Author Topic: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony  (Read 8933 times)

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« on: June 26, 2018, 01:06:43 AM »
I've been pondering the topic of marriage, and the various legal issues that stem from it. Like many people on this board, I have a high income and significant assets. If I ever get married, it would be very likely that my partner would have far less income and assets. I find the prospect of losing a significant portion of my wealth in a divorce to be stomach churning, nor do I approve of someone else thinking they "own" part of my income. I have seen the ugly results of divorce with my own parents as well as other posters on this board, and I worry about the possibilty of the same to happen to me. Simply put, I see no reason why the government needs to be involved in my relationships.

The obvious response to this is to get a prenup, but there are various downsides to that, such as that prenups can be challenged in court and that they don't typically protect assets earned after the marriage.

So then, why not just maintain a long-term committed relationship but never get married? Plus, you can have a commitment ceremony instead of getting married. In theory, it would offer similar protection to a prenup but with less drawbacks.

I can think of some pros and cons.

Marriage

Pros:
- Most people seem to want this
- Possible tax benefits
- Other minor legal benefits such as hospital visitor rights, etc

Cons:
- Loss of up to 50% of assets in the event of a divorce
- Potential for alimony payments

Prenup

Pros:
- Protection of assets earned prior to marriage
- Possible tax benefits
- Other minor legal benefits such as hospital visitor rights, etc

Cons:
- Less popular than marriage
- Loss of up to 50% of assets earned after marriage in the event of a divorce
- Potential for alimony payments
- Potential to be challenged in court
- Legal hassle and lawyer fees are required to set up

Commitment ceremony

Pros:
- Protection of all assets
- No legal hassle or fees required to set up

Cons:
- Less popular than marriage
- No tax benefits
- No minor legal benefits such as hospital visitor rights
- Palimony?

What are your thoughts? Any other pros and cons that I'm missing?
« Last Edit: June 26, 2018, 01:24:26 AM by Herbert Derp »

sokoloff

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1191
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2018, 01:25:51 AM »
I also came into our relationship with significantly more assets and income (though DW was reasonably frugal and "raised right" all around).

We'd been together 5 years, had a planned kid already and a second planned on the way, had a house in my name, and DW was considering leaving her ~$100K/yr job to stay home to raise two kids. That was the trigger to get married and I very willingly put "half my shit" on the line (a 7-figure sum). I suspect DW would have signed a reasonable pre-nup, but I didn't want to have that hanging over us. I actually like that there's real pain on the horizon if we were to split; I don't see it happening (her parents are together, mine are together, we've basically decided that hell or high water, we're staying together and I think we're 99% going to make that happen).

In the abstract, your thoughts are very reasonable. Hopefully with the right person and a multi-year "prove it" period, your concerns will also melt away.

Villanelle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6657
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2018, 01:40:27 AM »
It seems like you aren't understanding what a prenup does.  It isn't about assets owned prior to marriage. Your assets prior to marriage are yours, regardless of a prenup.  The prenup addresses split of assets earned during the marriage, as well as things like alimony, exactly the thing you say it doesn't do.

Also, if you go for a "commitment ceremony", depending on details and location, you may end up in a common-law situation anyway, so if you want to avoid that, make sure you carefully explore the local laws. 

Also, if you want kids at some point, I think there are some "cons" to not being married, not the least of which is that hashing out custody and support can be somewhat more challenging.  (Doable, but perhaps more challenging.)

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2018, 02:00:22 AM »
It seems like you aren't understanding what a prenup does.  It isn't about assets owned prior to marriage. Your assets prior to marriage are yours, regardless of a prenup.  The prenup addresses split of assets earned during the marriage, as well as things like alimony, exactly the thing you say it doesn't do.

Are you sure about assets prior to the marriage? If I get married, I would expect the assets I brought in to grow significantly over time due to dividends and capital gains, and I do think at least a prenup would be required to protect them.

As for alimony, apparently prenups can't protect against this in certain situations:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/prenuptial-agreements-what-law-allows-30283.html

It does seem that you can have a prenup which protects income after marriage. Point taken. However, I have reservations about a more restrictive prenup like this because there would be a greater possibility of it being challenged in court due to being "unreasonable," plus it would be a greater albatross to have hanging over the marriage.

Noodle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1316
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2018, 06:44:24 AM »
Those "minor legal rights" you are hand-waving can be a bigger deal than you think. A friend lost her fiance when they were in their 20s. His death was due to some self-destructive behavior that the family (wrongly) blamed her for. Even though they were fully committed to each other as partners, she had zero rights to see him in the hospital, make decisions about his care, or about his memorial service. Even though he probably would have wanted his assets to go to taking care of her, the family did not choose to share any of those with her, or any of his possessions as keepsakes. Any legal action she could have taken would have required more time than they had.

Obviously a good lawyer can put structures in place to protect partners in an unmarried relationship, as same-sex partners had to do for many years, but you end up spending a lot of time and money to reconstruct what a marriage license will do for a small fee.

elliha

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 453
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2018, 06:51:55 AM »
Those "minor legal rights" you are hand-waving can be a bigger deal than you think. A friend lost her fiance when they were in their 20s. His death was due to some self-destructive behavior that the family (wrongly) blamed her for. Even though they were fully committed to each other as partners, she had zero rights to see him in the hospital, make decisions about his care, or about his memorial service. Even though he probably would have wanted his assets to go to taking care of her, the family did not choose to share any of those with her, or any of his possessions as keepsakes. Any legal action she could have taken would have required more time than they had.

Obviously a good lawyer can put structures in place to protect partners in an unmarried relationship, as same-sex partners had to do for many years, but you end up spending a lot of time and money to reconstruct what a marriage license will do for a small fee.

This!

Also, I would not like the idea of a commitment ceremony. To me that would scream "I am a man who doesn't want to take responsibility for the people in my life if it is inconvenient. If your partner has a uterus and becomes pregnant that person will have to take on something that is a huge toll on the body, perhaps nurse afterwards and have huge responsibilities for this human and if you would leave your partner and the human you created a marriage will make it easier to get child support and such and that is important.

