Unless you want to end up divorce raped and financially crippled like this poor guy, I suggest the men in here take all the advice i'm giving them here. Here's another story from a guy who married his high school sweetheart who ended up financially crippled and heartbroken once she got bored and found a new man.
I know these kinds of stories are common here but it is really eye opening when it happens to someone that you actually know and I thought you guys might want to hear Jake's story.
I have known Jake since freshman year of high school. He started dating Jasmine Junior year and was head over heels right from the start. I mean he spent every second he could with her. She was all he talked about, at the time it wasn't annoying, "good for him" I thought, I'm glad he's happy. After graduation she started putting pressure on him to propose. Keep in mind she worked at a grocery store and had no plans for college or a career. Jake came to me and told me he had talked to his dad about it and his dad told him to dump her (good advice btw) he also asked me for advice and I told him he should wait until he is at least in his early to mid twenties before even thinking about marriage. Did he take the advice from his dad or me? Fck no. He proposed within a month, I was the best man at the wedding. As much as I wanted to tell him he was fcking retarded, I held my tongue, I had already given him advice once and he didn't listen. I wished him the best and I genuinely hoped that it would work. It didn't.
Within a year and a half she left him for another guy. Here's the part of the story that makes me sick, when Jake's grandparents died they left Jake a fully paid for house in their will. Now this wasn't the nicest house in the world, the tax value was 150k, but this is North Carolina and 150k can get you a pretty decent house here. She took the house.
The reason? Remember when I said she worked at a grocery store in high school? She still does, and Jake is a welder making 45k a year, not including overtime. The judge felt that she would not be able to make enough money to pay rent on her own but Jake could easily rent or purchase another home. Jake also has to give 25% of every dime he makes to her for TEN YEARS! Ten. Fcking. Years. The only thing he kept was his truck, worth about 10k, and his fishing boat, worth about 5k. After the house and alimony she will take him for at least $262,000. And that's with no children in the picture.
Now most people in this sub advocate not getting married at all, nothing wrong with that. I would like to get married and have a family one day though, but you can bet your ass I will have a prenup. Moral of the story, don't be Jake. Wait until you're 25-30 before you even think of settling down. Take the proper precautions, have a lawyer make a prenup for you, if you have a house, make sure you will keep it, NO alimony, if there are kids in the picture make sure there is 50/50 custody so child support payments are either non existent or minimal. Make sure she has her own separate lawyer look it over before she signs it or it will be thrown out.
Peace guys, have a good Friday