Lifestyle
Prenup financial mismatch
Marrying finances, not just people. This scores how far apart two partners are on income, net worth and debt, the honest starting point for a prenup conversation.
A prenup isn't about expecting a divorce, it's about two people understanding each other's finances before they merge them. The bigger the gap in income, net worth or debt, the more a prenup and a frank money conversation protect both sides. This scores that gap, so the discussion starts from facts.
Partner A
Partner B
Enter both partners' finances.
Worked example
One partner earning $120,000 with positive net worth, the other $55,000 carrying $80,000 of debt:
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Partner A net worth | $130,000 |
| Partner B net worth | -$60,000 |
| Net-worth gap | $190,000 |
| Income ratio | 45.8% |
| Mismatch score | 71/100 (wide) |
A $190,000 net-worth gap and one partner carrying real debt push this into the wide band, exactly the situation where a prenup, and clarity about whose debt is whose, matters most. A high score isn't a red flag for the relationship; it's a prompt for a conversation.
Questions
What does the score actually measure?
The gap between two partners on three axes: how far apart their incomes are, how large the net-worth difference is, and how much debt each carries relative to income. More distance means more to talk through before combining finances.
Do we need a prenup?
That's a legal and personal decision this can't make for you. A prenup matters most when there's a business, an inheritance, significant premarital assets, children from a prior relationship, or lopsided debt. A high score suggests it's worth asking a family-law attorney.
Isn't talking about this unromantic?
Money is a leading cause of marital conflict, and surprises about debt or spending are worse discovered later. A calculator is a low-stakes way to open the conversation with numbers instead of assumptions.
Related tools
- Net worth each partner's starting point
- Marriage penalty or bonus the tax side of combining incomes
- Cost of divorce what a prenup plans around
A discussion aid, not a verdict on a relationship or a substitute for legal advice.