Prenuptial Mediation
Prenuptials, postnuptials, and cohabitation agreements have been the purview of the wealthy. More and more, however, members of the middle class are having the prenuptial conversation.
The primary purpose of a prenup is about protection and limitations. Rarely is it about love and supporting the couple in flourishing as individuals and as a couple. Rarely does it promote a sense of freedom, especially for the one who feels that they are being “blocked out.” It is as if there was something wrong with them from which their spouse-to-be should be protected.
Too often, shortly before the wedding the fiancé without the wealth is presented with a legal document that they are required to sign should they want to marry their sweetheart. Suddenly, instead of talking about love and marriage, the conversation is about divorce and money. Instead of a sense of excitement about what they dream of creating together, the couple are meeting with lawyers and talking about restrictions and the need to protect one fiancé from the other. Instead of talking about a new life together, it’s about what will happen should they divorce.
We help couples change the conversation from one of restriction and limitations to love and values.
Prenuptial Mediation and Coaching
Prenuptials, postnuptials, and cohabitation agreements have been the purview of the wealthy. However, more and more members of the middle class are having the prenuptial conversation.
The primary purpose of a prenup is to protect and limit. Rarely is it about love and supporting the couple in evolving as individuals and a couple. It typically doesn’t promote a sense of freedom, particularly for the person feeling “blocked out.” A prenup often leads to the feeling that something is wrong or threatening about the individual and their spouse-to-be should be protected.
Too frequently just before a wedding, the partner without the wealth is presented with a legal document they are required to sign should they want to proceed with marrying their sweetheart. Suddenly, instead of talking about love and marriage the conversation shifts to divorce and money. Instead of a sense of excitement about what they dream of creating together, the couple is meeting with lawyers and talking about restrictions and the need to protect one fiancé from the other. Instead of talking about a new life together, it’s about what will happen when they divorce.
Ginni Galicinao helps couples change the conversation from one of restriction and limitations to love and values.
The Pre-Prenuptial Process
The Pre-Prenuptial Process
Values
- What are your core values…individually and now as a couple?
- What values influence how you will work together, make decisions together?
- What do each of you need to be successful, as individuals?
Vision of the Future
- What are your hopes and dreams for the future…as individuals and as a couple (with or without the money)?
- What’s your vision and mission?
- What actions will guide you in the manifestation of your vision and mission?
- What talents and treasures (beyond money) are you both contributing to this union?
- What do you want for yourselves, as individuals?
- How do you support each other in pursuit of your individual dreams?
Meaning of Money
- What does money mean to you?
- What do you want to create together?
- What are your dreams as a couple?
- How does the money, that you both have, enable you to create those dreams?
- What are your concerns about money…from how you spend, budget, and give it away
- How will you talk about your wealth in the future, with each other, with friends and family?
- What are your hopes for future children and how will the significant wealth impact parenting?
- How do you want to manage your money?
- What do investments look like?
Communication and Conflict Resolution
- How do you communicate when you hit a rough patch?
- Do you have the tools to navigate challenging conversations, rather than unintentionally hurting each other in your efforts to be heard?
- How will you agree to disagree; and when you do, how will you make decisions together?
- How do you respect other’s differences?
Couples enhance their communication skills when working together to identify their individual and couple values, create a family vision and mission statement, and seek clarity on what they need to be successful.
Through this process, couples become clear about the future they want to create and the meaning and impact of the family’s wealth. Couples are then prepared to meet with their respective lawyers and enter into prenuptial negotiations from a place that honors who they are.
The pre-prenuptial process enables couples to ensure that the prenuptial created for them by lawyers reflects their hopes and dreams, as opposed to adversity and limitation.
Couples enhance their communication skills when working together to identify their individual and couple values, create a family vision and mission statement, and seek clarity on what they need to be successful.
Through this process, couples become clear about the future they want to create and the meaning and impact of the family’s wealth. Couples are then prepared to meet with their respective lawyers and enter into prenuptial negotiations from a place that honors who they are.
The pre-prenuptial process enables couples to ensure that the prenuptial created for them by lawyers reflects their hopes and dreams, as opposed to adversity and limitation.
Values
- What are your core values—individually and as a couple?
- What values influence how you will work together and make decisions together?
- What do each of you need to be successful as individuals?
Vision of the Future
- What are your hopes and dreams for the future as individuals and as a couple (with or without the money)?
- What’s your vision and mission?
- What actions will guide you in the manifestation of your vision and mission?
- What talents and treasures (beyond money) are you both contributing to this union?
- What do you want for yourselves as individuals?
- How do you support each other in pursuit of your individual dreams?
Meaning of Money
- What does money mean to you?
- What do you want to create together?
- What are your dreams as a couple?
- How does the money that you both have enable you to create those dreams?
- What are your concerns about money, from how you spend, budget, and give it away
- How will you talk about your wealth in the future with each other and with friends and family?
- What are your hopes for future children and how will the significant wealth impact parenting?
- How do you want to manage your money?
- What do investments look like?
Communication and Conflict Resolution
- How do you communicate when you hit a rough patch?
- Do you have the tools to navigate challenging conversations rather than unintentionally hurting each other in your efforts to be heard?
- How will you agree to disagree? And when you do, how will you make decisions together?
- How do you respect your differences?