The Generous Prenup - by Laurie Israel (Paperback)

About the Book

Getting married? Wondering about prenuptial agreements? Written for couples either contemplating or already married, The Generous Prenup: How to Support Your Marriage and Avoid the Pitfalls is a comprehensive, readable guide to both prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, their dangers, and how best to structure them.

Book Synopsis

Getting married? Wondering about Prenuptial Agreements?

For anyone who is getting married, embarking on a prenuptial agreement is often a very distressing and disappointing journey. Sometimes the negotiations irreparably damage the marriage, or even cause a couple to break up. The Generous Prenup details the problems that prenups can cause, and gives a couple guidance on how to foster a more peaceful and informed process with more caring and sensitive solutions.

The Generous Prenup will be invaluable sourcebook for people who are considering having prenups, their families, lawyers, and financial advisors. In addition, married people who are finding that disagreements over money are impairing their marriage will find the content of this book extremely useful in analyzing and dealing with the roots of their discord. Postnuptial agreements (agreements made after the marriage) are possible solutions to some of these problems.

This well-researched book, written by a leading attorney in the field, can help a couple understand how prenups change the laws of marriage, and how these changes may affect the marriage itself, for better and for worse. The book contains many helpful techniques to soften the heartlessness that is often embodied in standard prenuptial agreements.The Generous Prenup provides concepts and tools which foster creative and collaborative decision-making.

The Generous Prenup is engaging and easy-to-understand. It contains humor as well as informative illustrations describing typical factual patterns present in many prenup negotiations. The Generous Prenup contains many sections on the dangers of prenups in first marriages. And the book details the challenges and opportunities for couples making essential financial arrangements in second marriages and how prenups can help.

The Generous Prenup explains why, if you decide to have a prenup, mediation may be the best way to start the process. It also explains how to find a suitable prenuptial agreement attorney. The book is a very readable primer of all the laws affecting marriages, and how prenups change those laws.

Review Quotes

"This brilliant book by Laurie Israel is a gift to every marriage, because she shows how to negotiate divisive issues collaboratively, allowing couples to reach agreements on potentially disruptive issues without the pain and acrimony of adversarial, trust-destroying, love-depleting, legalistic strategies. It's exactly what is needed and is invaluable. A real must-read."

-- Kenneth Cloke, Mediator and author of The Dance of Opposites: Explorations of Mediation, Dialogue and Conflict Resolution Systems Design

"Laurie Israel's The Generous Prenup is an instant classic - by far the best book that I've seen on the subject of prenuptial agreements. Its comprehensive scope and exceptional depth put The Generous Prenup in a league of its own. It is accessible ­- the author has a knack for explaining complex legal issues in plain English, with useful examples drawn from her work as a lawyer and mediator."

-- David A. Hoffman, Esq., Founder, Boston Law Collaborative, LLC and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School

"Laurie Israel raises critical issues in her book, and brings a welcome new perspective on the challenges of a premarital agreement. Her focus on generosity ­- rather than greed - sets the perfect tone and reorients us to the goals of the marriage. She tells enlightening stories and shares her knowledge and suggestions with a clear mind and a gentle hand, making this a vital resource for attorneys and clients alike."

-- Frederick Hertz, Attorney/Mediator, Oakland, California

"The Generous Prenup opens an important new door for couples, their friends and families, and their professional advisors as well, providing a wise and experienced perspective on prenuptial and postnuptial agreements that has never before been available. Laurie Israel shows you how you might negotiate an agreement more creative and generous than most lawyers have ever imagined possible. This is a major piece of work that will fill an important need."

-- Pauline H. Tesler, Collaborative Lawyer, Mill Valley, California

"This is about to become the "go-to" book for couples contemplating marriage and considering a prenup, as well as lawyers and mediators who work in this field. Laurie Israel's comprehensive book fills the need for something that has been missing for a long time - namely, one volume that covers every conceivable question that one could raise and how the process can remain a "generous" one. I look forward to giving the next couple who contacts me copies of Laurie's book so that I may truly help them go through the process in the most "generous" way."

-- Ken Neumann, Mediator, New York, New York