The surprising 'prenups' of America's richest couples

A prenuptial agreement (or prenup) is a legal agreement couples enter into before they get married.
Many involve what will happen to the couple's finances should they divorce.
However, relationship contracts, whether they be a prenup, postnup, or other agreement, can stipulate more than simply who gets what in case of a breakup.

Successful power couples agree upon important issues from the get go.

And whether it's with a legally-binding prenup, or postnup, or a more flexible relationship agreement, they often put it in writing.

"Two egos in a marriage can be great if all the important issues are agreed upon up front," Handel Group Laurie Gerber

Some of the most important issues couples should agree upon early on include sexual and romantic needs, family boundaries, and who pays for what, and putting it into writing can give a marriage a better chance of success.

Most breakups happen because of cheating, Gerber says: "Couples who face the reality of this threat head-on and deal with it stand the most chance of success."

"Don't be afraid to put it all in writing to refer back to as a living breathing document," she says. "And plan to have meetings about how you are running your marriage and family just as you would for your company or any other project you care about profoundly."

Here are some of the less conventional things successful power couples have put into writing:

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan agreed to spend more time together

relationship agreement

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have a clause about cheating

Actors Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake reportedly have an infidelity clause in their prenup that states Biel will receive $500,000 if Timberlake cheats.

The couple are worth an estimated $248 million.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban agreed not to tolerate drug or alcohol abuse

October 2006 Urban checked into rehab for an alcohol addiction

told People magazine in 2007

Jay-Z and Beyoncé treat motherhood like a job

Rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyoncé reportedly signed a prenup that gives her $5 million for each child they have together. The prenup also stipulated that Beyonce would receive $10 million if the marriage ended before two years and $1 million a year for every year they remained married up to 15 years.

The couple have also reportedly updated their relationship agreement with a postnup detailing custody, how assets would be split, and setting up a trust fund for their children.

The surprising 'prenups' of America's richest couples

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