Hey, what's news listeners. It's Sunday, April 26th. I'm Imani-Mauese for the Wall Street Journal.

This is What's News Sunday, the show where we tackle the big questions about the biggest stories in the news.

All week, the Wall Street Journal has been breaking down the cost of divorce. According to a 2023 Harris poll,

42% of American adults support the idea of a pre-up,

but only 15% of couples actually signed one.

That's up from 3% in 2010.

So today, we're breaking down the math you need to do before saying I do.

Going into a marriage is the biggest financial decision that you will make in your life,

and it shouldn't be taken lightly because you put years of blood, sweat, and tears into this relationship,

and it can financially decimate you. And so you need to plan for that.

That was Kristen Sheeran, the director of the Institute for Divorce Financial Analyst. Yes, that's the

real job. And no, she wasn't exaggerating. Certified divorce financial analysts or CDFAs like Kristen

are the people brought into untangle finances when a marriage ends. They

figure out what everything's worth, what gets split, and what those decisions mean years down

the line. Occasionally, they also have to track down assets that spouses forgot to disclose.

So let's get into it.

Kristen, I do have some personal news since we last connected.

I actually got engaged last weekend.

Congratulations.

Thank you so much.

And I thought about you over that weekend because I remember you telling me that you believe

that it's really important to plan for a divorce, maybe even before you start planning your wedding.

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