Every woman should understand the partnership she's entering before a crisis forces her to. This episode is that conversation.

Laura Wasser has spent 32 years as one of the country's most sought-after divorce attorneys. She’s the person people call when a marriage is ending. But what makes this conversation so valuable is that almost everything she knows matters long before anyone gets divorced.

This episode is about understanding what you are building when you merge your life with another person. Laura explains why marriage is already a contract with or without a prenup, how to protect yourself whether you earn more or less than your partner, and why knowing your financial reality doesn’t make you cynical or unromantic. It makes you an equal participant in your own life.

Laura shares:

• How to have the what’s-mine-is-yours conversation about income, debt, assets, spending, and children
• What should go into a prenup—and what does not belong in one
• How a prenup can protect both the higher earner and the partner making financial or career sacrifices
• The signs that you're giving away power inside your own marriage without realizing it
• Why earning your own money doesn’t mean you’re financially protected
• What to do when you realize you have no idea what is happening with your family’s finances
• How to end a relationship with less fear and a clearer sense of what comes next
• Why divorce doesn’t have to mean you’ve failed—and how her online platform is making the process more accessible and less intimidating

For more, subscribe to our weekly newsletter at emmagrede.com.