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We used to think that marriage was for a lifetime. Times have changed.
Over half of all marriages now end in divorce. Things don’t always improve with practice as over 60% of all second marriages end in divorce and a staggering 73% of all third marriages end in divorce. If you’ve lived together your chance of getting divorced increases by as much as 40%.
That works out to be a new divorce every 36 seconds.
Roughly half of all American children will experience the breakup of a parent’s marriage and nearly half of these children will also experience the breakup of a parent’s second marriage.
The source of income into a marriage has also changed.
It used to be the case that most marriages were supported by one income. Today, women make up nearly half of the country’s total workforce and are often the breadwinners. In many marriages a woman's career and professional ambitions are greater than her spouse. Women are more likely to have a bachelor’s degree than men, they earn the majority of doctoral degrees and dramatically outnumber men in grad school.
Be optimistic, but prepared, with a Maryland Prenuptial Agreement prepared by our office.
So what is a Prenup?
A Prenuptial Agreement, sometimes called a "Premarital Agreement" or an "Antenuptial Agreement," is a legally binding agreement between a couple intending to marry that settles in advance, peacefully, the alimony or property rights in the event the marriage ends in divorce or death.
You decide for yourselves, not the courts. Should a breakup or death of either of you occur, a Maryland Prenup will save substantial time, attorney's fees, litigation expense, uncertainty and provide solid peace of mind and control during what is nearly always an extraordinarily stressful event.
Today, a Prenuptial Agreement is a sensible financial planning tool for many.
Prenups used to be only for celebrities, or for older clients who had been widowed or divorced and had children from a prior marriage, or for the wealthy.
The use of Prenups has exploded, as many now consider a Maryland Prenup part of their wedding to-do list.
More people, especially career-minded younger couples entering into their first marriage later in life after having lived together, wish to protect their separate assets that have grown with them. They have worked hard in the early stage of their careers and wish to plan against foreseen and unforeseen events that can follow a marriage. In fact, spouses with fewer assets have a smaller margin of error in the event of divorce.
For couples where one or both have been married previously, Prenup's encourage them to "take a chance on love" and marry with more confidence, peace of mind and less fear and uncertainty.
Whatever your situation, the stigma once associated with Prenups indicating a lack of faith in the future of the marriage has been replaced with a desire to start marriage by promoting communication, clarity and protecting romantic love by saying "I don't care about your money, I care about you."
No two Prenups are alike. Yours will be tailored to your particular needs, values and wishes.
Although not requiring a large commitment of time on your part, the preparation of a Maryland Prenup presents special challenges that we address in the course of our service to you. The end of a marriage, whether by death or divorce, could be many years in the future. There must be consideration of possible, unknown future events over a very long timeline. Often younger couples are focused more on divorce than death, as are older couples more on death than divorce. We go over all of this with you and consider and plan for all possible scenarios.
Maryland Prenups are also available for same-sex couples.
Maryland has recognized same-sex marriage since January 1, 2013. Gay and lesbian couples in Maryland have the same right as an opposite-sex couple to enter into a Prenuptial Agreement.
Prenups negotiated and prepared with respect and sensitivity to a couple’s personal relationship.
During the sometimes delicate discussion and negotiation of a Maryland Prenup, while protecting the financial interests of our client, we do our very best to preserve a very high sensitivity in avoiding stress to and maintaining respect for the personal relationship of the couple while balancing each party’s needs and objectives.
Our Mission is simple - Extremely Satisfied Clients.
When your Maryland PreNup is negotiated, drafted and signed, we want our clients to feel that retaining our services was the best decision they could have made for the future of their relationship and peace of mind.
Heard Enough? Take Action TODAY.
Call us today at 443.962.6261 or simply take a moment to fill out our confidential Contact Form. Your initial consultation is absolutely free and there is no obligation.
There are many possible scenarios where a Maryland Prenuptial Agreement would make sense. To aid in understanding how a Prenup could work for you, we've outlined several of the more common ones:
Disproportionate assets.
Where one already has, or is likely to acquire, substantial assets, and wants to protect these assets as separate property, while reasonably providing for the needs of the marriage, as well as the spouse and any children of the marriage upon divorce. Want to learn more? Contact us TODAY.
Both of you are young, with equal assets.
For young people in the early stages of promising careers, where each has some assets and wants to protect these, as well as their careers, as separate property. Referred to by some as "The New Prenup Generation," many young adults are viewing Prenups as an insurance policy should their happily-ever-after not last as expected. Want to learn more? Contact us TODAY.
Both of you are older, with either disproportionate or equal assets
Either where one party has substantially fewer assets than the other, yet is comfortable, and where both want to protect their separate property, provide for a comfortable lifestyle during the marriage and reasonably provide for the spouse with fewer assets upon death or divorce.
Or where both parties have similar assets who want to protect their property as separate, yet provide an arrangement by which they can live commensurate with their resources. Want to learn more? Contact us TODAY.