My best advice is to find a woman that is as much in tune with you regarding finances as possible, who herself has assets and that is not likely to be destitute after a divorce. That would reduce her objecting to a pre-nup, she might want one too and if she knows she can support herself she is less likely to want alimony. If you have children, be prepared to pay for them whether you live with their other parent or not, that is part of the deal of having children.

Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2018, 07:10:47 AM »
Even though a divorce is more difficult when being a married, a proper marriage good provide more safety for your children. When married you have to sign for having a shared responsibility for your children (at least that is we we had to do), whether you plan to have any or not.

If you are not married, you should both sign a testament to heave your assets to each other.

Yankuba

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1356
  • Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2018, 07:29:42 AM »
I would recommend marriage if both parties wish to have children. If neither person wants children then I would not recommend marriage, especially if there is a large difference in income/assets.

MrDelane

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 618
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2018, 07:36:58 AM »
Pondering marriage without a specific partner in mind is a bit like pondering what you should pack for a vacation when you have no idea where you're going.

Obviously you'll want to remember your phone charger.... but whether you should pack a sweater or a swimsuit is all going to depend on the destination.

There is only so much you're ever going to figure out in the abstract.

Captain FIRE

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1176
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #9 on: June 26, 2018, 07:44:43 AM »
I agree that there is FAR more than just "minor" rights associated with being married, and for those that you can legally agree to separately, it's expensive to set up.  Rights include:
- Financial (inheritance, tax-free transfer of property, social security benefits, SSI, veteran's disability, pensions, etc.),
- Medical (to make decisions for the other, to be in hospital room),
- Housing (rent control properties, live on easements, automatically renewing leases signed by your spouse),
- Education (e.g. employer sponsored education, GI bill),
- Employment (insurance, family leave, bereavement time),
- Death (decisions about autopsy, burials, organ donations etc.)
- Consumer benefits (family rates for home/auto insurance, car rentals)
- Legal benefits (right to sue for wrongful death, marital communications privilege, immigration)
- and many others

Are you considering having kids?  I wouldn't have mind signing a prenup, but I sure as heck wouldn't have wanted to have kids with someone without being married.  If my partner couldn't commit to rights and responsibilities of being married, I wouldn't have wanted to make the huge lifetime commitment of kids with him.

I also think you overplay the likelihood of a prenup being overturned.  While a few states are less friendly to prenups, in general if both parties have independent counsel and it's fair at the time it was entered into and exited, then it'll be upheld.  If one spouse went bankrupt/health issues, etc., while the other made big bucks, then yeah the government isn't keen to see the first spouse destitute.  (Think of it this way: The government has an interest in not being on the hook to provide public benefits for that spouse.)  If one spouse plans to gives up their career to raise kids, you probably want to take that into consideration when drafting the prenup.  Prenups themselves aren't the problem (I venture to guess they are more popular than no marriage at all), although some people do consider them "planning for failure".  Just don't do it last minute, and draft something that both people think is fair beforehand, when everyone is in love.  Think through possible scenarios as well (e.g. kids, health issues, business failure).

But, +1 to MrDelane.  It's tough to plan marriage in the abstract.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2018, 08:18:40 AM by Captain FIRE »

Plina

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 663
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2018, 02:04:15 PM »
I always find the american obsession with marriages somewhat amusing. It seems like many of you get fast married and fast divorced because you seem to have some idea that you have to be married. I don’t see a problem with living together as long as it is something both of you want. I don’t see the point of the commitment ceremony as I assume if you are living together you are also committed to eachother.  Although I would never be a stay at home parent without being married because of the financial risk.


elliha

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 453
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #11 on: June 26, 2018, 02:33:21 PM »
I always find the american obsession with marriages somewhat amusing. It seems like many of you get fast married and fast divorced because you seem to have some idea that you have to be married. I don’t see a problem with living together as long as it is something both of you want. I don’t see the point of the commitment ceremony as I assume if you are living together you are also committed to eachother.  Although I would never be a stay at home parent without being married because of the financial risk.

I am not American. Most countries in the world have some clear benefits to marriage that just living together does not provide.

iris lily

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5672
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2018, 02:48:08 PM »
I always find the american obsession with marriages somewhat amusing. It seems like many of you get fast married and fast divorced because you seem to have some idea that you have to be married. I don’t see a problem with living together as long as it is something both of you want. I don’t see the point of the commitment ceremony as I assume if you are living together you are also committed to eachother.  Although I would never be a stay at home parent without being married because of the financial risk.

I am not American. Most countries in the world have some clear benefits to marriage that just living together does not provide.
Yes.

If people wish to live together without being married so be it,  but at least become educated on the legal benefits and protections that the marriage certificate provides.Gubmnt benefits like marriage.

At this time coupling without legal marriage is carried out in our lower socioeconomic classes more than in any other class, not withstanding the practices of the tiny percentage of uber rich hollywood types who also decline marriage.

The book “Promises I Can Keep” is a view into the minds of unmarried mothers who purposely stay that way. That isnt a life I would emulate, but YMMV.

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #13 on: June 27, 2018, 08:30:15 AM »
I am going to put my two cents in here. There are no guarantees on a marriage working out. We have all seen marriages end in the first year and marriages end after 35 years or more. Some marriages last a lifetime.

My first piece of advice is to become friends before becoming lovers. Date a long time. Go to a lot of fun places and that will require money but not all dates have to be expensive. Picnic's, walks in parks, biking, car rides to different states are not that expensive. My point is spending a lot of quality time with a person leads to knowing the person better. Their feelings, their likes and dislikes. This is the time of discovery. This person may have a lot of qualities you like but may not be the right person to spend a lifetime together with.

It can be painful to end a relationship but it is better to eliminate the rotten eggs before marriage and before kids when things become complicated.

Marriage unifies two people and strengthens the relationship. When not married it is easier to walk away when times get hard.

I would also talk to a lawyer about your assets and how to protect them. Maybe you will find out that what you have before marriage would be yours to keep so no need for a prenup. Assets earned after marriage would be joint I would imagine.

