Financial Relationships Before a Defacto Relationship or Marriage

The beauty of a financial agreement is that it’s a private agreement between the parties that can be made at any stage of a relationship (before, during or after) – whether it’s defacto or marriage.

When we speak of making an agreement before the relationship – it refers to making the agreement:

• before you move in together or cohabitate, or
• before you get married (often referred to as a prenuptial or prenup agreement.)

Making a  financial agreement before you formally enter into a more committed relationship gives you peace of mind that your assets are protected . It allows you to stipulate and quarantine particular assets or financial resources from claim should the relationship break down.

By “isolating” those assets, each party is able to leave the relationship, should the need arise, with the property they brought in.

Putting your agreement in writing puts a stop to the niggling doubts and “what if?” questions.

This type of legal arrangement is quite common, it takes care of the practical matters and is generally no more difficult than a Will to draft.

The first step is choose the correct agreement for your relationship situation. For more information for you specific needs go to:

If you have already moved in together – you need a (during the relationship) cohabitation agreement.