Building as a single, marriage, and prenuptial agreement

Do we have to make a marriage contract if we want to be jointly assessed?

No, you just have to get married for that. And I do not read any sarcasm here but rather the more or less sharply formulated hints about what can go differently than desired/thought. That your wife is - now - totally content, I find good, but no one knows what ideas she (or you) might come up with if you later actually want to go separate ways.

One could, for example, precisely regulate what was brought into the marriage. Who contributed which capital, debts, etc. Then it would certainly be easier to calculate in the event of a separation. The contract regulates the worst case. That can quite quickly occur, or never. I waived it. Whether that turns out to be good or bad, who can say. Unless you become a lottery or stock millionaire as a civil servant, the divorce will not cost three years including tens of thousands.

I might be a bit naive and really completely ignorant when it comes to the topic of marriage.

Isn’t it the case that all assets (real estate, stocks, cash, expensive watches, etc.) that one already owns BEFORE the marriage and thus brings into the marriage remain unaffected later in a divorce, or am I completely wrong here? So, without a prenuptial agreement?

Definitely not a lottery millionaire, I don’t play the lottery. But I am very active with stocks, still millionaire very unrealistic except through inheritance, but as far as I know that remains unaffected in a divorce, right?



Sure, you never know what will happen later, that’s why I would be interested in information on what can be arranged or not.

I might be a bit naive and really completely ignorant when it comes to the topic of marriage.

Isn't it the case that all assets (real estate, stocks, cash, expensive watches, etc.) that you already own BEFORE the marriage and thus bring into the marriage remain untouched later in the event of a divorce, or am I completely wrong? So basically without a prenuptial agreement?

Definitely not a lottery millionaire, I don’t play the lottery. But I am very active with stocks, millionaire is still very unrealistic except through inheritance, but as far as I know that remains untouched in a divorce, right?



Sure, you never know what will happen later, that’s why I’d be interested in info about what can be arranged or not.

You are not wrong. That was the point. To record the financial status today so that later everything doesn’t have to be recalculated.
House value was in 2020 value x
Debts were in 2020 value - y
Stock portfolio was in 2020 value z

That way everything is clearly regulated as to who brought in what and what remains untouched. Next year you’ll still know that. But in 15 years?

If no children come into the picture, it’s quite fair for me to say I pay everything with the house, you buy something sometime.
Once children are involved it becomes very, very difficult to find something truly fair. There have already been several discussions about that here.

And again we are destroying a potential marriage

It doesn't matter at all whether a few thousand or a few million are at stake. A marriage contract is there to establish a clear framework that covers risks. For risk consideration, the combination of a structured approach and a bit of imagination is helpful. Losing money is not bad if life continues without financial worries. Being penniless, on the other hand, is an extreme burden. You are right, my comment was a bit snippy and meant that way - I had the impression that you view everything from your perspective and think on behalf of your wife, while her thoughts did not appear in the description. I found that noticeable and a potential risk. What the future brings is unknown, but we can shape it. In practice, it is important to realize that needs change, people develop. Those who have a genuine deep interest and do not fall into the temptation to impose directions on development – just because they can at the moment – have a low separation risk. There are enough examples that really work well.