We’ve all heard the statistic that says 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. Additionally, a person who is divorced once is more likely to divorce in their second marriage. However, numbers only tell part of the story. A subsequent effect of divorce is the creation of blended families as parents with children from previous marriages build a household together. The dynamics of a blended family are different from a traditional nuclear family because more than one set of parents and children must now be considered in arrangements.

When thinking about assets like money, it’s relatively easy to divide it among the two spouses during a divorce. While there may be disagreements about how much each spouse is entitled to, the actual act of division can be straightforward. Other assets are harder to divide. This is especially true when it comes to the house that you and your spouse own. For many couples, the house is also the single largest piece of marital property that needs to be divided.

Prior to marriage, many couples decide to enter into a contract which commonly determines property divisions and spousal support in the event of a future divorce. Alabama couples might be interested in a recent decision made by a court in another state. The ruling stated that one couple’s prenuptial agreement, executed abroad in 1997, is not valid because one of the spouses could not read the language in which the contract was written.

Most couples who enter into marriage do so hoping that their marriages will last for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, some studies indicate that approximately half of all married couples in the nation eventually file for divorce. Many of these couples have children. Recently, a senator outside the state of Alabama drafted a bill which would require that child custody be divided more evenly between divorcing spouses.

In the state of Alabama, and all across the nation, the youngest of the Baby Boomers are slated to turn 50 this year. According to a recent poll, 40 percent of 2014’s newlyweds have also been involved in previous marriages. A prenuptial agreement is often used in these circumstances in order to prevent future discord and squabbles.

Prior to saying “I do,” many modern couples are now signing prenuptial agreements. This is because couples are now realizing that a prenuptial agreement can help them avoid confrontation in the future. For Alabama couples who are heading toward the altar, a prenuptial agreement deserves serious consideration.

Prenups are becoming more common for newly engaged couples that wish to safeguard the assets they are bringing into the marriage and to provide for the division of marital assets if the couple ends up getting a divorce. A prenuptial agreement could potentially eliminate the need for Alabama couples to spend a significant amount of time and money in the courts if their marriage ends. Many people are also beginning to use prenups to deal with one other item that the law considers property — the family pet.

Many divorcing spouses have obstacles to overcome, particularly when children are involved. Each Alabama parent has the opportunity to gain child custody. While many parents fight for full custody, it has become apparent that shared custody may be in the best interest of the children. When a couple decides to divorce, they may agree that the best thing for their children is co-parenting with shared custody.

Prenuptial agreements are designed to predetermine various aspects of a divorce in order to avoid or at least minimize litigation. These types of agreements, which are common among spouses in Alabama and other states, will decide issues of property division and spousal support. A strong prenuptial agreement will stand up against any legal challenge to the validity of its terms in court.

Most people believe that prenups are only a preparation for a divorce in the future. However, entering into a prenuptial agreement is not only for safeguarding assets and property, it’s also about proper communication and planning ahead of time. This can help prevent or at least decrease the chances of Alabama couples having bitter arguments in the future.