Indiana

"The Sassamans, of Portland, Ore., took a cautious approach to their new enterprise. Before they married four years ago, they attended a parenting class to ensure that they would be on the same page in raising Natalie, now 11, Nicholas, 8, and Kaden, 8. They also discussed drawing up a prenuptial agreement but decided against it. Says Jennifer, 'We didn't want to go into the relationship not trusting each other.'

Fair enough, but a prenup can help you sort out your finances regardless of whether your marriage ends in divorce after six months or with the death of one spouse after a long, happy union. Not only does a prenup spell out what each of you owns and can expect if you end up single again, but it also lets one spouse waive rights to any property -- say, a family business or an investment account -- that the other wants to preserve for his or her kids. Without a prenup, state property-division law bestows a share of the marital property on the other spouse, no matter how the marriage ends.

Before Jaymi Davison, of Seattle, married her husband 16 years ago, they drew up a prenup that put their respective assets in several pots, including one that held a college fund for his two sons and another that set aside money for their future children. 'It was a framework for the go"