{
  "id": 4667720,
  "title": "Vermögen: Wann sich ein Ehevertrag lohnt – und was er kostet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/vermogen-wann-sich-ein-ehevertrag-lohnt-und-was-er-kostet",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-31T15:51:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/steuern-recht/recht/vermoegen-wann-sich-ein-ehevertrag-lohnt-und-was-es-zu-beachten-gibt/100224359.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Many people dismiss the idea of a prenuptial agreement as \"unromantic, unnecessary and expensive.\" However, they overlook that every couple automatically enters into a contract when they get married, but it is not a personalized one with individual regulations, but rather the legal standards. These may not always match the couple's personal life situation. In such cases, a prenuptial agreement could be beneficial. The costs vary widely depending on the individual case. Handelsblatt lists the rules without a prenuptial agreement, how the fees are composed and where one can save money. Without a prenuptial agreement, couples are in a joint property community after marriage. Upon divorce, they split the assets they earned during the marriage according to the division of assets. Gifts and inheritances remain untouched. If one partner is a shareholder of a successful business, the gain at the end of the marriage can be very high. Real estate can also significantly increase this amount. Even the value growth of a property bought before the marriage during the marriage is included in the division of assets. Pension rights are also divided between the partners. This refers to the provision of retirement benefits at retirement age, known as the provision of benefits. Additionally, there may be a claim for post-marriage maintenance. How is the division of assets calculated? Assuming the husband contributed nothing to the marriage and earned no income during it, the woman's wealth increased from 100,000 to 300,000 euros. Then she would have to pay him half of the amount earned during the marriage - in this example, 100,000 euros. The basis for such calculations should be documented by the partners for the day of marriage. \"If the initial wealth is not documented, the court calculates the division of assets with zero euros,\" says Eva Becker, a family law expert from Berlin. This would result in a higher wealth being shared with the future ex-partner. What does the prenuptial agreement regulate? A personalized prenuptial agreement is usually a so-called modified joint property community. \"Basically, anything can be regulated in such an agreement - as long as one partner is not completely disadvantaged,\" says Becker. Otherwise, a court could declare the contract immoral. This could happen, for example, if one partner would be completely exempted from the division of pension rights without receiving financial compensation in return. Common provisions of a prenuptial agreement include exempting society shares or real estate not acquired jointly from the division of assets. Furthermore, post-marriage maintenance payments are often agreed upon, which go beyond statutory provisions. \"Such agreements are particularly made by couples planning to have children,\" says Becker. The family lawyer observes that well-educated and professionally successful women increasingly want a prenuptial agreement. \"They can calculate what it means for their career and income if they reduce their working hours for the sake of raising children,\" says Becker. They want to rule this out in advance. This could be done through maintenance payments.",
  "summary": "Ein Ehevertrag gilt als unromantisch. Doch ohne Vertrag gelten starre Regeln. Für Unternehmer, Immobilienbesitzer und Paare mit Kindern kann das teuer werden.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Vermögen: Wann sich ein Ehevertrag lohnt – und was er kostet",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/vermogen-wann-sich-ein-ehevertrag-lohnt-und-was-er-kostet",
        "published": "2026-08-25T11:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}