Jewell Law, PLLC

08/21/2026

Before You Sign a Prenup...

Scenario: One partner brings $200,000 in student loans into the marriage.

The other quietly wonders, "Am I about to be responsible for debt I never took on?"

It's a fair question, and the answer is more nuanced than most couples expect.

Premarital debt usually stays with the original borrower. But when marital funds go toward paying it down, that can complicate the picture quickly. And when neither partner has made their expectations explicit, that silence tends to be where the real trouble starts.

A prenup isn't about predicting divorce. It's about making financial expectations clear before marriage, protecting both partners, and removing a quiet source of stress before it has a chance to grow.

Talk with experienced legal counsel before you sign: https://hubs.la/Q04tVmbl0

08/20/2026

Think your income is safe just because it's sitting in a solo account? In a New York marriage, that's a common misunderstanding.

Where you deposit your paycheck doesn't decide who has a right to it. What matters is when you earned it.

Here's how marital and separate property works:

- Income earned during marriage is marital property: It's subject to equitable distribution in divorce, no matter which account holds it.
- A separate account isn't a shield: Keeping your earnings apart from your spouse's doesn't strip away their legal right to those funds.
- Filing changes everything: Once a divorce action begins, income earned after that date generally becomes your separate property, though joint expenses and spousal support may still apply.

What are the exceptions?

- Prenuptial or post-nuptial agreements can keep each spouse's income separate, but only if the agreement says so explicitly.
- Trusts are usually the separate property of the named beneficiary. That said, a trust created during marriage can be examined for marital assets improperly moved out of reach, often with help from a forensic accountant.

If you're facing divorce and unsure what you're entitled to, understanding these rules early can protect what's yours.

Read the full blog here: https://hubs.la/Q04tJRLW0

08/14/2026

Before You Sign a Prenup...

Scenario: She owns the business. He has the career.

One spouse built a growing firm before the wedding. The other plans to roll up their sleeves and help it grow once they're married. Both are fully invested in its future.

So here's the question worth asking before you say "I do": what happens to that business, and everything it becomes, if the marriage ends?

It's more complicated than most couples expect.

A business owned before marriage usually starts as separate property. But marriage has a way of blurring those lines. The growth, the reinvested profits, the late nights you both put in, all of it can change how a court views ownership when a couple divorces.

A few things worth thinking through before you sign:
- Whether the business stays separate property, or becomes partly marital as it grows.
- How future growth during the marriage is treated, especially when both spouses contribute to it.
- The value of the other spouse's contributions, whether financial, operational, or supportive.

A well-drafted prenup lets you answer these questions on your own terms, together, while you're both calm and clear-headed, instead of leaving them to a courtroom later.

That's not a lack of faith in the marriage. It's a way to protect what you've built and honor what you'll build together.

If you're bringing a business into a marriage, plan for its future with the same care you gave to starting it: https://hubs.la/Q04t1Z130

08/12/2026

Most people know when a prenuptial agreement begins. Far fewer know when it ends.

A prenup goes into effect the moment you marry. But it doesn't last forever, and understanding when it ends protects you and your spouse.

Here's what typically brings a prenup to a close:

- One spouse dies. The agreement terminates, but here's the key nuance: death ends a prenup, it doesn't trigger it. The will controls how assets pass, not the prenup.
- Another agreement supersedes it. A post-nuptial or separation agreement can replace a prenup, as long as it clearly states the prenup is null and void.
- A triggering event distributes the assets. Once that happens and assets are paid out, the prenup has served its purpose and ends.

So what actually triggers a prenup? Usually one of three things: notice of intent to divorce, filing a divorce action, or executing a separation agreement.

Knowing when your prenup ends is just as important as knowing what it covers.

Read the full breakdown here: https://hubs.la/Q04sQhcQ0

08/07/2026

Buying a home with your fiancé feels like the ultimate step toward your future together. But before you sign, understand this: you don't have the same legal rights as a married couple.

Many couples pour their savings into a shared home, only to discover how vulnerable they are if the relationship changes. The good news is that a little planning protects you both.
Here's what every engaged couple should know before buying property together.

You really need two agreements, not one:

- A prenuptial agreement protects each person's interest in the home if you marry and later divorce. The catch? A prenup doesn't take effect until you're actually wed. If you split before the wedding, it offers no protection at all.
- A cohabitation agreement fills that gap. It's a written contract covering the home while you're together and what happens if the relationship ends before marriage.

A strong cohabitation agreement should spell out:

- Down payment: who paid it and who gets refunded from a sale or buyout.
- Expenses: who covers the mortgage, utilities, and upkeep, and how that's credited later.
- Right to buyout: how you'll value the home if one person wants to keep it.
- Dispute resolution: what happens if you both want the home, or neither does, so you avoid costly litigation.

The final piece: how you title the property. As an unmarried couple, you can hold it as joint tenants, which carry rights of survivorship, or as tenants in common, where each owns a share with no automatic transfer. That choice matters, so talk it through with your real estate attorney.

Putting your agreements in writing doesn't signal doubt. It signals respect, clarity, and a stronger foundation for your life together.

Read the full breakdown here: https://hubs.la/Q04sgt8y0

08/04/2026

Should the most private details of your life become public record simply because your marriage ends?

That question sits at the heart of a https://hubs.la/Q04rRd4V0 article about California's Senate Bill 1015, a measure that would let judges redact financial information from divorce pleadings. The bill emerged from the high-profile divorce of billionaire Ron Burkle, who fought hard to keep his financial details out of public view.

