• Talk about the Future: Often time's couples are so caught up in being in love and planning their wedding that they don't take the time to plan for the marriage and find out their partners views on important things such as how many children they want or if they even want kids. It's wise for couples to talk about issues such as children, where they will live after getting married, what they want out of life, as well as goals for their future. Knowing how your spouse feels about these things can alleviate any "surprises" once you're married.
• Talk about Finances: Many couples refrain from talking about finances in order to "keep the peace" but being open about money before getting married is a good way to iron out some potential problems that might come up in the future. It's smart for couples to have a budget in place before they get married as well. It's also a good idea to tell your partner what you expect as far as saving and investing as well as things like what you consider to be a big purchase, for example, is $100 too much to spend with out planning it out? Talks about money and how finances will be handled will alleviate some of the pressures money can put on a marriage.
• Pre-Marital Counseling: Pre-Marital Counseling has become extremely popular in recent years and there are even some states that require couples to go through it with their pastor, preacher, priest, rabbi, or whatever religious figure will be marrying them. The counseling typically begins between 3 to 12 months before the wedding and continues up until right before the ceremony. Pre-marital counseling allows couples to work through different potential scenarios they might be faced with after getting married to see how they would handle each situation and then gives ways on how they can better handle things in regards to what is best for their marriage. Several couples who undergo pre-marital counseling give it credit for teaching them the tools for avoiding divorce. There are also professional counselors that offer pre-marital counseling.

• Be Honest: Sometimes when people become unhappy they choose to keep it hidden from their spouse and the unhappiness grows. Honesty when feelings of unhappiness arise can help couples work through it together and avoid making the problem worse.
• Accept Changes and Differences: With irreconcilable differences being such a large cause of divorce couples can help their chances of staying married if they choose to accept certain changes and differences they may have with their mate assuming those changes or differences do not cause the other any harm or put them in any emotional or physical danger.
• Taking Time to Talk about Finances: Setting aside a time each month to talk about finances is another good way couples can help themselves avoid divorce. Couples should pick a favorite spot such as a park or a restaurant to have this talk and agree ahead of time to keep emotions under wraps. Getting things out in the open such as fears of spending too much on frivolous things, wanting to save more aggressively, or investing plans can be talked about during these talks.
• Marriage Counseling: Couples enter marriage counseling every day in order to avoid divorce. By talking to an impartial third party many people are able to let down their guard and begin to understand their spouse's point of view. Counseling also allows couples to learn ways to cope with differences as well as find solutions to some of their problems. It's not a sure fire way to fix a marriage nor can it fix every marriage but it has been a way thousands of couples have avoided divorce.

• Got Married Too Young: Years ago this was probably one of the most common sighted reasons why couples split up but today many single men and women are waiting longer to get married. However, there are still several couples who marry very young and grow in different directions as they get older.
• Want Different Things Out Of Life: Another common cause in the break down of marriages is that each partner wants different things out of life. Often time's one spouse wants children at a certain time while the other one wants to wait or career aspirations get in the way of the marriage.
• Infidelity: This is one of the most common reasons why couples get divorced today. When one partner strays from the marriage and has an affair often times it is too painful for the other spouse to forgive and work through which results in the divorce.
• Financial Problems: This is another common reason why marriages end in divorce. Arguments over how the finances should be handled or fighting over a lack of money often drive marriages to divorce court.
• Emotional or Physical Abuse: When one spouse inflicts either verbal, emotional, physical, or a combination of abuses it can eventually lead the other partner to file for divorce.
• Irreconcilable Differences: This is another common reason sighted for divorce today. Irreconcilable differences basically means that a couple has reached a place where they are no longer able to work out the differences between them.

• Anger: Both parties involved in the divorce are likely to feel this emotion during and even sometimes after the divorce. The anger can be felt for several different reasons like adultery, broken promises, lies, and even for the other spouse changing.
• Denial: Denial is a common form of coping that is used during a divorce. Denial can temporarily shield us from overwhelming emotions that build during such a hard time. It is actually quite normal for one party of the divorce to display some type of denial.
• Depression: Depression is also a very normal emotional effect when someone is going through a divorce. It can however become very dangerous if it lasts longer than a few weeks. Symptoms of severe depression include weight gain or weight loss, insomnia or sleeping too much, erratic behavior, and suicidal thoughts. If any of these symptoms are present the individual should strongly consider getting help for their depression.
• Guilt: This is another common emotion that people going through a divorce can feel. It can be experienced by both individuals. Guilt can be over infidelity, inability to make things work, or just over the break down of the relationship.

