There Must Be A Pony In Here Somewhere

CONTRIBUTORS

Cindy Perman
News Editor at CNBC.com and the author of The Pony Blog (ponyblog.cnbc.com). She has also written a book, “New York Curiosities,” and does stand-up comedy.
Jane Wells
CNBC business news reporter, based in Los Angeles, covering the defense and technology industries. She writes the CNBC.com blog Funny Business.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

The news can get a little heavy sometimes, with debt crises, vicious markets and crappy earnings reports. So, we dispatched our crack reporters, Cindy Perman and Jane Wells, to find some levity amid all this seriousness. May we offer you a Keynesian cocktail with a side of bacon?

Why a Pony? To be clear, there were no ponies harmed in the making of this blog. The blog’s name, “There Must Be a Pony In Here Somewhere,” comes from an old joke, a favorite of Ronald Reagan’s, that essentially means, with a pile of you-know-what this big, there MUST be a pony—a bright side—in here somewhere!

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Sign This Prenup—That’s What She Said!

Published: Thursday, 23 Sep 2010 | 2:02 PM ET

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By: Cindy Perman
CNBC.com Staff Writer

Men have finally wised-up to the need for a prenuptial agreement, but after the recession, women are increasingly learning the joys of being protected — you know, just in case.

You'd better sign this.

Prenups overall are on the rise: A whopping 73 percent of divorce attorneys say they’ve seen an increase in the pre-marital documents, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. What’s more, 52 percent of them said they’ve seen an increase in women initiating the requests.

"Prenuptial agreements are becoming more generally accepted as an effective way to protect assets. Interestingly, these requests are no longer just limited to a specific gender or age group," said Marlene Eskind Moses, president of the AAML.

Part of it can be attributed to the recession.

“People are more aware of their financial situation — moreso than ever before,” said Steve Miller, a Florida divorce attorney.

(Miller gained Internet notoriety for his DivorceEZ video on YouTube. [GOOG Loading... () ])

The fact that more women are working today than ever before also plays a role.

“These are absolutely professional women earning their own income” who are now looking to protect the wealth they’ve accumulated, Miller said.

Though, Moses said non-working women — even some “trophy wives” — are starting to initiate prenuptial agreements.

“They may want to make certain entering into their marriage that they’re not going to be thrown out onto the street at a later time without some security,” Moses said. “They want provisions for transportation, housing, or whatever” in the event of divorce.

Pensions and retirement accounts are increasingly being included in prenups, the survey showed.

Thirty-six percent of the lawyers surveyed said they’re seeing an increase in retirement savings being a part of the prenup.

Part of that is people marrying later in life, though it’s also the fact that many have watched their retirement accounts dwindle in the past few years.

“To some extent, [their retirement account] has already been divided — the recession has substantially reduced its value,” Moses explained. “Entering into marriages, these people would want to protect what they have left and not divide it again.”

The prenuptial agreement has become so ingrained in popular culture that Colgate [CL Loading... () ] used it in a commercial as one of its “You can say anything with a smile” series.