While some people may say that a premarital agreement interferes with the romance in a marriage, it is just as easy to say that they are pivotal in keeping a marriage practical.

A good analogy to use here is whenever you get in your car you put on a seatbelt, not because you know you are going to wreck, but because there is a possibility that unforeseen things could occur in the future and you want to be protected. A premarital agreement is a great tool to do just that.

A premarital agreement can cover a wide array of different issues. North Carolina follows the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act, and that Act states that the following may be agreed to in a premarital agreement:

• The rights and obligations of each of the parties in any of the property of either or both of them whenever and wherever acquired or located;
• The right to buy, sell, use, transfer, exchange, abandon, lease, consume, expend, assign, create a security interest in, mortgage, encumber, dispose of, or otherwise manage and control property;
• The division of property upon separation, marital dissolution, death, or the occurrence or nonoccurrence of any other event;
• The modification or elimination of spousal support;
• The making of a will, trust, or other arrangements to carry out the provisions of the agreement;
• The ownership rights in and disposition of the death benefit from a life insurance policy;
• The choice of law governing the construction of the agreement; and
• Any other matter, including their personal rights and obligations, not in violation of public policy or a statute imposing a criminal penalty.

BLOG: What is included in a North Carolina prenuptial or premarital agreement?