• Children: Divorce is usually taken the hardest by the children of the divorcing couple. If children are younger usually ages 13 and under they can often times not fully understand the reasons for the divorce and begin to blame themselves for the split. Older children usually those who are pre-teen and teenagers are understand the reasons a little clearer but can still be emotionally distraught over the divorce. When parents get divorced kids can feel as if their entire world is changing and that is very overwhelming. Guilt is also a common emotion for children of a divorcing couple, especially if the child is old enough to choose which parent he or she wants to live with. Making a decision such as that can be very painful as well as stressful for a child. Parents should be open with their children if they are going through a divorce and make great efforts not to involve the children in arguments. They should also explain to the child or children that the divorce is in no way their fault and doesn't have anything to do with them or anything they have done wrong. It is also wise to try and inflict as little change on the child's life as possible. Keeping routines and schedules is a good way to help the child through the emotional time.
• Friends: A lot of times adult couples hang out with other adult couples going out to eat together, vacationing together, barbequing together, and doing other couple things together. When one couple decides to get divorced this can be an awkward strain on friendships. Friends can often times feel as though they have to take sides in the divorce and once that happens they generally cut ties with the side they don't choose. It can be an emotional time for the friends of the couple who is divorcing because they can feel caught in the middle.
• Family: Family members like friends often times feel caught in the middle of divorces. It is not uncommon for a family member such as a mother in law, father in law, sister in law, or brother in law to be close to the person in the divorce who isn't their family by blood. This can take an emotional toll on the family member when trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation. Obviously wanting to be loyal to family is important but a close friendship can be important as well.

• Counseling: Counseling can be beneficial for either individual going through the divorce as well as the children of the divorcing couple. Counseling allows the person to deal with their feelings over the divorce and to learn rational ways to handle and deal with their emotions.
• Take Time for Yourself: If you are going through a divorce it is important to allow yourself to feel the full range of emotions that come along with divorce. Setting aside a certain amount of time each day for just you is a good idea for you to stay in touch with your feelings.
• Start a Journal: Writing in a journal daily helps many people deal with their emotions. It allows all the feelings you have inside to come out on paper but they don't have to be heard by anyone.

• Got Married Too Young: Years ago this was probably one of the most commonly sighted reasons why couples split up but today many single men and women are waiting longer to get married. However, there are still several couples who marry very young and grow in different directions as they get older which can result in a divorce.
• Want Different Things Out Of Life: Another common cause in the break down of marriages is that each partner wants different things out of life. Often time's one spouse wants children at a certain time while the other one wants to wait or career aspirations get in the way of the marriage.
• Infidelity: This is one of the most common reasons why couples get divorced today. When one partner strays from the marriage and has an affair often times it is too painful for the other spouse to forgive and work through and there is no trust left in the marriage all of which can be reasons for the divorce.
• Financial Problems: This is another common reason why marriages end in divorce. Arguments over how the finances should be handled or fighting over a lack of money often drive marriages to divorce court.
• Emotional or Physical Abuse: When one spouse inflicts either verbal, emotional, physical, or a combination of abuses it can eventually lead the other partner to file for divorce.
• Irreconcilable Differences: This is another common reason sighted in divorces today. What irreconcilable differences basically means is that a couple has reached a place where they are no longer able to or no longer wish to work out the differences between them.

