The ‘Pronup’ is a new way for planners to talk to their younger clients about what a financial plan can do for them.

It’s a fact that nobody gets married or enters into a relationship with the view to getting divorced or separating later on. But when you consider that every third marriage in Australia ends in divorce¹, it’s a sad reality that money is the number one cause for the failure of these relationships².

And while nobody can predict the future, let alone how a relationship will be in 10, 15 or 20 years time, more Australian couples are turning to ‘prenuptial’ agreements (or ‘prenups’) in the lead up to marriage or civil union, as a means of safeguarding their assets in the event of divorce or relationship breakup.

Not surprisingly, prenups have negative connotations, focusing on relationship failure rather than success. To counter this, the FPA is looking to flip this conversation by focusing on the positives and excitement that comes with couples getting married or moving in with each other and building a life together. It will do this by introducing a new concept called – ‘Pronuptial’ or the ‘Pronup’ – essentially, a financial plan for a couple starting out on their life together.

There’s an old saying – ‘Nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan’ – and this is what the ‘Pronup’ will address with new couples. By focusing on a new, proactive type of agreement for couples – the ‘Pronup’ – planners can re-engage with their clients in a different way about building their future financial plan and achieving their lifestyle goals together as a couple.

To younger couples, a financial plan can often seem quite intimidating. However, the ‘Pronup’ term packages a financial plan up in a positive and empowering way for these couples to openly discuss the topic of money and their lifestyle aspirations, as a means of planning their financial future together.

The ‘Pronup’ is centred on creating a planning journey for couples that involves keeping their relationship on course through open communication about money, with a focus on keeping them united in achieving their lifestyle goals and improving their financial wellbeing. The ‘Pronup’ is being positioned as a proactive concept to help reduce the financial strain on a couple’s relationship.

It’s also an opportunity for planners to sit down with their clients and talk about their personal approach to money and savings, and then explore how their clients’ individual finances can be blended to come up with the best arrangements for their budget, bank accounts, investments, superannuation and insurance – both now and in the future.

The ‘Pronup’ is a new concept for planners to think about when talking to couples and developing a financial plan for them. It’s also an exciting initiative that will inspire couples to seek the services of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional to help them build their future together, by setting united goals and creating a shared plan for their future financial wellbeing.

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Source

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics.
2. Relationships Australia, Relationship Indicators Survey, 2011