How a Prenuptial Contract Can Take The Pressure Off Marriage

The vow 'for richer and for poorer' is all very well in marriage; however what happens when parties get divorced?

The increase in use of prenuptial agreements is showing that couples are being financially savvy and do not want to risk any more upset than in necessary in the event of their divorce.

Funnily enough Robbie Williams was quite open about the fact that he thought it sensible to take extra protection when marrying Ayda Field in 2010, which is still against the trend of the super-rich.

It shouldn't really be of any great surprise that having been involved in his current relationship for three years and previously dated a string of beautiful women including Rod Stewart's ex Rachel Hunter, Williams reportedly chose to underpin his marriage with a prenuptial contract.

Although he has had his ups ('Angels') and his downs (obessive interests in UFOs) Robbie Williams will have many real and expensive assets to protect. The Times' Rich List named his fortune as being £130 million - lots of property including expensive cars, homes across the globe and multi-million pound yacht.

The hugely sucessful 36-year-old has seen things from a slightly different angle to other wealthy individuals.

For a survey of 200 City high fliers unearthed the surprising statistic that a mere eight per cent either wanted or had already put into place a prenuptial agreement, with 56 per cent making the presumption that their relationship was too rock solid to merit any such insurance policy. The purpose of a prenuptial agreement is to look after the assets of both parties - this is something that obviously escaped famous musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney and Phil Collins when they had to give over a huge proportion of their millions after a divorce.

The prenuptial contract is not yet legally enforceable in the UK but carries increasing weight when a court comes to sort out what is left when a couple breaks up - particularly the highly reported case of Karen Radmacher (German Heiress). Prenuptial contracts should be viewed in a similar light to house or health insurance, not a recipe for divorce but a form of reducing the pressure on married couples.