I won't go into a long dissertation on the subject but I suggest people do some research before they offer up any information.

I will dispel some "facts" however:

1)The general idea that a prenup is "anti romantic" and shows a lack of trust in a marriage is widely considered nonsense these days. More and more couples do them every year and for good reasons not related to trust or "love". Quite the contrary, prenups are considered by more and more couples as an intelligent sign of good planning. The facts are, if you have a business or substantial assets and she does not, you'd better have one.

2)Prenups are not worth the paper they're written on and a judge can modify them.

This is pure nonsense. Premarital agreements executed on or after January 1, 1986 are subject to the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act, a law passed *just* to prevent this. The key to a solid prenup is twofold: *full* disclosure of assets at the time and *independent* consul for both parties. This is especialy true with R/W, you'd better have a Russian speaking lawyer for her so she understands everything completely.

If the above conditions are met and the prenup is executed as far in advance of the wedding as possible, in 99% of the cases a judge is powerless to alter the conditions of a prenup. There are further simple steps one can take to make it completely airtight.

3) Property:

AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, and WI are the only Community Property states at the present time. You'd best understand the difference between community property and seperate property in these states as well as how property is equitably divided in non-community property states.
I won't bore you with the details, I suggest you search on "prenups" and study everything you find. There is a wealth of information to be had about this subject.

I could go on and on. Never have I seen so much misinformation about a subject offered by people purported to know about it. The choice is still an individual one but personally, you'd be crazy not to have one, regardless of what culture your wife comes from.  

Consult with an an attorney in your state and you'll find the facts are as follows: Prenups are a widely accepted concept by intelligent couples these days, there is no longer any stigma attachted to them and, properly executed as above, are rock solid in court.

Finally, the concept that marriage is "forever" and "until death do us part" is all one needs to reject the idea of a prenup is an astonishingly simplistic attitude and bordering on insanity in my opinion, especially if one has been married before. Even a Boy Scout lives by a better creed than that.

It's just one of many details that can be done to assure it holds up in court. However, as long as full disclosure is made, each party has independent counsel, the agreement was not completed under duress, and there are no stipulations in the prenup that could invalidate any due process of law, (such as community property statues) it *must* be upheld. The PMAA of 1986 was enacted for just this reason, to assure that judges must follow set standards in evaluating prenups. If you meet those standards when executing the agreement (thats the real trick), it *has* to stand up.

I'm not an attorney and there is much more to know about this topic from a legal point of view, but the nonsense I see posted here sometimes makes me shake my head. Wether you choose to do a prenup or not is up to you. Frankly, you would have to be daft to not seriously consider it, in my opinion. I know in my case I'd be a fool to ignore having one and I'm in a community property state.

Hey, don't believe anything people tell you, including me. It's in my nature to gather all the information I can from reliable sources about anything I get involved in. This takes time, money and *multiple* opinions from experts in whatever field of endeavor I'm looking at. Do your research and then go get further facts from people who should know. Doing this allows you to know the subject matter and permits you to evaluate the "expert" you're consulting.

Never go into anything blind, never rely totaly on someone else to educate you about *anything*, even a so called expert. By knowing something about it beforehand you can make far more intelligent choices about any decision.
When *multiple* expert opinions coicide with what *you've* learned on your own, then you can start to feel comfortably in control and proceed further.

After all, it's *your* ass on the line. Alawys begin by educating yourself first. Remember, knowledge is power.

Ask your wife or girl friend to read the Board; it would be a revelation.

Mark

Prenups are ify at best and almost any (scumbag) lawyer will shoot them so full of holes that they will be next to worthless.

Use your head (the big one), take your time, and be sure that you know the person that you are going to marry.

One of the biggest problems with our society today, IMO, is that people refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

Marriage is suppose to be FOREVER people. You are giving your spouse half of everything that you own. That is the whole idea (share and share alike until death do us part). If you need to provide an escape clause to secure your future (just in case), you are dooming your marriage to failure.

Just how many people *aren't* "sure" about being right for each other the day they marry? Every single couple who stands upon the alter today (and in the past) professes undying love, swears they will edure, they will be different. 100% are sure in their minds, yet in this country 50% will fail. And in many cases fail in a way so acrimonious that assault and murder is often involved. At minimum, it's usually a torturous legal and emotional demise to those who were "sure" not so long before.

And most of these "sure" folks were likely the result of longterm, well developed relationships, not the typical FSU song and dance. Is this your first marriage? If not, I can't believe you would make such an illogical statement. (In fact, I can't believe you'd make it even if this *is* your first marraige.)

This common sense and well known knowledge are one of the few things you *should* be "sure" about. That, and people can bend logic in astounding ways to rationalize any action they wish to make. Of course, logic and reason does not work on drunken men.

So whats your excuse? Are you one of those guys who thinks his "sureness" is "different" from everyone else's? That in "your case" it really is a "sure" thing? lol...If so, you'd be another example of how people's common sense can be swayed by the Power, and once again proves my theory that being in love is the *worst* time to get married. In addition, your
comments amount to quite a statement to make after only a short time of being marriage.

It's all a crap shoot, plain and simple. Your situation is no different than the millions who've come before you, regardless of who they married.
In fact, your progress and thinking at this point is typical of all those who came before you and failed. If you actually think you're situation is different enough to ignore the possibility of failure (and it's financial consequences), you be in one serious delusional state.

lol, sometimes you guys just slay me.