Unless your marriage is fraudulent, no one marries with the expectation of divorce. No one says, “I do” with their fingers crossed. However, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, over 50% of marriages end in divorce, which puts the United States at the 13th highest divorce rate in the world. Statistically, it only makes logical sense to plan for a divorce before marriage.
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
Planning for a divorce usually means getting an attorney to draft a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. A prenup is for those couples who have not yet married, and a postnup is for those who are already married.
These agreements outline how the marriage will end, who gets what, child custody, child and spousal support, etc. It can even, to some extent, include penalties for bad acts.
Planning for divorce can help avoid it
It may sound odd, especially, for Mississippi residents who are currently fighting over a prenup or postnup, but they both can help avoid a divorce.
First, these agreements force couples to talk about all those big life plans they may not have spoken about yet. Do you want kids? If so, how many? Where do you want to live? Do you have a gambling, drug or alcohol problem? If not, plan for it anyway. Remember, you are planning for something that may never happen or that may not happen for decades. And, remember, you can update this after you marry.
Second, all of those penalties for bad acts that you both agree to now can help avoid those reasons for divorce later.
The key
The key is to talk about this now. Do not wait for your relationship to implode before you start talking about divorce. At that point, you both will be so utterly entrenched in your own beliefs that agreements will be exceedingly difficult.