When I used to work I enjoyed the company of men rather than women (I am a woman). I was friends with many men and happily married too. I would sometimes analyze these men and would imagine what it might be like to be married with them. I knew a lot of their idiosyncries, their likes and dislikes and their annoying habbits. Just from casual observation I could determine if I was not married what it might be like to be with this person. You need to do a lot of observation and analysis to determine if the person you pick is THE ONE!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Plina

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 663
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #14 on: June 27, 2018, 10:23:26 AM »
I always find the american obsession with marriages somewhat amusing. It seems like many of you get fast married and fast divorced because you seem to have some idea that you have to be married. I don’t see a problem with living together as long as it is something both of you want. I don’t see the point of the commitment ceremony as I assume if you are living together you are also committed to eachother.  Although I would never be a stay at home parent without being married because of the financial risk.


I am not American. Most countries in the world have some clear benefits to marriage that just living together does not provide.
Yes.

If people wish to live together without being married so be it,  but at least become educated on the legal benefits and protections that the marriage certificate provides.Gubmnt benefits like marriage.

At this time coupling without legal marriage is carried out in our lower socioeconomic classes more than in any other class, not withstanding the practices of the tiny percentage of uber rich hollywood types who also decline marriage.

The book “Promises I Can Keep” is a view into the minds of unmarried mothers who purposely stay that way. That isnt a life I would emulate, but YMMV.

I believe it is important to educate yourself about the differences. Here the biggest difference is that your spouse automatically inherits you if you are married and if you have kids the inheritance part is a less of a hassle. But all that can be fixed by a will.

It is interesting to see the differences between countries. I would not say that living together is associated to lower socioeconomical classes here. I actually looked up statistics and the majority of children, about 55 % of the children born has unmarried parents.


lizzzi

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2150
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #15 on: June 27, 2018, 12:40:05 PM »
Those "minor legal rights" you are hand-waving can be a bigger deal than you think. A friend lost her fiance when they were in their 20s. His death was due to some self-destructive behavior that the family (wrongly) blamed her for. Even though they were fully committed to each other as partners, she had zero rights to see him in the hospital, make decisions about his care, or about his memorial service. Even though he probably would have wanted his assets to go to taking care of her, the family did not choose to share any of those with her, or any of his possessions as keepsakes. Any legal action she could have taken would have required more time than they had.

Obviously a good lawyer can put structures in place to protect partners in an unmarried relationship, as same-sex partners had to do for many years, but you end up spending a lot of time and money to reconstruct what a marriage license will do for a small fee.

This. It happened to my cousin when she and her lived-together-but-not-married fiance were hit by a careless driver--killed the fiance and my cousin went to his funeral in a wheelchair. His parents were just like Noodle describes. They even took my cousin's houseplants out of the shared apartment. Just a heartbreak.

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2018, 04:12:27 AM »
OP you are kidding yourself if you think you can only lose up to 50% of your assets. You'll either lose the rest in legal fees, or if she gets custody she'll get much more than 50% and you'll be in debt for the legal fees :P

Doomsaying aside, there's a lot of good advice here. (Probably quite useful for me too).

partgypsy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5207
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #17 on: July 03, 2018, 03:37:18 PM »
Pondering marriage without a specific partner in mind is a bit like pondering what you should pack for a vacation when you have no idea where you're going.

Obviously you'll want to remember your phone charger.... but whether you should pack a sweater or a swimsuit is all going to depend on the destination.

There is only so much you're ever going to figure out in the abstract.
Ditto. Once you are in a serious relationship, discuss this with your partner. Otherwise this is all academic.

partgypsy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5207
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #18 on: July 03, 2018, 07:36:56 PM »
This may be off topic, but i read through your journal and I'm really impressed at your journey to optimize your life right now as asset accumulation stage. That takes sacrifice and cutting out things, but rather than feeling deprived, your journal has a positive vibe. Anyways, what u are doing is so rare and unusual, it is going to be equally rare and unusual to find your female equivalent. If you do find someone you want to be with, and vice versa it's probably going to take compromising and growth on both sides. Just don't jump into anything. There's a lot of emotional and relationship work that needs to happen before you get to legal stuff.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2018, 08:08:01 PM by partgypsy »

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2018, 12:26:08 AM »
I get what you guys are saying with regards to kids, and agree that some sort of legal agreement is probably for the best if I did decide to have children at some point. However, that is definitely hypothetical as I currently do not have any plan or desire to have children. But this may change 10 years from now, who knows? What I do know, however, is that I want to have a relationship before 10 years from now which does not involve children.

This may be off topic, but i read through your journal and I'm really impressed at your journey to optimize your life right now as asset accumulation stage. That takes sacrifice and cutting out things, but rather than feeling deprived, your journal has a positive vibe. Anyways, what u are doing is so rare and unusual, it is going to be equally rare and unusual to find your female equivalent. If you do find someone you want to be with, and vice versa it's probably going to take compromising and growth on both sides. Just don't jump into anything. There's a lot of emotional and relationship work that needs to happen before you get to legal stuff.

Thanks! I know my situation is pretty unusual. Since I graduated college, I've been so absorbed in my work and focused on the accumulation stage that when I take a moment to reflect on where everyone else my age is at in life, I'm like, "holy crap!" I'm so ahead in some areas, but so behind in others. It's pretty weird! If Mrs. Herbert Derp does exist, I haven't seen any trace of her. But I do want to have my thoughts together and some sort of plan / ideas before I dive into random relationships, hence this thread.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2018, 12:36:03 AM by Herbert Derp »

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #20 on: July 04, 2018, 06:16:08 AM »
Herbert Derp, I am curious. You are very frugal in every way. Do you expect to find someone as frugal as you? That could be a high expectation. Maybe you will find a person that is frugal but can't cope with your diet that you find just perfect. For instance, I knew this guy who was really frugal and one of the things he would eat was chicken thighs and he bought them dirt cheap. He was dating a woman who preferred boneless chicken breasts which cost considerably more. It bugged him quite a bit on her spendy ways. They ended up breaking up for a while, mostly because she took a job in another state. But eventually, they got back together and got married. I think she unfrugled him a bit. I saw them last Christmas time and they were very happy and made a great couple. My point is, you may not find a person with the standards you follow and have you prepared yourself for a possible different lifestyle of spending?