• No Fault Divorce: No fault divorces are recognized in every state in the United States at this time. The way no fault divorces work is that both spouses agree that the breakdown of the marriage is neither one of their faults and that no amount of counseling and working on the marriage will save it. In several states before a no fault divorce will be granted the couple has to have had lived apart for several months and sometimes even up to a year.
• Fault Divorce: Not every state allows fault divorce. In this type of divorce the divorce petition will be granted as long as proper grounds are evident and as long as one of the spouses asks for the divorce on the grounds of fault. Typically the grounds for a fault divorce include: cruelty (either emotional or physically), infidelity, one spouse being sentenced to prison for a period of time and no sexual contact will be able to be exchanged (as long as imprisonment was not a factor when the couple was married), and desertion for a certain period of time. Often times people choose to seek this type of divorce because they do not want to go through their states time limit for living apart in order to get a no fault divorce. It is also more likely for the alimony and marital properties to be greater in a fault divorce.
• Uncontested Divorce: An uncontested divorce is a divorce where both spouses agree on every detail of the divorce. There are no arguments over who gets what, who the kids will live with, or visitation schedules. An uncontested divorce doesn't always mean that the two parties are amicable it just means that they worked out the terms of the divorce outside of the courtroom. Uncontested divorce is typically much less expensive for everyone than other types of divorce.
• Contested Divorce: A contested divorce is one in which the spouses cannot agree on the terms of the divorce. The husband and the wife are unable to settle things out of court even with the aid of their attorney's and the divorce must be heard and decided by a judge. Contested divorces seem to be the norm in most cases because it is generally hard for a divorcing couple to agree with one another. Some of the typical issues that are being contested in a contested divorce include: division of marital assets, child custody and/or child support, alimony, allocation of debts, and an uncontested divorce.
• Mediated Divorce: A mediated divorce is one in which a mediator is used rather than the divorce going to court. Couples along with their attorneys work with the mediator who is an unbiased third party to work out the details of the divorce. Many couples see mediation as a way to stay in control of their divorce rather than have a judge decide the outcome.

• Protection from Debt: If there is no prenup in a marriage creditors can not only come after the other spouse to be repaid they can also go after the marital or community property of the couple. Not being protected from a spouses debt can also ruin the other spouses credit. Adding a provision protecting one other spouse from any present or future debts the other may incur is a common addition to many prenuptial agreements.
• Division of Finances: If a couple divorces or one happens to die then the community and marital assets are divided up by the court system. A prenup can allow couples the right to keep their own individual assets in the event of a divorce or the death of one spouse instead of having the court make those divisions.
• Who Gets What In A Divorce? In divorces where there is no prenup in place the law in the state where the couple is divorcing dictates how things are divided. Prenups allow couples to decide ahead of time how marital assets will be divided between them in the event of a divorce. It can also in many states determine whether or not alimony will be paid to one or both spouses. Deciding these types of things ahead of time not only allows couples to make their own decisions about who gets what it can also help to avoid any bitter fights over property if the couple gets divorced.
• Partner Responsibilities During Marriage: Prenups can also have provisions for certain responsibilities and expectations of everyday things such as: whether the couple will have joint or separate bank accounts, if they will file joint of separate tax returns, who is responsible for making sure the bills are paid, how credit cards will be used, agreements to support the other financially in certain times such as during college, if the spouse will be named as beneficiary of a life insurance policy, or agreements on how money will be saved and invested.
• Protecting Children: People often use prenups to protect and ensure children they have from previous marriages or relationships get their inheritance. One or both spouses can agree in a prenup that they give up their right to claim the others property in the event of death in exchange for other agreed upon property so that the child or the children inherit their intended property.
• Family Property: Prenups allow individuals to keep property such as heirlooms, or shares in a family business in their birth family. Prenups can also be used to protect one party's future inheritances as well as gifts one spouse receives during the time of marriage.
• Non Monetary Value: Prenuptial agreements can also determine the value of non financial contributions to a marriage such as career sacrifices or a stay at home spouse.
• Non Financial Agreements: Non financial provisions are not allowed in some states and they are often debated by legal experts as to whether they should even be permitted in a prenup. Examples of non financial agreements are agreements that neither spouse will commit adultery, one or both spouses will refrain from drinking, smoking, or gambling, how household chores will be performed as well as by who, and even how many children the couple will have.

• Waiving The Right to Alimony: In some states individuals are prohibited from adding a provision in which one spouse gives up their right to alimony.
• Encouraging Divorce: This goes along with the provision that is commonly added to prenups stating who gets what if the couple divorces. While this provision is generally allowed in all states judges do tend to look closely as to whether the provision offers one spouse incentives for getting divorced.
• Agreements on Child Support, Custody, or Visitation: Prenups cannot have agreements in which future child support is given up or limited. Agreements about custody or visitation rights in the event of a divorce are also not enforceable in any state.