Should couples sign a prenuptial agreement prior to the wedding?

Marriage ought to be viewed as a covenant created upon the foundation of mutual love. So here’s my potentially flawed opinion. In a marriage between two people of minimal education and lower/middle class economic status, there is really no point of a prenuptial agreement.

In fact, in this case trust would be diminished because when two people who have no significant financial assets enter a covenant marriage, love would likely be the primary factor. When you bring money into the picture, the perspective clouds quickly. I believe people often fall in love with things connected to a person before they actually get around to examining the stripped down heart of the person themselves.

Money, power, charisma, and social status can collectively be an attractive concoction but have little to do with who this person really is. In this case, a prenuptial agreement can strip away every external motivation to enter into this covenant and place love as the primary factor for walking down the aisle, as it should be. I’ll go out on a limb here an break it down to a practical application of my opinion.

If one or both partners makes in excess of $140k per year, or if one or both partners has a savings or trust in excess of $200k, I’d get a prenuptial. If not, I wouldn’t bother with it. Even if you get one, it’s not always easy to enforce, but it's interesting to note that a prenup might force people to be fair.

See the section below. “Historically, according to the research (see the Wikipedia entry on prenuptials) the law in America and the UK has not shown much recognition for prenuptials and they are not always enforceable - it is left to the judge's discretion. Why would this be?

"In the United States judges have frowned upon prenuptial agreements as corrupting what marriage was supposed to stand for, and often they would not recognize them. "(Wikipedia entry on prenuptial agreement) 5 conditions, it seems, must at the very least be met for a PreNuptial to be legal: 1. It must be made in writing.

2 No coercion must be involved. It must be voluntary 3. Nothing hidden - full disclosure of assets etc... 4.

It must be unconscionable which means it must be fair - a prenuptial or any contract is unenforceable if it is unfair to one of the parties trying to escape it. It can be made unenforceable or at least the parts of the contract deemed to be unfair, can be considered unenforceable. Fair enough.

5. It must be acknowledged in front of a legal authority for it to be recorded - the parties, not just their attorneys, must be there to sign it. You know the old "Before me, the undersigned authority, personally appeared....witnessed and signed...In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this ........ day of .................." Moreover, if you limit spousal support (like maintenance and alimony) in a prenuptial you cannot do so without having independent counsel to the agreement.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.