{"id":686,"date":"2017-09-27T11:55:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T11:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/?p=686"},"modified":"2020-05-12T14:24:37","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T14:24:37","slug":"protect-inheritance-on-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/09\/27\/protect-inheritance-on-divorce\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Protect Inheritance On Divorce: is a Prenuptial or Postnuptial Agreement the answer?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"693\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/09\/27\/protect-inheritance-on-divorce\/640px-sus_scrofa_piglet\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,322\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Protect Inheritance On Divorce\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Protect Inheritance On Divorce&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet-300x161.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-693\" src=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet.jpg\" alt=\"Protect Inheritance On Divorce\" width=\"600\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/640px-Sus_scrofa_piglet-300x161.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a>Sophie has contacted me for urgent advice. She wants to know how to protect inheritance on\u00a0divorce. Her partner, Bob, has whisked her away to Rome for the weekend, gone down on one knee, and proposed. But she\u2019s having cold feet because what happens if it doesn\u2019t work out? She doesn\u2019t want\u00a0Bob to get his hands on the fortune she&#8217;s inherited from her family.<\/p>\n<pre>On marriage breakdown every asset is up for grabs. \r\nBut it has to be a \"matrimonial asset\" unless there is a strong case based on need.\r\nIt is sometimes possible to protect inheritance on divorce.<\/pre>\n<h4>Is An Inheritance A Matrimonial Asset?<\/h4>\n<p>It depends.<\/p>\n<p>Often an inheritance is regarded as non matrimonial and so not up for grabs, particularly if it\u2019s a\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/08\/01\/divorce-financial-settlement-short-marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\">short marriage<\/a><\/em>. And timing is important. Was the inheritance received before or during the marriage, or as the couple separated? Even though\u00a0Sophie inherited before getting married it could be bad news if\u00a0she and Bob split up after a long marriage. It depends on what happens to the inheritance in the meantime. Will\u00a0the couple mix it with their matrimonial assets? Will\u00a0they keep it separate?<\/p>\n<pre>The more separate it\u2019s kept the better, but still that\u2019s no guarantee.<\/pre>\n<h4>What About \u201cNeeds\u201d When Assets Are Divided On Divorce?<\/h4>\n<p>The starting point for division of matrimonial assets is an equal split but certain circumstances are taken into consideration including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Children&#8217;s Welfare<\/li>\n<li>Income and Earning Capacity<\/li>\n<li>Financial Needs<\/li>\n<li>Standard Of Living<\/li>\n<li>Your Ages, And Length Of The Marriage<\/li>\n<li>Physical Or Mental Disabilities<\/li>\n<li>Contributions To The Marriage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What if an equal division doesn\u2019t provide enough for a suitable home for one of the couple? They are likely to get a larger share of the assets. And if there aren\u2019t enough matrimonial assets? Non matrimonial assets can be thrown into the melting pot to meet needs. This includes an inheritance.<\/p>\n<h4>The Millionaire Who Lived In A Three Bed Semi<\/h4>\n<p>A Court case in\u00a02011 throws some light on how to protect your inheritance on divorce. It\u2019s called\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bailii.org\/cgi-bin\/markup.cgi?doc=\/ew\/cases\/EWCA\/Civ\/2011\/550.html&amp;query=title+%28+K-v-L+%29+and+title+%28+2011+%29+and+title+%28+EWCA+%29+and+title+%28+550+%29&amp;method=boolean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">K v L<\/a>. We don\u2019t know the couple\u2019s names or where they lived as the Court agreed to protect their anonymity for the simple reason that they wanted their three\u00a0children\u00a0to lead normal lives.<\/p>\n<pre>This is the story of an extremely wealthy wife. \r\nNeither of the couple ever needed to work but despite the wife\u2019s millions \r\nthey lived modestly in a three bed semi worth \u00a3225,000. \r\nThey ran an inexpensive car and no single item in their home was worth more than \u00a3500.<\/pre>\n<p>The wife had inherited shares in an Israeli company when she was fifteen. When the couple first cohabited in 1986 the shares were worth \u00a3300,000. When they married in 1991, \u00a3700,000. When they separated in 2007, \u00a328m. By the time of the court hearing in 2011, \u00a357m.<\/p>\n<p>After twenty one years of marriage the wife left the husband in 2007 taking the children with her. She bought another modest property in the same London suburb, close to the husband who remained in the family home.<\/p>\n<p>The husband told the court he wanted \u00a32m to buy a house in central London, and \u00a3450k to buy a house in Israel. Also \u00a360k to buy a new car. And maintenance. All in all he claimed \u00a318m. But the court said the wife\u2019s inheritance was a &#8220;<em>non matrimonial asset&#8221;<\/em> and on a generous assessment of his needs he would only get \u00a35m. He was not otherwise entitled to share in her inheritance.<\/p>\n<h4>Will A Prenuptial Agreement Protect Inheritance on Divorce?<\/h4>\n<p>K v L was an unusual case and relied heavily on the modest lifestyle of the couple. I told Sophie not to worry. She could take steps to protect her inheritance on divorce with a\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/what-we-do\/relationship-agreements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">prenuptial or post nuptial agreement<\/a><\/em>. She liked the idea and said she would talk it over with Bob. I have written an earlier\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/04\/27\/10-reasons-you-need-a-prenuptial-agreement-when-life-is-rosy\/\" target=\"_blank\">blog<\/a><\/em>\u00a0on the topic of agreements.<\/p>\n<h4>How To Protect Inheritance On Divorce<\/h4>\n<p>Contact\u00a0 Joanne Houston on 01962 217640 for\u00a0<strong>free<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>advice<\/strong>\u00a0about how to protect your inheritance on divorce. In this 20 minute session we will review your situation and how you can achieve your objectives.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\">JUST FAMILY LAW<\/a>\u00a0are specialist divorce and family law solicitors offering\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/06\/02\/pay-as-you-go-divorce-family-law-costs\/\" target=\"_blank\">personalised legal solutions<\/a>.\u00a0We offer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/11\/29\/collaborative-law-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">collaborative law<\/a>\u00a0which is especially relevant in providing\u00a0solutions tailored to your family\u2019s needs. This includes same sex couples and their families. Visit our website\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">just-family-law.com<\/a>\u00a0The topics covered in this blog post are complex and are provided for general guidance only. Therefore if any of the circumstances mentioned in this blog have application to you, seek expert legal advice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Image\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Sus_scrofa_piglet.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">A Baby Wild Boar\u00a0by Sander van der Wel<\/a>\u00a0on Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sophie has contacted me for urgent advice. She wants to know how to protect inheritance on\u00a0divorce. Her partner, Bob, has whisked her away to Rome for the weekend, gone down on one knee, and proposed. But she\u2019s having cold feet because what happens if it doesn\u2019t work out? She doesn\u2019t want\u00a0Bob to get his hands [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[582],"tags":[125,220,222,221],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=686"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3160,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686\/revisions\/3160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}