Hula Hoop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1762
  • Location: Italy
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #21 on: July 04, 2018, 01:23:06 PM »
I always find the american obsession with marriages somewhat amusing. It seems like many of you get fast married and fast divorced because you seem to have some idea that you have to be married. I don’t see a problem with living together as long as it is something both of you want. I don’t see the point of the commitment ceremony as I assume if you are living together you are also committed to eachother.  Although I would never be a stay at home parent without being married because of the financial risk.

What is American about marriage?  Pretty much every culture in the world has some form of marriage.  I don't think Americans are any more obsessed by marriage than anyone else.  Here in Italy, people spend huge amounts on weddings and plan theirs for years.  The divorce rate is pretty much the same as in the US.


I'm not sure if this is the same in other countries, but here in Italy, you can only decide who will inherit your property up to a certain point.  From what I remember, if you are married, your spouse gets 50% and kids get 50% of your property.  If you are not married then your siblings, parents, cousins etc get a large share of your estate as well as any kids you might have.  You can will a very small amount of your estate to a non-family member includeing a partner.  It's extremely difficult to leave property to a partner you aren't married to.  This is why gay marriage is such an important issue here. 
« Last Edit: July 04, 2018, 01:27:51 PM by Hula Hoop »

sparkytheop

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 992
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #22 on: July 04, 2018, 04:26:21 PM »
I'm not pro or anti marriage, I feel like whatever works for the couple, great.  However, one thing that amuses me is "a marriage certificate is just a piece of paper".  But, for those who want that "level of commitment" without "that paper", they end up having to sign so many more pieces of paper (beneficiary for life insurance, retirement, pension, medical information, etc, etc) that would normally just have the spouse as the default.

I got divorced when we were poor and it was a simple, inexpensive process.  We did own a house together, but I just signed it over to him with the agreement that I could rent it for two years from him.  In the end, because I was paying the full mortgage and not half, and he had not refinanced it as agreed, he just signed it over to me.

Now, many years later, I have a good job, good benefits, a nice retirement account, a mortgage for much less than my house is worth, property, etc.  I also have a son (from previous marriage).  I accumulated this on my own.  I don't plan to leave a large inheritance, but if things go more right than wrong, it's going to happen.

This is money I earned, I saved, I sacrificed for.  Same with the items I own.  My son rode along those sacrifices with me, so in a way, he's earned some of it too.  It's not easy to be a kid to a single mom who has to be gone 12+ hours a day to earn a good income, while the father is completely absent.

I don't know if I'll ever get remarried.  I don't know if I'll ever be in a long term relationship again.  I do know, that if it happens, I would feel a duty to preserve my son's place in that "when I die" future, but I'd also need to keep things "fair" with any future spouse/partner.  I honestly am not sure what that would look like, but it would involve lawyers, a pre-nup, and redesigning beneficiary setup.

Now, future spouse could have a great job, great financial ethics, but come with half of what I have because of a recent divorce.  Or, they could also have children.  Or, they could be single and childless (and remain so, since I'm not having any more!)

However, we would build a life together and I wouldn't want that life to be ripped away from someone I love if I were to die.

My "as much as I can plan for goal" is to split my retirement beneficiary.  Maybe 25% to spouse, 75% to son (he would ideally have his own retirement, so why would he need more than 25% of mine?)  The property?  Well, if future-spouse and I build a house together, shops together, pay the taxes and work the land, well, I can't just have him kicked off.  Not sure my son would be interested in the land either.  So, plan there is to create no debt with spouse.  Pay for things as we can, do them together, etc.  What if my son wants the land?  I'd need to figure out how my spouse could live there, but not be able to sell it or give it away to anyone, and that it would go to my son after spouse's death.

What if we get married and end up divorced?  I'm not going to pay for my land a second time, and I'm not going to give it up or sell it.  But, there will (likely) be newer buildings and improvements that we both put our blood, sweat, tears, and money into...

There are no blanket answers.  Some people's pros are other people's cons.

My situation could be so convoluted that it takes a large pre-nup.  Or, I could meet a man who fits into my life so well that the pre-nup is simple and we both walk away with what we came in with, wouldn't want to stay on the property without me if I died or we got divorced, etc.

It doesn't hurt to think about the future so you are aware of your options, but everything will be so dependent on who comes into your life, and who they become after they are there (that last part you have no control over).

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #23 on: July 04, 2018, 04:39:49 PM »
Would it make any sense to put a prenup in place even though there is no significant other in place at this time? Kind of like a generic pre nup as a place holder in the event you do get married again. It could be tweaked once a spouse is selected.

I always thought pre nups were kind of nasty and a romance killer but I also accumulated a nest egg and I would not want it taken from me if I was ever in that situation.

It does seem kind of a romance killer but as long as assets accumulated were split evenly after the marriage,  I think that is fair for both parties.

sparkytheop

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 992
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #24 on: July 04, 2018, 05:34:15 PM »
Oh, and don't forget Spousal Privilege/Marital Privilege in court.  I'm sure that's been a pro for some couples...

sparkytheop

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 992
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #25 on: July 04, 2018, 06:02:33 PM »
Would it make any sense to put a prenup in place even though there is no significant other in place at this time? Kind of like a generic pre nup as a place holder in the event you do get married again. It could be tweaked once a spouse is selected.

I always thought pre nups were kind of nasty and a romance killer but I also accumulated a nest egg and I would not want it taken from me if I was ever in that situation.

It does seem kind of a romance killer but as long as assets accumulated were split evenly after the marriage,  I think that is fair for both parties.

In case this was meant for me (because the "married again" part).

I don't see any reason to put much energy into a pre-even-dating-anyone prenup write up, especially since I've been single so long, and so many things will change even in the next couple years (kid will no longer be a dependent, house may be built, etc).

However, I do think it's good for me to think of the things I'd need to consider now, before my head is over-ridden with emotions.  There are just too many unknown variables to plan it out.