New York has long offered this kind of protection to divorcing parties, and for good reason.

Divorce exposes the most private aspects of a person's life, both the good and the bad. Once those records become public, they can be weaponized. A non-party can use them against someone going through a divorce, costing that person opportunities that might otherwise be well within reach.

A few thoughts worth sitting with:

- Privacy guards against shaming. Divorce is unique to two people who are parting ways because they can't resolve fundamental differences. That's not material for public consumption.
- Public access rarely serves the public. It's hard to see how society benefits from making the intimate details of two people's finances and lives available for all the world to see, gossip about, and judge.
- Protection lets people move forward. Shielding these records helps divorcing parties close one chapter and begin the next with dignity intact.

The world doesn't need front-row access to the hardest moments of a private life. Privacy here isn't about hiding anything. It's about fairness, dignity, and the right to move forward.

Read the full article here: https://hubs.la/Q04rR4nL0

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07/29/2026

Asking a close friend or family member to officiate your wedding can make the day feel deeply personal. However, it can also leave you legally unmarried.

When that happens, the marriage isn't valid, and that has real consequences.

Here's what every couple should understand:

- Location sets the rules. Every state and country has its own laws about who can legally perform a marriage. If you're marrying in Florida or the Bahamas, their laws apply, even if you're New York residents.

- New York is specific. A ceremony must be officiated by a religious leader or government official authorized to perform marriages. Religious leaders need ordination from an institution recognized under New York law.

- Internet ordination is risky. Many friends get ordained online, but New York decides these cases individually. Courts look at whether the ministry is recognized under Religious Corporations law, has a physical presence in the state, and is registered here. Often, it won't qualify.

There's still a way. You can have your loved one lead the ceremony for its meaning, then hold a separate civil ceremony to make the marriage legal. Without a valid marriage, you have no legal rights as spouses, and there can be no divorce.

A meaningful ceremony and a valid marriage don't have to be at odds. Proper planning lets you have both.

Read the full breakdown here: https://hubs.la/Q04r9wFJ0

07/27/2026

A new study found something worth pausing on: debt clauses in prenups nearly doubled, jumping from 35% in 2021 to 65% this year. Younger couples are leading the shift, treating financial clarity as part of the commitment itself.

Researchers called it a change from a "wealth shield" to a "debt shield." Couples want to know who owns which student loans, credit card balances, and medical bills before the wedding, not after.

That's a smart, practical use of a prenup. But in my experience, it's only part of the story.

Here's what I tell every client:

A prenup helps couples address issues like debt and financial expectations, but it can also serve as a template for the difficult conversations that inevitably come up as a marriage matures. Each person grows at their own rate, both within and outside the marriage, and expectations naturally change along the way.

A prenup is a tool for parties to say what they honestly want. And that's a tool that proves helpful again and again as time passes.

So while the headlines focus on debt protection, the deeper value is the conversation itself. Sitting down to define your finances early builds a habit of honesty that serves the relationship long after the ink dries.

If you're planning to marry, don't think of a prenup as planning for failure. Think of it as a framework for talking openly, now and in the years ahead.

Read the full article from The Independent here: https://hubs.la/Q04qTglT0 (https://hubs.la/Q04qTglT0)

‘The shift is being led by younger couples who see financial clarity as part of commitment,’ the study found

07/24/2026

Your marriage is dissolved. The hardest part is behind you. But there's one step many people overlook, and skipping it can create real problems later.

Updating your legal and financial documents.

It's easy to feel done once the judgment is signed. Yet your name, your accounts, and your beneficiaries may still point to a life you've moved past. Here's what to review soon after your divorce is finalized:

1. Identification. Update your driver's license, passport, Social Security card, insurance card, and voter registration to reflect any name or address change.
2. Financial accounts and beneficiaries. Close or separate joint bank, credit, and investment accounts. Update beneficiaries on your 401(k), IRA, and pension.
3. Titles and deeds. Transfer, retitle, and record joint property as set out in your divorce judgment.
4. Insurance policies. Revise your life, car, home, and health coverage, including naming a new life insurance beneficiary and removing your former spouse from your health plan.
5. Employment records. Update your name, address, emergency contacts, and W-4 with your employer.
6. School records. If you have children, notify their schools of any name or address changes and relevant custody provisions.
7. Estate planning documents. Revise your will, trust, health care proxy, and power of attorney.
8. Digital and online accounts. Close shared accounts and change passwords as agreed.

One practical tip: most agencies, banks, and employers ask for a certified copy of your divorce decree. Ask your attorney to obtain a few extra certified copies when the judgment is first entered, so you're ready when you need them.

These tasks take time, but handling them early protects your finances and gives you a clean start.

Read the full breakdown here: (https://hubs.la/Q04qJFWH0)https://hubs.la/Q04qJFWH0

07/17/2026

Can your spouse stop your dissolution of marriage by simply refusing to agree to it? In New York, the answer is no.

It's common for spouses to disagree about dissolving a marriage. One person may be ready to move on, while the other holds tight to the relationship. If your spouse objects to a divorce, the process can get more complicated, but it isn't impossible. You just need to take a few extra steps.

An objecting spouse can make the road longer, but it doesn't have to derail your future. With the right approach, you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Read the full breakdown here: https://hubs.la/Q04pWkvx0