Man Accused of ‘Ruining’ Business Partner’s Happiness After Advising Him to ‘Protect Himself Financially’ Before Wedding

NEED TO KNOW

• A man’s business partner is getting married next year — and his fiancée has started expressing interest in the men’s business money

• In the interest of protecting the business, the man suggested to his partner that he “protect himself” financially before tying the knot

• Now he’s wondering if his recommendation was smart or rude

Is it practical or cynical to worry about how marriage affects a person’s finances?

In a post on Reddit’s AITAH forum, a man explained why he told his business partner to protect himself financially before tying the knot with his fiancée. The man was looking out for their shared business, he wrote, but now he’s wondering if he came on too strong and offended his business partner.

The two men built their business from the ground up, he wrote, adding, “No investors, just long nights, shared risks, and a lot of personal sacrifices.”

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His business partner is getting married next year, the man further noted, and while they seem like a happy couple, the man is growing increasingly concerned that his partner’s fiancée is interested in the business — specifically, the business’s money.

“She’ll say things like, ‘Once we’re married, I’ll finally get to enjoy the business money too,’ or ‘You guys should start paying yourselves more, you can afford it,’ ” the man recalled. “It rubbed me the wrong way.”

So the man sat down with his business partner and suggested he “think about protecting himself legally before the wedding.”

The man clarified that he didn’t say raise the issue because he thought his partner’s fiancée was bad or anything — just because he’s witnessed “too many people lose everything when emotions mix with business,” and wanted to avoid that fate for both his partner and himself.

“He got upset and said I was being negative and ‘ruining his happiness,'” the man wrote, and added that now things are awkward between them.

People in the comments assured the man that his suggestion was practical. Divorce rates have grown in recent years, and a prenuptial agreement — made while both parties are on good terms — “protects both parties in the future,” one wrote.

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“If they end up fighting, then it also brings out issues that they probably should address before marriage,” the user continued. “A broken engagement is better than a failed marriage.”

Another user argued that while the man has no say whatsoever in his partner’s relationship, he’s entitled to any decision related to the business. Instead of asking his partner to examine his financial future with his fiancée, the man should instead focus on establishing clear expectations for the business if one of them dies, gets divorced or becomes incapacitated, they wrote.

Read the original article on People