In the coming months, tens of thousands of couples will get married in Sweden. Guest lists and menus must be nailed down – party venue and wedding venue booked. In that situation, starting to talk about how the joint economy should look like as a married couple can feel clever – but it is also very important, according to the Bar Association’s general secretary Mia Edwall Insulander.
Stand out
Those who enter into a marriage are obliged to help each other financially, and if the relationship breaks down, everything must be shared. Mia Edwall Insulander thinks that couples should try to “trial divorce”.
– Is it reasonable that we divide everything in half? It could be, for example, that you have a cabin that has been in the family all along and it might not feel reasonable to share it, she says.
To resolve such a situation, a prenuptial agreement is required, which can regulate how, for example, a house is to be divided in the event of a divorce.
Mia Edwall Insulander also says that it is important to keep track of both your own and your partner’s income, investments and debts.
“Stomach ache”
Business journalist Pia Sehm had been with her husband for 19 years when they separated. Then she discovered that her finances were much worse than she thought.
– For me, it was a shock to see what my own finances would be like when we separated, says Pia Sehm, who has also written a handbook on how to divorce properly.
Her tip is to think about what your own finances would look like if the relationship ends.
– What happens to my finances if I become alone? What can I afford without my partner’s salary? If you get a little sick to your stomach from those questions, I think you need to sit down and talk to your partner, she says.
See the latest section of the Financial Services Agency “Divorce rich” on SVT Play.