After 25 years with her partner and four children together, a woman named Andrea is rethinking marriage after he agreed to finally tie the knot — but only if she signs a prenuptial agreement.
Andrea shared her situation in a letter to The Ramsey Show, asking for guidance. She wrote that she has “been asking” her partner to marry her ever since their first child was born.
“He recently stated that we can get married — if I sign a prenup,” Andrea explained. “He had nothing at the start of our relationship, and his business has grown significantly. He has over 300 employees, and his net worth is in the millions.”
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Andrea added that she stepped away from her own career two decades ago to stay home and raise their children.
“We are financially well off, and he has taken very good care of the children and me,” she said, noting that his request for a prenup left her hurt and discouraged.
She asked hosts Dave Ramsey and John Delony whether her partner was “wrong to ask for a prenup.”
“I don’t really know how I can help you,” Delony replied. “I think you let go of the idea of marriage 25 years ago when you started having kids.”
Ramsey then weighed in, telling Andrea that she had made “a really terrible bargain” in the way the relationship was structured.
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“You gave up everything, and he gave up nothing,” he said. “You raised his kids and helped him build a business, and he owns it.”
Ramsey suggested Andrea could call her partner’s bluff by telling him she’s prepared to walk away if he insists on the prenup, though he suspected she might not feel ready to take that step.
“You don’t have any options,” he said. “Your options are to stay or demand that we get married with no prenup or I’m leaving and taking the kids.”
He added that Andrea’s story should serve as a warning to others about the risks of sacrificing financial independence without legal protection, leaving themselves “unsafe” and “exposed” in long-term relationships.