I'm content enough, happy enough, and financially well off enough on my own, that in order for a guy to pique my interest in a commitment, he's going to have to be on the same page as me in a lot of ways.  I'm just at a point in my life where I'm not going to add someone who is more trouble and upset than they are worth, and have turned down a lot of interest from people who just weren't a good fit, even if it means I stay single.

I used to believe that a pre-nup was "unromantic", but I'm less concerned about that after having been through my own divorce, watching other divorces, or even people staying together when they really shouldn't.  Especially after watching my uncle's new wife (my aunt died, so he had been widowed) after his death (it was not good... he had two adult children, I don't think she had any).

I have assets and a child.  Future spouse may have assets and children (or not). My respect is going to go to a man who is as balanced about wanting to look after his children (as well as me), as I am for mine (and him).  A pre-nup should be no issue at this stage of life, and if it is, he's not going to be right for me, romance or not.

I believe in fair.  I believe fair isn't always "equal".  I think there are a lot of non-financial ways you can add to a marriage or drain the life from it.  I'm sure the pre-nup drafting lawyer would earn their money...

Apple_Tango

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 420
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #26 on: July 05, 2018, 06:36:32 AM »
I think prenup all the way. Even if assets are low for BOTH parties, I think a prenup is wise because you can just follow the directions during the divorce and take some emotional decisions out. You can always tear it up later, or say that in 30 years the prenup is voided. It’s your contract, you can do whatever you want.

Also, OP, I imagine that if you fall in love, the woman will be frugal. I don’t know you personally, but I just can’t see you loving woman who is super into consumuer goods and frivolous purchases. Financial reasons are the number one reason for divorce, so y’all should be somewhat reading the same book, even if you’re not on the exact same page as you’ll likely be on page 500 and she’ll be on page 100 unless she’s older than you and has had time to accumulate assets.

trollwithamustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1146
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #27 on: July 05, 2018, 02:37:00 PM »

https://www.amazon.com/1001-Questions-Ask-Before-Married/dp/0071438033

Do your homework before you get married. And don't think something silly like a prenup means you and your partner are on the same page!

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #28 on: July 16, 2018, 01:37:21 AM »
Thanks for all the comments, folks. Definitely a lot to think about. I still don't want to get married, but we'll see what happens once I end up in a relationship.

former player

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8823
  • Location: Avalon
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #29 on: July 16, 2018, 03:16:52 AM »
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that if alimony might be payable at some point, you could check how it will be calculated.  In many jurisdictions (I've no idea about yours) the calculation is about maintaining, as much as possible, the existing living standards of the spouse and children.   I'm assuming here that while your potential future spouse is unlikely to be as frugal as you the relationship compromise on living standards will still leave you with significantly less expenditure than income while in the relationship.  If that's right, then any alimony payable would probably leave you still in a good financial position, with more income than expenditure even when paying alimony and providing for your separate living situation.


Also, please don't assume that any future spouse might have less money or earn less than you do.  Don't limit your options that way.   High-earning women sometimes find that men's fragile egos get in the way of relationships with women who earn more than they do.  If you open yourself up to the possibility of a partner who is even more successful than you are you may be pleasantly surprised at the results - even apart from the fact that it is sexist and wrong not to do so.

partgypsy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5207
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #30 on: July 16, 2018, 12:26:17 PM »
Just keep in mind, that really the only time you are going to be dealing with legal stuff, is when you you get married, and/or have kids. Even just cohabitating, unless you decide to say get a mortgage or property together, share a banking account, there are no legal consequences to cohabitating together.  Obviously, if you are going to be with someone in a long term serious relationship, questions about just these kinds of things will come up eventually (things like health insurance splitting of expenses, getting a place together, wills power of attorneys, having a child or not etc etc).

So, I guess my advice is, just get to know the person you want to be with, as much as possible, see if on same page, before you make decisions that have legal consequences.  I don't see any benefit to making a prenup before you are even with someone or know their financial situation. I guess it might be a good intellectual exercise to see how you feel about splitting of assets? If you know a family lawyer maybe talk about concerns, that if you wanted to protect yourself what they suggest?

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #31 on: July 16, 2018, 12:50:58 PM »
Spending a lot of time planning to fail in your marriage has always seemed a little odd to me.  Either you trust the person, or you don't.  Sure, people and circumstances change . . . but if you don't know the other person well enough to to comfortably risk 50% of your assets, then you probably shouldn't be getting married to begin with.  There should be no rush to get married, take your time and make sure that you are both comfortable and in a strong, committed relationship before even thinking about it.

I also wouldn't consider hospital and end of care rights that are granted through marriage 'minor' either.  If you're in a car accident and your loved one is dying, many would consider it rather important that you are allowed to see him/her during the final moments.  As has been mentioned, there are a slew of very important rights associated with marriage.

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #32 on: July 16, 2018, 02:01:37 PM »
Also, please don't assume that any future spouse might have less money or earn less than you do.  Don't limit your options that way.   High-earning women sometimes find that men's fragile egos get in the way of relationships with women who earn more than they do.  If you open yourself up to the possibility of a partner who is even more successful than you are you may be pleasantly surprised at the results - even apart from the fact that it is sexist and wrong not to do so.

I don't think I'm limiting my options. I'm just making the factual statement that statistically speaking, it is unlikely that I will end up in a relationship with someone who has a similar or higher income and net worth to me. I would be limiting my options if I only sought out partners who were as wealthy as me, because then I would be eliminating 99% of the dating pool. Instead, I choose to not limit my options and ignore wealth.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #33 on: July 16, 2018, 02:07:55 PM »
Also, please don't assume that any future spouse might have less money or earn less than you do.  Don't limit your options that way.   High-earning women sometimes find that men's fragile egos get in the way of relationships with women who earn more than they do.  If you open yourself up to the possibility of a partner who is even more successful than you are you may be pleasantly surprised at the results - even apart from the fact that it is sexist and wrong not to do so.

I don't think I'm limiting my options. I'm just making the factual statement that statistically speaking, it is unlikely that I will end up in a relationship with someone who has a similar or higher income and net worth to me. I would be limiting my options if I only sought out partners who were as wealthy as me, because then I would be eliminating 99% of the dating pool. Instead, I choose to not limit my options and ignore wealth.

