Prenuptial Agreements: Why Every Business Owner Needs One

If you are a business owner and you are going to get married, you need a professionally contracted prenuptial agreement from an attorney. There are a lot of things that could affect your business badly if you get divorced eventually and you didn't have the agreement in place. A commercial litigation professional is best for this job.

Everything that you own will also be your spouses the minute the two of you finalize your vows, unless you protect it. The lawyer will make sure that the following things are protected before the wedding.

The lawyer will state that your spouse will not be entitled to any ownership in your business if the two of you go your separate ways. They can't try to take any shares, and they can't force you to buy them out of the company. This is best, because you don't want to be stuck trying to run your business with your ex-spouse.

Equity

Is your business profitable and you have a lot of accumulated equity? Do you have a lot in savings because of the success of your business, and is your business itself worth a lot of money? Do you have a lot of machinery that is paid off, or a commercial property that has a lot of equity in it? The lawyer will make sure that all of the property and the equity is off the table and solely yours.

Savings

Protect all of the money you have in savings accounts, investment accounts, stocks and fund, and all other assets protected. If you want to split what you bring in after the marriage, at least withhold everything that earned before the big day. You can also agree to share a specific percentage after you are married, so your future spouse doesn't feel like they are getting completely shut out.

Alimony

If you don't want to get stuck paying alimony to the person that you married, have your lawyer state there will be no spousal support or alimony of any kind at any time.

It isn't always enjoyable to ask the person you are committing your life to if they will fill out a prenuptial agreement, but you have to do it if you want to protect everything that you have built. Talk with a lawyer and have them draw up the contract, and give your potential spouse the opportunity to look at it and suggest changes. They may even want to hire their own lawyer.

For more information or help as you move forward, contact a company like D.B. Clark Law Office with any questions or concerns you have.

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