They’re “nice to have” all the way up until things go bad then you find out they were requirements.
The point is from the state perspective a marriage IS a legal contract. So if you go that route the best you accomplished was to spend a lot of time on paperwork to get something that works just like a marriage license.
And then when you die your wife gets nothing because you didn’t write the contract right. Or if you DID write the contract right the state will say “hey you’re actually married give us our money”.
Actually, the best I would get is a contract that is tighter than marriage and a huge savings on my taxes.
And then when you die your wife gets nothing because you didnt write the contract right. Or if you DID write the contract right the state will say hey youre actually married give us our money.
Or I adopt her, using the states bazaar logic against it, and leave everything to my child. But I find your apprehension to rely on clarifying legal contracts to be odd. A well written contract/will is going to be successfully challenged far less than state considerations on marriage.