You're not marrying all women on average.  You're not marrying the people in a dating pool.  You're marrying a single person.

Statistical significance kinda goes out the window when examining population groups of 1.

Hula Hoop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1762
  • Location: Italy
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #34 on: July 16, 2018, 02:09:02 PM »
Spending a lot of time planning to fail in your marriage has always seemed a little odd to me.  Either you trust the person, or you don't.  Sure, people and circumstances change . . . but if you don't know the other person well enough to to comfortably risk 50% of your assets, then you probably shouldn't be getting married to begin with.  There should be no rush to get married, take your time and make sure that you are both comfortable and in a strong, committed relationship before even thinking about it.

I also wouldn't consider hospital and end of care rights that are granted through marriage 'minor' either.  If you're in a car accident and your loved one is dying, many would consider it rather important that you are allowed to see him/her during the final moments.  As has been mentioned, there are a slew of very important rights associated with marriage.

I agree.  I mean, as a child of divorce, I understand what you're saying but when you meet the right person all that has to go out the window.  Or maybe you will never meet a person you trust enough to get married to and that's fine too.   I've only been married a little more than 10 years but I've had to trust my husband with things that are much more important than money - namely, our children and how he cares for them and my health when I was very very sick about 9 years ago.   I'm sure that in future, we will be tested again with difficult circumstances but that trust has to be there as a fundamental fact - otherwise, why get married?

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #35 on: July 16, 2018, 02:21:50 PM »
I don't think I'm limiting my options. I'm just making the factual statement that statistically speaking, it is unlikely that I will end up in a relationship with someone who has a similar or higher income and net worth to me. I would be limiting my options if I only sought out partners who were as wealthy as me, because then I would be eliminating 99% of the dating pool. Instead, I choose to not limit my options and ignore wealth.

You're not marrying all women on average.  You're not marrying the people in a dating pool.  You're marrying a single person.

Statistical significance kinda goes out the window when examining population groups of 1.

I don't understand. Before I could potentially marry someone, I must first start dating them. In order to date someone, I must meet them somehow from the dating pool. It is statistically unlikely that I will meet someone who has a similar or higher income and net worth to me, unless I selectively target only wealthy individuals, thereby eliminating the vast majority of the dating pool from consideration. I refuse to do that.

PoutineLover

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1570
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #36 on: July 16, 2018, 02:28:15 PM »
Interested in this topic. I'm not married, but I'm in a serious relationship with a person I think I will marry and have kids with someday. To me, marriage is a public statement that we are choosing each other to be with for the rest of our lives, and raise a family together, through whatever might happen. Prenups and commitment ceremonies don't meet the same standards for me.
I think the best way to avoid divorce is to choose the right person in the first place. To me that means spending a lot of time together, talking about everything together, and making sure that you share the same values and that there are no major incompatibilities. Way too many people brush off really important things because "they love each other so much" or "they're twin flames/soul mates/the one" even though they fight all the time and to me that's pretty dumb.
In my experience, many people who get divorced either married too quickly, or for the wrong reasons, or didn't realize something very important about each other until after marriage, all of which are avoidable problems. Yes I know you can do everything right and still end up divorced, but you lower the chances of that happening significantly by doing your due diligence.
That being said, nobody needs to get married and you shouldn't feel obligated to if all you see are the downsides. There are plenty of people who don't want to get married, and there's no reason to do something that feels wrong to you, especially if you expect it to end in divorce anyway. Just be up front about your views on it, and only date people who feel the same way.

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #37 on: July 16, 2018, 02:31:45 PM »
I mean, as a child of divorce, I understand what you're saying but when you meet the right person all that has to go out the window.  Or maybe you will never meet a person you trust enough to get married to and that's fine too.

I'm sad to say this, but the two people who I trust the most in the world are my parents (by far), and they betrayed whatever trust they had between them for their marriage when they got divorced. So to go with what you're saying, I would have to trust my partner more than I trust my own parents, which is a tall order. I've never trusted anyone that much in my life, and I cannot imagine what it is like.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 02:40:02 PM by Herbert Derp »

honeybbq

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1468
  • Location: Seattle
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #38 on: July 16, 2018, 02:39:25 PM »
Your spouse will not be able to use your SS (or vice versa) if you are not legally married.


GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #39 on: July 16, 2018, 02:45:11 PM »
I don't think I'm limiting my options. I'm just making the factual statement that statistically speaking, it is unlikely that I will end up in a relationship with someone who has a similar or higher income and net worth to me. I would be limiting my options if I only sought out partners who were as wealthy as me, because then I would be eliminating 99% of the dating pool. Instead, I choose to not limit my options and ignore wealth.

You're not marrying all women on average.  You're not marrying the people in a dating pool.  You're marrying a single person.

Statistical significance kinda goes out the window when examining population groups of 1.

I don't understand. Before I could potentially marry someone, I must first start dating them. In order to date someone, I must meet them somehow from the dating pool. It is statistically unlikely that I will meet someone who has a similar or higher income and net worth to me, unless I selectively target only wealthy individuals, thereby eliminating the vast majority of the dating pool from consideration. I refuse to do that.

The concern about statistical likelihood of women making more money than you doesn't matter.  The dating pool available doesn't matter.
 The number of people you date doesn't matter.  All that matters is the single person you've found who you trust and love enough to consider marriage with.

That's a population group of one, and not randomly selected from a pool (quite the opposite . . . there's typically an extensive vetting process).

