If future spouses want, they can use the pre-marital arrangement to prevent the creation of community property interests during marriage. In other words, they can say that all property acquired during the marriage will be the separate property of the spouse who acquired it. Commonly known as marriage contracts (or prenups), pre-marital agreements are entered into by the California Family Code nr. 1600-1617. A pre-marital agreement is “an agreement between potential spouses who are concluded in the contemplation of marriage and efficiency in marriage.” To be enforceable, marital agreements, unless a valid waiver is obtained under a pre-marital agreement, must provide for full and fair publicity of each party`s assets, income and liabilities; Each page must provide 7 days for the revision of the agreement; and, in many of us, separate legal assistance representing each party. Full and fair disclosure can be difficult to obtain when assessing assets that are difficult to assess. Nevertheless, full and fair disclosure is essential to the applicability of the agreement. In addition, the divorce court should not subsequently consider the agreement to be unacceptable at the time of its execution. What is unacceptable is not yet clearly defined by California law.

However, the more reasonable and fair a spo agreement is on the issue of spos assistance, the more likely it is to be implemented. As a result, it is more likely that a provision that limits assistance to spouses, but does not give up, will be applied. If you have a separate property, it will only belong to you as long as it has been kept separately. Debts can also be separates, z.B. credit cards that you could get after the date of separation. Enforceable Marriage Contracts – In California, marriage contracts provide couples with an important opportunity to dictate their property rights and legal obligations after marriage in a different way from what is otherwise provided for by common property law and family law in California. They must be checked if the couple is moving to another state. Community wealth includes all financial commitments (debts) accumulated during your marriage or national partnership. This is also the case if the debt was only incurred by one of you or if a credit card was only on behalf of a spouse or partner.

As a final warning, because pre-marital and spousal property agreements change the way California`s common ownership system applies to a married couple`s property, be sure to discuss it with your estate planning lawyer if you support such an agreement. Your plan can be adapted to the specifics of your real estate arrangements. Always look at the source of the money used to buy an item. This way, you can decide whether the item is a separate property or a community property. In California and other states that allow spousal property agreements, there are certain rules that each spouse must follow in order for a marital property contract to be legally applicable. California is a communal state. This means that a marriage or registration of a domestic partnership makes 2 people 1 “legal community”. Thus, the property acquired by the couple during the marriage/partnership is a “common property”. And the debts the couple acquires during the marriage/partnership are also part of the “collective debt.” Separate property, on the other hand, belongs to a single spouse. Money or hereditary property are usually the two most common forms of separate properties. Both preceded the actual marriage – that is, a spouse had property rights or an heir before marriage.

In principle, you can use the marriage agreement to dictate everything, from how monthly bills are paid, to the religious institutions your children will visit. One of the main reasons you may want a wedding is to make sure that what belongs to you before the wedding stays with you when the marriage ends.