Jeff Bezos, among others, would likely tell you that he wished he would have signed a prenuptial agreement. Bezos, the chairman and CEO of Amazon, recently announced that him and his wife, MacKenzie, were splitting after 25 years of marriage. Unfortunately, $137 billion dollars is now on the line and likely to be divided in half.
Because Amazon was started one year after the couple was married, CNBC reports that MacKenzie could be entitled to over $65 billion dollars. While a recent article suggests that she will likely not want to split the assets– so they continue growing– most divorcing spouses are not that amicable.
Whether you are getting married or have been married for years, you should consider signing a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement to protect your assets in the event of a divorce.
Prenuptial agreements
Prenuptial agreements no longer have the stigma they did in the past. In fact, CNBC found that more than half of divorce attorneys report to receiving more requests for prenuptial agreements in the past few years than ever before.
Americans are aware of how prevalent divorces have become. Sadly, many people have witnessed the devastating outcomes for couples who never signed a prenuptial agreement and were involved in a highly-contested divorce. While no engaged couple hopes to get divorced, prenuptial agreements can help protect your assets in the event you and your partner decide to part ways in the future.
Postnuptial agreements
Similarly, data suggests postnuptial agreements are also on the rise. A postnuptial agreement provides all the same protections associated with a prenuptial agreement, except a couple signs it after they are already married.
Both postnuptial and prenuptial agreements help determine which assets should remain separate and which assets to consider as “marital property” that can be divided. Unfortunately, for Jeff Bezos, all the assets from Amazon will be considered marital property because the couple never signed a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement after the company was started.
Divorces can be highly complex, especially if there are substantial assets involved. Consult with an experienced family law attorney to learn more about the benefits of a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.
The Law Offices of Stacy D. Heard, PLLC
