Alex & Annie used HelloPrenup to plan for future inheritances

How an Engineer and his wife used HelloPrenup to manage future inheritances

Background

Meet Alex, a 30-year-old engineer from California, and his wife Annie. They first connected in the Bay Area, where Alex had moved for work. Later on in the relationship, once they were ready to settle down, they both began to consider prenups. Their mission was to obtain a prenuptial agreement that suited their financial situation, was cost-effective, and provided a final product they could have confidence in, knowing it complied with the legal requirements of their state.

“I’d describe [HelloPrenup] as a website that helps generate somewhat customized agreements but address[es] relatively common situations for prenups. That’s one step easier and faster than hiring a lawyer and going to the full custom end of the spectrum.”—Alex, 30, Engineer, California

Bringing up the Prenup

According to a HelloPrenup study, roughly half (50.25%) of respondents took the initiative themselves to bring up the topic of prenups, compared to their partners bringing it up (25.75%). The remaining respondents received encouragement from family (12.38%) or received guidance from a financial advisor (8.57%).

Alex and Annie came up with the idea of a prenup during their time researching marriage. They started conversations about their finances and moved onto what they wanted to include in their own prenup. Throughout these discussions, they emphasized the significance of transparent and open communication.

“It might have just come up actually when we read a pre-marriage book… some general book that we found written by a therapist… questions to talk [about] with your fiancé, preparing yourself for marriage,” Alex explained.

Covering the Financial Bases

For their own prenup, Alex and Annie read marriage laws and thought about the impact of their family money. They were worried about things like wills, trusts, and family money getting complicated, so they wanted to ensure everything was clear and legal. The aim was to start their marriage on firm footing, with open talks about money and a solid plan in place to cover all the financial bases in their life together.

“It was more about reading all the laws regarding marriage, reading about family, financial planning, really long-term stuff, trusts… Just kind of hearing about the mess that can happen with wills and many siblings. And so… just a very, very long-term view like, ‘Hey, we should know what we’re legally agreeing to. We should know how to…have really clear communication, really great, clear finances. Just when we set everything up the first time, whether it’s a joint bank account or credit card, let’s just do everything… correct,” Alex explained.

Exploring Prenup Options

As Alex entered the world of prenups, he talked with traditional lawyers to explore his options. While these interactions were informative, they often felt formal and pricey. Lawyers suggested that Alex and Annie get separate legal representation, which Alex felt could make things unnecessarily confrontational. Alex was also concerned about the hours and costs involved.

“It was too formal. So every lawyer said like, ‘Okay, you should have your own representation. Your fiancé should have her own representation.’ [Attorneys are] obviously trying to go by the book as formally as possible… it… seemed overly confrontational, overly formal, we were trying to create a prenup that was… best practices [and] really just have a clear understanding of what we’re doing and how we’re managing money and expectations, and we didn’t want to go through the three hours of talking to a lawyer and paying a ton of money in a way that feels too adversarial,” Alex said.

Their experiences with lawyers prompted Alex to look for a friendlier, more cost-effective alternative. He hoped to find a solution that would fit his and Annie’s budget while simultaneously getting a well-written prenup.

Alex explained,“[I] called around probably…four different lawyers, and it was… just customization versus price. And that’s kind of where we landed on HelloPrenup, which kind of felt that it was the best balance between price and our trust that the product was properly written.”

Alex said that he picked HelloPrenup because it offers a cost-effective and legally trustworthy solution. He also felt confident in the product because a lawyer recommended HelloPrenup to him after hearing about Alex and Annie’s prenup needs.

Speedy Turnaround

For Alex and Annie, getting through their prenup together was fairly easy. Alex told us, “My fiancé and I just sat down and just did everything at the same time, basically next to each other.”

They were able to achieve their prenup quickly, as they had hoped for. According to a study at HelloPrenup, 26% of those surveyed placed a high value on a speedy turnaround. The research shows that, for many couples, the foremost considerations when drafting prenuptial agreements are swiftness and affordability.

“…I think [HelloPrenup] helped us achieve having a good [prenup] in a quick and efficient and pleasant manner,” Alex mentioned.

Not only were they able to efficiently create their prenup, but also Alex tells us their process was a pleasant experience, making the journey even more satisfying. According to HelloPrenup’s private study, approximately 83% of respondents reported feeling more connected to their partner after completing the prenup journey.

Achieving the Modern Prenup

Alex and Annie both agreed that HelloPrenup was a modern and trustworthy platform, giving them a prenup that fit their needs as millennials.

“I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was… [HelloPrenup] just seemed to be a company focused on exactly the issue I was dealing with. It seemed to be targeted towards millennials who were cost-conscious and wanted a reasonable prenup discussion,” said Alex.

Alex and Annie’s experience highlights that the traditional approach to prenups is no longer the only option. For Alex and Annie, they spoke with lawyers who recommended they try HelloPrenup. Their key priorities for a prenup were managing family money, finding a cost-efficient prenup solution, and getting it done in a timely fashion. With HelloPrenup, Alex and Annie achieved a prenup that not only met their financial requirements, was cost-efficient, and swift, but also was legally trustworthy and instilled confidence in the final product.

Key Takeaways:

Hey Fiance! As the CEO of HelloPrenup and a family law attorney, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial having your financial life in order is for any relationship.

More and more lovebirds are deciding to get prenups before saying “I do”, which demonstrates that folks are getting savvier about what their marriage means for their finances.

At HelloPrenup, we love helping educate engaged couples on how they can financially and legally prepare for a successful, long marriage.

Decisions backed up by knowledge are always the best, especially when you’re talking about something as big as your future finances. I truly believe that when partners know what’s on the table, they can make better choices for their unique situation and their relationship.

You can learn about prenups in many ways, like delving into case law, learning about your state’s divorce laws, or consulting with a lawyer about how those divorce laws could affect you. These are all super useful, but oftentimes are detached from real life stories of other couples who are similarly situated. At HelloPrenup, we think relatable customer stories are a valuable way to explore your options – through real-life stories.

Case studies give you the low-down on how prenups work in real life. They show you how couples, all different in their own ways, go through the process of making their prenups. By sharing these stories with you, we want to help you understand prenups a bit better, giving you practical insights you might not get otherwise.

Happy planning!

Julia Rodgers, Esq.

Julia Rodgers is HelloPrenup’s CEO and Co-Founder. She is a Massachusetts family law attorney and true believer in the value of prenuptial agreements. HelloPrenup was created with the goal of automating the prenup process, making it more collaborative, time efficient and cost effective. Julia believes that a healthy marriage is one in which couples can openly communicate about finances and life goals. You can read more about us here.

Questions? Reach out to Julia directly at Hello@Helloprenup.com.