A marriage is a chance for two people to declare their love to the world. Heading to the altar together is also an opportunity for two people to tie their lives together in every way. One of the most important things that marriage does is to bring two people together in a legal partnership. Signing a marriage contract is signing a document that will bind them both together for as long as they stay married. It is imperative for all those contemplating marriage to understand the full extent of this decision. As a married couple, each member has certain legal rights and certain legal responsibilities. With this in mind, it helps each member of the couple to ensure their legal rights before they get married. Part of this process means examining all fiscal matters before they get married. Under California state law, people can agree to sign a prenuptial agreement. Financial Matters Financial matters are one of the cornerstones of any successful marriage. Both parties to the marriage need to know how they're going to jointly manage all fiscal issues. The parties also need to be aware of how the other party responds given fiscal challenges such as the need for budgeting to pay bills. The use of a prenuptial agreement can help in many ways. A prenup lays bare each party's finances. Given the average of marriage in the United States is over twenty-five for both men and women, each party to the marriage is likely to have already made certain financial decisions before they get married. Each party to the marriage is also already likely to have completed at least some of their education and thus incurred financial debt. Many people already have mortgages and credit cards well before they become an official couple. Making use of a prenuptial agreement means that each member of the wedding party has access to other party's financial decisions. This has many advantages. Each member of the wedding party gets to see exactly what the other person has done in the past. They have the chance to know about any student debt, business interests and savings. That allows each party to come to marriage knowing what kind of joint assets they can expect to have at their disposal. They also have the chance to have an honest, frank discussion of fiscal issues before they have to make decisions such as buying a house and deciding what percentage of their income to devote to retirement savings. Facilitation of open and honest communication about essential matters like these is the foundation of any successful marriage. Each member of the couple has the chance to have in writing the other person's financial picture. The prenup allows the couple to decide what will happen if the marriage isn't working out. Neither spouse is left fearful the other party isn't being truthful about their personal finances if divorce is required. That allows for the kind of peace of mind that can help ensure any marriage is a working partnership both parties can enjoy. Understanding how a prenuptial agreement works before getting married is vitally important. How It Works A prenuptial agreement is an agreement to divide all the couple's finances a certain way if they get divorced. It's important to bear in mind that a prenuptial agreement only pertains to the couple's finances. It does not cover anything else. One party cannot specify that the other party agrees to lose a certain amount of weight or stays at a specific weight during the marriage. Child related issues must also be left out of the agreement. If one party has children from a previous marriage, the prenup cannot address the issues arising from their care. The only issue that is addressed in the prenup is fiscal. Each party has the chance to indicate to the other party how much they in assets as well as any outstanding debt. Each party also has the chance to ask that any assets they have earned before the marriage took place are theirs and theirs alone to retain if the marriage should not work out. All parties to the marriage should take the time to make sure the agreement is what they want done. In order for the agreement to be valid in the state of California, it must meet certain criteria. These criteria include a written rather than a verbal contract as well as allowing the parties at least a week to have a lawyer examine the terms before they sign it. If any of these steps are compromised, the document is considered null and void. Working with a professional to work out all necessary terms can help. Lawyers can help both parties create a prenup that is acceptable and allows the couple to get married happily.