Overview of I Have More Than My Fiancée, Do I Need A Prenup?
In this Ramsey Network segment, Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruz respond to a caller who is engaged soon and wondering whether a prenup makes sense because he has significantly more assets than his fiancée. Their bottom-line advice: for a net worth around $600K–$1M, a prenup is usually not the real issue. The bigger issue is whether the couple is fully committed, unified, and emotionally ready for marriage.
The Caller’s Situation
The caller shared that he has:
- A paid-off house worth about $550,000
- A truck worth about $50,000
- About $135,000 in a 401(k) and other accounts
- Around $350,000 in a college fund
His fiancée:
- Is in PA school
- Will likely graduate with $120,000–$150,000 in student debt
He also makes around $120,000–$150,000 per year.
Dave Ramsey’s Main Advice
Dave’s view was blunt: he would not get a prenup in this situation.
Why not?
- The couple does not have enough wealth for the prenup to be the main concern.
- A prenup does not create trust, commitment, or unity.
- The real work is building a strong marriage, not planning for separation.
- If a couple can’t be fully comfortable with each other, they probably shouldn’t be getting married.
Dave’s core point: prenups can become a “one foot in, one foot out” mindset if they’re used to hedge emotionally instead of building real unity.
Rachel Cruz’s Perspective
Rachel agreed generally, but she acknowledged why some couples feel differently today:
- People are getting married later
- Many bring existing assets, businesses, or financial responsibilities
- In some cases, it may feel reasonable to protect certain premarital assets
She noted that if the situation were reversed and she were marrying into someone else’s established property or business, she could understand wanting a limited agreement around specific assets.
Important Nuance: A Prenup Doesn’t Solve the Real Problem
Both hosts emphasized that a prenup:
- Does not fix relational insecurity
- Does not replace communication
- Does not create commitment
- Only matters if there is a divorce
Their concern was that people sometimes think a prenup is a clean solution, when in reality the deeper question is:
Are we actually becoming one?
Dave stressed that couples should first:
- Get emotionally and relationally aligned
- Talk through money openly
- Be willing to combine lives fully
- Ideally use counseling or marriage coaching to work through expectations
When a Prenup Might Make More Sense
The hosts did leave room for some cases where a prenup may be more appropriate:
- Much larger wealth, especially tens of millions
- A business owner wanting to protect a pre-existing company
- Complicated family dynamics, such as difficult in-laws or relatives
- Situations where a prenup can help keep outside parties from interfering
Dave also made the analogy that a prenup is somewhat like a will:
- A will keeps the state from deciding how assets are divided after death
- A prenup can keep the state from deciding asset division in divorce
That said, he said this argument is more philosophical than persuasive to him in this caller’s case.
Final Takeaways
For this couple specifically:
- A prenup is probably unnecessary
- The more important issue is building trust, unity, and total commitment
- The fiancée’s student debt and the caller’s assets should be discussed openly, but not treated as a reason to withhold commitment
Bigger lesson:
- Marriage works best when both people are all in
- Financial planning is important, but it should support the marriage, not create distance
- If you do choose a prenup, don’t let it become a substitute for real emotional and financial unity
Practical Action Items
- Have honest conversations about:
- Existing assets
- Student debt
- Shared spending expectations
- How premarital property will be treated
- Consider marriage counseling or premarital coaching
- Decide whether your relationship is truly interdependent or still too separate
- If a prenup is still considered, make sure both partners understand it does not replace trust or commitment