When you choose to marry someone whom you will share your life with, the romantic love that you feel is certainly the most enchanting, captivating emotion you have ever experienced. Understandably, as their wedding day approaches, the last thing on a couples' mind is the idea or divorce.

Unfortunately, divorce rates today persist at around 50 percent and many couples quote struggle over finances as the principal rationale for why they are divorcing, and everyone deserves to have their life savings/earnings protected.

Although prenuptial agreements aren't nearly as pleasant to think about as wedding cakes or dresses, thinking financially and not emotionally, results in the preferred possible outcome and sets up a protected bedrock for your future as an independent single man/woman, in the event of divorce. A prenuptial agreement can secure each spouse's premarital assets and financial interests. But is a prenup a good idea?

A prenuptial agreement is a contract a couple signs before getting married, which may cover: property acquired before the marriage, assets, a business, a home, bill paying, income, estate planning in the event of death, divorce or disability, etc. The problem when couples get married without a prenup is that assets become so co-mingled that you can no longer ascertain what is yours, your spouse's, and what is joint property.

Some common misunderstandings about prenups are the notions that prenups are "just for wealthy people," that they promote feelings of distrust and lack of love, alter the whole connection and contract of a marriage, or that a prenup means you are preparing for a divorce.

Contrary to the popular beliefs, prenups can be advantageous for any individuals who bring personal or business assets to the marriage. Additionally, prenups promote trust, as they ensure that your future spouse is not marrying you for your financial assets. Signing a prenup does not mean you are preparing for a divorce - it is simply a smart way to insure your financial future in the event things don't go as planned.

Prenups help couples secure a financial safety net, allow them to decide on what property and how much of it belongs to whom, protect the assets of a party with a higher financial worth than their spouse, helps couples avoid surprises, arguments, and enormous costs of possible litigation proceedings.

The value of considering a prenup is to clarify things so that you avoid headache, confusion, and ultimately expense down the road. You must protect yourself during what can be one of the most heart-breaking and stressful occurrences in your life.

Jeffery Landers, author of "DIVORCE: Think Financially, Not Emotionally", explains that if you proceed with divorce "carelessly and/or impulsively, the outcome can, and probably will, be financially disastrous. On the other hand, if you proceed thoughtfully and with a strategic plan, you may find your divorce offers you the opportunity to lock in a secure financial future."

That said, if you are planning on getting married and you have decided on signing a prenuptial agreement, it is imperative to seek the advise of legal counsel in order to to better understand the laws regarding divorce. If you are in New York, contact the Law Offices of Inna Vernikov for legal representation at (212) 729-3497 or info@vmlawnyc.com.

DISCLOSURE: The contents of this post do not constitute legal advice, and are intended for informational purposes only. For legal advise, contact a licensed attorney in your state.

Disclaimer: This post might be considered Attorney Advertisement by some bar associations. Prior results do not imply similar outcomes. This communication does not imply an Attorney-Client relationship.

Milana Bretgoltz is a sophomore at Fordham University and an aspiring attorney.