When it comes to marriage, there’s a lot to commit to—shared goals, holidays with your in-laws, and (drum roll…) finances. The way you and your partner manage money can have a big impact on the overall happiness in your relationship. Modern couples are opting for a “hybrid” approach to finances. This means mixing some finances and keeping others separate to balance both autonomy and togetherness. A prenuptial agreement can help you and your partner navigate these often murky financial waters.
Finances = Relationship harmony or relationship hell
Shared finances can either be the glue that strengthens a relationship or the wedge that drives a couple apart—it all depends on how it’s managed. When both partners are aligned and communicate openly about their financial goals, pooling resources can lead to a sense of teamwork and shared purpose, creating harmony. However, when there’s a lack of transparency or differing financial values, it can quickly spiral into stress and resentment.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a friend a few years back. He and his wife had reached an impasse over money—he considered himself a meticulous saver and investor, while he viewed his wife as an impulsive spender. The truth was somewhere in the middle. They had joint accounts for household expenses but no clear agreements about how to handle personal spending. Naturally, this tension bubbled up constantly, leading to arguments. They eventually put a clear plan in place that worked for both of them and yes, they found peace.
This example reinforced for me, on a personal level, how important it is for couples to be on the same page.
The hybrid model of shared finances
Couples today are increasingly adopting a hybrid approach to managing finances—combining shared accounts for common expenses with personal accounts for individual spending. This model has its appeal: it offers the benefits of financial autonomy while maintaining joint responsibility for household costs. That’s where a prenup comes into play.
As Emily Luk, CEO of Plenty, aptly puts it, “Having a clear financial plan—whether joint or separate—allows couples to make decisions that protect both their personal assets and their shared goals, without the stress of ambiguity. A prenup is one of the smartest tools to define those boundaries clearly.”
Prenups and the hybrid approach to finances
Let’s say you and your partner are engaged to be married (yay!), both working full-time jobs that you love and that pay well (double yay!). You’re both excited about your future together, and after getting married, you continue with your careers—ambitious, thriving, and financially secure. But then, life happens: you decide to have kids. And here’s the twist—one of you wants to stay home with the children to nurture them during their early years. 78% of HelloPrenup couples do not have any children at the time of their marriage, making this conversation and future plans especially relevant.
Now, you face a whole new set of questions:
- How will money be managed?
- Will one of you take a break from working?
- If so, how will you adjust your finances to support that?
- Will you continue to share a joint account or keep some or all things money separate to maintain some financial autonomy?
- And what about longer-term goals—will you continue taking those two-week vacations to the Caribbean each year, or will you shift gears toward early retirement with a FIRE strategy?
These are the kinds of conversations that 99.99% (not a scientific stat) of couples have to navigate together, usually after the wedding. And the truth is, most couples don’t want to have these conversations until they absolutely have to because they can also be triggering.
Specific clauses to put into your prenup
Let’s talk about what exactly you should consider putting into your prenup if you are taking the hybrid approach to finances. There are specific clauses designed to clarify expectations and responsibilities during marriage. For example, the separate property section can outline how property, savings, investments, and even potential future inheritance will be handled during the marriage, if one partner steps away from their career to stay home with children, or how taxes on that property will be handled. This ensures that both partners are clear on who owns what, who pays for what, and how each of them is protected, especially if one has stepped away from the workforce.
A spousal support clause can address potential concerns about financial support if one partner decides to leave their job or career to care for the family. Again, communication about these topics can be stressful for some, but addressing these topics ahead of time supports healthy communication and reduces the chance of conflict down the road.
“But my parents didn’t have a prenup!”
Prenup skeptics often look to their parent’s generation as a benchmark and assume that if their parents didn’t have one, there is no need to consider one. I am here to remind you that times have changed. The dynamics of marriage and finances have changed. In 2025, couples face a different financial landscape than previous generations:
- 45% of Millennials and 20% of Gen Z have student debt. In 2019, the average undergraduate who had taken on debt had a loan balance of about $30,000 upon graduation. In fact, 95% of HelloPrenup couples want to keep their debts separate, and the median debt amount of HelloPrenup users is $30,000.
- Over the next twenty years, about $124 trillion is projected to pass from Boomers to the next generation, marking the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in U.S. history.
- Women are anticipated to receive the majority of this wealth, with studies suggesting that they will inherit approximately 70% of the total amount.
- The way couples handle money today is probably a lot different from how your parents did. Back in the 70s and 80s, many couples stuck to traditional gender roles.
Fast-forward to today, and things have (thankfully) shifted. Most couples are now dual-income households, with both partners contributing financially. This has made money management more of a team effort, with women playing a much bigger role in managing finances, investing, and making financial decisions. This also means that a lot of couples today use that “hybrid approach,” where they combine joint accounts for shared expenses (like the mortgage and groceries) but also keep separate accounts for personal spending and savings.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, how you manage money as a couple really comes down to what works best for both of you. But one thing is for sure—you’ll eventually need to talk about finances. The best time to have these conversations is before you absolutely have to, like before a big life event or when a financial crisis hits. It’s much easier to plan ahead than scramble when things get really important. The key is finding a balance that makes both of you feel secure, respected, and involved in the decisions. When you’re both on the same page, it can make the whole process smoother and strengthen not just your finances but your relationship, too.
Julia Rodgers is HelloPrenup’s CEO and Co-Founder. She is a Massachusetts family law attorney and true believer in the value of prenuptial agreements. HelloPrenup was created with the goal of automating the prenup process, making it more collaborative, time efficient and cost effective. Julia believes that a healthy marriage is one in which couples can openly communicate about finances and life goals. You can read more about us here Questions? Reach out to Julia directly at Hello@Helloprenup.com.
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