Frankly, I think that your concerns about the wealth brought in to the relationship have the potential to end up getting in the much more important concerns about compatibility (spending habits, sexual compatibility, platonic compatibility - how are you as roommates, long term goals, goals related to children/children's education/raising children, ways to handle stress, impact of drugs/alcohol/gambling, conflict handling/resolution strategies, compatibility with relations and each other's families, acceptance of the other for who they are, division of household chores, need for quiet/apart time, religious views, how you want to change as a person, views on trust and fidelity, etc.).  If you can comfortably get answers you like on all of the preceding and more, it's not going to matter how much money the person brings into the relationship . . . because you won't end up getting divorced.

partgypsy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5207
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #40 on: July 16, 2018, 03:29:53 PM »
From what you just said about your parents and how their divorce betrayed any trust you had in them (or in marriage?) you may have "trust" issues. Your parents didn't betray you by getting a divorce. Maybe they betrayed each other, or failed each other, but even if it really impacted you, their divorce wasn't about you. Their responsibility was to love you and raise you to adulthood and they can try to uphold those commitments to you divorced or together.

Maybe not everyone is cut out for a serious long term relationship because it DOES involve compromise, working as a team and equal partner, forgiveness, and even risk. Part of what makes a marriage special (or should) is that the two people are saying, we are not just trying this out, we are committing to one another, and we are going to work on this together. Some people, may not want to move in with someone, change and adjust their life to be with someone if there is NOT that reciprocal level of commitment. What I'm saying is depending on who you choose, marriage versus prenup versus commitment ceremony may not be 100% your choice. It's not an ala carte menu.
If things like getting married and the other person having an unintended child, or getting sick and being unable to work or any other bad life event happening out of your control, scares the bejeesus out of you, not because someone you love is having a life changing event but because it might affect your networth, you are not ready.


« Last Edit: July 17, 2018, 12:44:27 PM by partgypsy »

pachnik

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1894
  • Age: 59
  • Location: Vancouver, BC
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #41 on: July 16, 2018, 03:49:42 PM »
Just keep in mind, that really the only time you are going to be dealing with legal stuff, is when you you get married, and/or have kids. Even just cohabitating, unless you decide to say get a mortgage or property together, share a banking account, there are no legal consequences to cohabitating together. 

...depending on where you live.

There are extensive laws pertaining to cohabitation after a certain amount of time where I live, including spousal support.

+1   And those laws change over time too.   As a previous poster suggested, if you are really curious, you should go spend some time with a lawyer and ask any questions you have. 

Before my spouse and I moved in together, i did go get legal advice.  It was totally worth it - just for my peace of mind.  And we did end up getting a marriage contract aka pre-nup. 

Raymond Reddington

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 200
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: NYC
  • "The Concierge of Cash"
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #42 on: July 16, 2018, 04:05:02 PM »
Me and my wife, who I love dearly, went with a very modern arrangement we feel is both fair and should be the blueprint for every couple going forward:

The highlights:
-What's in my name is mine, and stays mine (debt, accounts, etc.)
-What's in her name is hers, and stays hers (debt, accounts, etc.)
-The above two are in no way altered by adding the other person as a beneficiary to an account - the account is entirely the property of the person to whom it is listed.
-What's in both our names is 50/50 (or anything that is placed in both names)

-"Stuff" with no title or account holder that we entered into the marriage with, belongs to the person who brought it in the marriage.
-Anything subsequently purchased is 50/50.
-All physical real estate purchased must list both of us as owners. For the first 10 years, all payments toward principal are tracked, and in the event of divorce become reimburseable to the person who paid them if the asset is sold. One person gets the option to buy the other out first, then the second gets the option to buy the first out, then the property must be listed for sale. If the sale price exceeds the purchase price (likely with rising costs of housing), the excess (gain) above the purchase price is split 50/50. After 10 years, the house goes to 50/50.

-In the event of a divorce, there will be no alimony unless there is a disability. In the event of temporary disability, alimony will stop once the disability is overcome, or the disabled establishes residence with a romantic partner. In the event of permanent disability, alimony will stop if the disabled establishes residence with a romantic partner.

I love her and have absolutely no intention of divorcing her ever, but it just seemed like common sense for her to protect her substantial assets and me to protect my sizable income and pension in this manner (of course I'm trying to grow my assets as well).

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #43 on: July 16, 2018, 05:00:55 PM »
From what you just said about your parents and how their divorce betrayed any trust you had in them (or in marriage?) you may have "trust" issues. Your parents didn't betray you by getting a divorce. Maybe they betrayed each other, but even if it really impacted you, their divorce wasn't about you. Their responsibility was to love you and raise you to adulthood and they can try to uphold those commitments to you divorced or together.

I don't mean that my parents betrayed my trust, I mean that they betrayed their own trust that their marriage was going to work out. I look at these two people who I trust more than anyone else in the world, and I know that they betrayed the solemn marriage vows that they made to each other. How could I say with absolute certainty that my future partner won't betray their vows to me, when my parents betrayed their own vows? I would have to trust that person more than I trust my own parents.

Hula Hoop

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1762
  • Location: Italy
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #44 on: July 16, 2018, 05:22:15 PM »
From what you just said about your parents and how their divorce betrayed any trust you had in them (or in marriage?) you may have "trust" issues. Your parents didn't betray you by getting a divorce. Maybe they betrayed each other, but even if it really impacted you, their divorce wasn't about you. Their responsibility was to love you and raise you to adulthood and they can try to uphold those commitments to you divorced or together.

I don't mean that my parents betrayed my trust, I mean that they betrayed their own trust that their marriage was going to work out. I look at these two people who I trust more than anyone else in the world, and I know that they betrayed the solemn marriage vows that they made to each other. How could I say with absolute certainty that my future partner won't betray their vows to me, when my parents betrayed their own vows? I would have to trust that person more than I trust my own parents.

I have had those feelings about my parents too but, when I really look at them, I realize that while I love them both they should never have gotten married and their marriage was doomed probably from the beginning.  As long as I can remember they had horrible fights in which terrible things were said.  As a child, I thought that that was what marriage was and I wanted no part of it.  I remember constantly hiding in my room crying while they battled it out.

My relationship with my husband is completely unlike my parents' marriage before they finally divorced.  Things aren't perfect but we get on well with each other for the most part and enjoy each others' company.  We don't have huge issues like my parents.

So I guess I don't see my parents as betraying their vows.  They really tried to make it work as long as they could but they are fundamentally completely incompatible.  I never figured out why they married each other in the first place but they were very young when they met.

Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #45 on: July 16, 2018, 10:34:49 PM »
The concern about statistical likelihood of women making more money than you doesn't matter.  The dating pool available doesn't matter.
 The number of people you date doesn't matter.  All that matters is the single person you've found who you trust and love enough to consider marriage with.

That's a population group of one, and not randomly selected from a pool (quite the opposite . . . there's typically an extensive vetting process).

Frankly, I think that your concerns about the wealth brought in to the relationship have the potential to end up getting in the much more important concerns about compatibility (spending habits, sexual compatibility, platonic compatibility - how are you as roommates, long term goals, goals related to children/children's education/raising children, ways to handle stress, impact of drugs/alcohol/gambling, conflict handling/resolution strategies, compatibility with relations and each other's families, acceptance of the other for who they are, division of household chores, need for quiet/apart time, religious views, how you want to change as a person, views on trust and fidelity, etc.).  If you can comfortably get answers you like on all of the preceding and more, it's not going to matter how much money the person brings into the relationship . . . because you won't end up getting divorced.

I agree with these statements for the most part, other than that there is a way to predict that you'll never get divorced. People change. Situations change. But that's fine, we can agree to disagree.

The one thing I want to make sure of, though, is that you don't mean to imply that I should prioritize dating (and potentially marrying) people who are as wealthy as me. That's the vibe I got from former player's post, and I completely disagree. Not only is that classist, but I won't limit myself in that way.

I have had those feelings about my parents too but, when I really look at them, I realize that while I love them both they should never have gotten married and their marriage was doomed probably from the beginning.  As long as I can remember they had horrible fights in which terrible things were said.  As a child, I thought that that was what marriage was and I wanted no part of it.  I remember constantly hiding in my room crying while they battled it out.

My relationship with my husband is completely unlike my parents' marriage before they finally divorced.  Things aren't perfect but we get on well with each other for the most part and enjoy each others' company.  We don't have huge issues like my parents.

So I guess I don't see my parents as betraying their vows.  They really tried to make it work as long as they could but they are fundamentally completely incompatible.  I never figured out why they married each other in the first place but they were very young when they met.

I'm glad you could tell that your parents were incompatible. I never saw my parents fighting, and didn't realize that anything was wrong until they told me they were getting divorced. It took over ten years for the process to run its course. Apparently things were great for at least the first four years, but then the relationship fizzled out over the next six or so. I won't get into the details, but I'm positive that my parents were happy and committed to each other for years before they even considered getting divorced.

In the end, both of my parents were left devastated both financially and emotionally, and they still haven't recovered fully even after over fifteen years. I want to avoid as much as that as possible.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 10:48:58 PM by Herbert Derp »

Villanelle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6657
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #46 on: July 17, 2018, 01:02:10 AM »
I mean, as a child of divorce, I understand what you're saying but when you meet the right person all that has to go out the window.  Or maybe you will never meet a person you trust enough to get married to and that's fine too.

I'm sad to say this, but the two people who I trust the most in the world are my parents (by far), and they betrayed whatever trust they had between them for their marriage when they got divorced. So to go with what you're saying, I would have to trust my partner more than I trust my own parents, which is a tall order. I've never trusted anyone that much in my life, and I cannot imagine what it is like.

I think you can't imagine what that is like because you haven't yet met a person you may want to marry or commit to seriously for life in some form.  All your relationships up until now haven't reached the level of seriousness or commitment, so of course you didn't trust them as much as you trust your parents.  They were semi-serious girlfriends (or boyfriends) at best. 

It's hard to quantify trust and I trust different people with different things.  Selecting a sweater for me to wear?  I'd trust my best friend most.  Getting advice about my marriage?  My mom.  Venting about any relationship advice in my life besides my marriage? My husband.  But if I had to pick the one I trust most, without qualifiers?  My husband.  And I am close to and have an absolutely wonderful relationship with my parents.  But over time, as DH and I were dating (and then engaged and then married) our trust surpassed that which I have with my parents. 

If that wasn't the case, for me personally I'd feel like I married the wrong person (or shouldn't have married at all). 

talltexan

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5344
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #47 on: July 17, 2018, 08:16:46 AM »
I think you're undervaluing the rights that a legal spouse has in a variety of low-probability, high stress situations.

former player

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8823
  • Location: Avalon
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #48 on: July 17, 2018, 09:15:50 AM »
The concern about statistical likelihood of women making more money than you doesn't matter.  The dating pool available doesn't matter.
 The number of people you date doesn't matter.  All that matters is the single person you've found who you trust and love enough to consider marriage with.

That's a population group of one, and not randomly selected from a pool (quite the opposite . . . there's typically an extensive vetting process).

Frankly, I think that your concerns about the wealth brought in to the relationship have the potential to end up getting in the much more important concerns about compatibility (spending habits, sexual compatibility, platonic compatibility - how are you as roommates, long term goals, goals related to children/children's education/raising children, ways to handle stress, impact of drugs/alcohol/gambling, conflict handling/resolution strategies, compatibility with relations and each other's families, acceptance of the other for who they are, division of household chores, need for quiet/apart time, religious views, how you want to change as a person, views on trust and fidelity, etc.).  If you can comfortably get answers you like on all of the preceding and more, it's not going to matter how much money the person brings into the relationship . . . because you won't end up getting divorced.

I agree with these statements for the most part, other than that there is a way to predict that you'll never get divorced. People change. Situations change. But that's fine, we can agree to disagree.

The one thing I want to make sure of, though, is that you don't mean to imply that I should prioritize dating (and potentially marrying) people who are as wealthy as me. That's the vibe I got from former player's post, and I completely disagree. Not only is that classist, but I won't limit myself in that way.

I've no idea how you got from my "don't limit your options" to "prioritize dating wealthy women", but it is completely the opposite of what I was trying to say.


Herbert Derp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Age: 33
Re: Marriage vs prenup vs commitment ceremony
« Reply #49 on: July 17, 2018, 06:52:10 PM »
I've no idea how you got from my "don't limit your options" to "prioritize dating wealthy women", but it is completely the opposite of what I was trying to say.

Sorry for the misunderstanding!