all the assets to the business completely off limits. Make sure that you do your research so that the prenuptial agreement is done properly.
Just because you have spent so many of your years building a successful business does not mean that you have to either spend your life alone or risk losing it all. Trust is a very important thing in a marriage, but there are so many people out there who are good at making you believe something that isn’t true. Everyone always says that it can’t happen to them, but truth is, it can happen to you and is more likely to if you are not prepared.
Categories: Business
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