Marriage Advice from Divorce Attorneys

Ex-it Strategy

The benefit of Premarital Legal counseling is that we would just tell you what happens, for example, if you open a joint bank account or you keep your money separate, or you inherit a million dollars from your grandfather? So marriage and of itself is legally recognized by the state. It is under the realm of law. So why not understand the laws that have to do with marriage?

This is different than premarital counseling in that it is not designed to help you uncover and process emotions.

Do you understand how the laws work around property in North Carolina? What about credit card debt? This can be very eye-opening for couples and help facilitate important conversations that many young couples may not think to have before tying the knot.

Many couples assume that their money in their 401K is theirs alone and in the event of a divorce they keep it all, or their money is in a separate bank account so they wouldn't need to share it. This is incorrect. What about debt from college? What about credit card debt? What about a family inheritance? The answers may surprise you.

These are important conversations to have before marriage.

Once you get married you have a fiduciary duty to your spouse, we unpack what that means.

We also talk about issues surrounding privacy and access to accounts, knowledge of passwords, and locked phones. You should be aware of where your accounts are, your bank, mortgage company, etc. Privacy is another conversation best facilitated before problems arise and can be another component of Premarital Legal Counseling.

A simple conversation about budgeting, how you want to budget, what your financial goals are can be very beneficial to engaged couples.