If you’re betting, as they say, on hope rather than experience, take these steps to help things go better the second time around:
- Talk about money. Let your spouse-to-be know how you think your finances should be handled after the marriage.
- Budget realistically. Include child support and alimony payments either spouse will be required to make. If either spouse is due to receive child support or alimony, be honest about whether the ex-spouse is likely to pay regularly. Decide if you’ll proceed to collect what’s outstanding.
- Sign a prenuptial agreement. A prenup can safeguard each spouse’s assets, in case of a subsequent divorce, and protect biological children when the parent dies. Both sides should have their own attorneys and all assets should be disclosed.
- Keep your own property. The assets you bring into the property should be held separately, for a clearer division.
- Move into a new home. In a house owned by one spouse, the other may feel like an outsider. Put the past behind you and live in a house or apartment that truly belongs to both of you.
