It’s been a love story for nearly three years, and now Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have to deal with some champagne problems, including how property will be treated during their marriage (and divided if it ends). With rumors of an early July wedding in New York City swirling, how will the couple now sort out what stays “mine” and what becomes “ours” in the relationship? The answer is almost surely a prenuptial agreement. Prenups for even ordinary folks are becoming far more common. In a 2022 Harris poll of more than 1,000 adults, 15% of those who had ever been married or were then engaged, said they’d signed a prenup, up from 3% in 2010. But the signed prenup rate was far higher for married and engaged GenZers and millennials than for older generations. And among the unhitched, 40% of millennials and 52% of GenZers said they were “very” or “somewhat” likely to enter into a prenuptial agreement in the future. Julie R. Colton, a partner and family law attorney at Obermayer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says that she is seeing not only more, but also a wider variety of couples seeking out prenups. “It’s not just millionaires or billionaires looking for advice,” she observes. One group that stands out to Colton are the children of divorce (notably, Swift and Kelce, both have parents who have separated). Divorce can be messy. Children who have grown up watching such splits have added motivation to make decisions about property and assets before the marriage even happens, she says. As an experienced family dispute mediator, Colton knows that it’s far easier to negotiate terms when you’re not angry at each other.The Life of a Showgirl (and an NFL Star)Forbes estimates Swift currently has a net worth of $2 billion. She became a billionaire in October 2023, thanks to earnings from her Eras Tour and the value of her music catalog, making her the first musician to reach the billionaire ranks primarily based on her songs and performances. Her fortune includes nearly $800 million from royalties and touring, plus a music catalog estimated at $600 million and about $110 million in real estate. (With her Eras Tour ending in 2024, Swift came in only second on Forbes’ 2025 Highest Paid Musicians list.)While not a billionaire, Kelce still has significant wealth. He recently inked a new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs worth up to $54.7 million and has endorsement deals that extend beyond football, including to fashion (in March 2026, Tommy Hilfiger named him a global brand ambassador and creative collaborator). He has also worked with major consumer brands, including Nike, Bud Light, and Campbell’s Chunky Soup. He currently co-hosts the popular podcast New Heights with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce.Everything Has Changed The podcast also has played a role in their relationship. In the summer of 2023, the pair began dating after Kelce publicly expressed interest in Swift on his New Heights podcast. They officially confirmed the relationship in September 2023 when Swift showed up at Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on Kelce.In August 2025, the couple announced their engagement on Instagram with a post that simply read, "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨"Just before the engagement announcement, Swift appeared on the podcast to promote her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”That kind of combined star power is irresistible to fans, but from a legal and financial perspective, it makes a prenup the obvious next step.Ready for It? A prenuptial agreement, or prenup, is a written contract signed before marriage that sets out how a couple’s property, debts, income, business interests, inheritance rights, and sometimes spousal support will be handled if the marriage ends by divorce or death. Generally, any two people who are legally able to marry can sign a prenup. Each person should have capacity, sign voluntarily, understand the agreement, and provide fair financial disclosure. That disclosure is key since, by law, you can’t really agree to a contract without understanding what you might be receiving and what you might be giving up. Typically, to prove that you’ve made a full disclosure, a prenup includes attachments that make clear what property each party will bring into the marriage and what property each might expect (for example, future inheritances).A prenup is signed before the wedding—ideally, well in advance, not at the last minute. A typical process would include plenty of time to exchange and review financial disclosures and discuss any clauses—those non-negotiables—that are important to each party.It’s that simple. The details? That’s the hard part.Lance Nelson, a partner at Chester County, Pennsylvania-based MacElree Harvey who exclusively practices family law (and is the father of three Swifties), says not everyone needs a prenup, but in some circumstances, couples “absolutely” do. Here’s a look at some of the provisions that should be considered as part of any Swift-Kelce prenup—and yours.We Are Never Ever Commingling AssetsOnce financial disclosures have been made, a prenup should identify what remains separate property. Typically, commingling assets—meaning mixing separate funds with marital or community funds, using them for joint expenses, or depositing them into joint accounts—can cause separate property to be treated as marital or community property, especially if the original source of the separate property can no longer be traced. You can reduce that risk by keeping property separate, maintaining good records, and clearly stating in the prenup how commingled assets, reimbursements, and tracing will be handled.One item that’s likely to stay separate? Swift’s masters (original sound recordings of a track, from which all other copies, pressings, and digital streams are made) and her music catalog (the organized collection of her music). In 2018, talent manager Scooter Braun became the owner of all the masters, music videos, and artworks copyrighted by her former record label, including those on her first six studio albums. She spent years trying to get them back and eventually re-recorded her albums—known as Taylor’s Versions—many of which became more popular than the originals. The fight also inspired Swift’s wildly popular Eras Tour, which became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. In May 2025, Swift announced that she had purchased the masters to her first six albums, giving her ownership of those original recordings. After the (very) public battle, it’s likely that any prenuptial agreement would make clear that Taylor’s Versions stay, well, Taylor’s, even if they increased in value during the marriage. That’s not unusual. Individuals who have an interest—or an expectation of an inheritance—in a business, especially if it’s a family business, will often seek to protect those assets. “Divorce can be very disruptive to a family business,” explains Nelson. Not only can it be contentious, but it can also create significant valuation issues when accounting for increases in value from the date of marriage to the date of any separation. Sorting that out during a divorce can be expensive and time-consuming.I Bet You Think About Me Another asset that’s likely to get a second look in a Swift-Kelce prenup? Life experiences. That may sound odd, but Swift has built much of her success by writing about her life experiences, including her relationships. “All Too Well,” for example, which is linked to Jake Gyllenhaal, is considered the definitive Swift breakup song—the 10-minute version became a major cultural event (yes, really)—while songs like “Style” (allegedly referencing Harry Styles) and “Forever & Always” (tied to Joe Jonas) are fan-canon staples.When it comes to the rich and famous, it’s not unusual to include privacy provisions in a prenup, including language that could prevent the parties from discussing the details of their marriage. However, Swift could opt to retain the right to write songs about her relationship since it’s so closely linked to her success as an entertainer.Two Is Better Than One There’s no doubt that the powerhouse couple has the potential to generate income together. In that case, they could include terms allowing them to enter into joint ventures during their marriage. It would just need to be made clear how each of them was to benefit—and how much—as well as what would happen to any joint ventures after the marriage if it were to end.The same is true for certain accounts or assets—like joint real estate—that were intended to be shared. Those assets could be divided by formula, ownership percentage, or percentage of contribution (meaning that each party would be entitled to any appreciation in value based on how much they put in to begin with).They Know Places While it’s not yet settled where Swift and Kelce will eventually live after marriage (we’re rooting for Swift’s home state of Pennsylvania in my household), that geography matters. They each own multiple properties located in different states.When parties enter into a marriage without a prenuptial agreement, the law of the state with jurisdiction over the divorce generally governs, meaning the default rules on assets and spousal support apply. A prenup can allow you to contract around those defaults, subject to certain limitations (for example, you typically cannot contract away child support or custody time in a prenup).Those default rules can vary widely. There are nine states considered to be community property states: Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. In these states, income and property acquired during marriage are generally treated as jointly owned by both spouses, regardless of who owned the assets or earned the income. A prenup can change that. In Texas, for example, parties can enter into a prenup that covers property “whenever and wherever acquired or located,” as well as its disposition upon divorce or death. You can also include spousal support provisions and estate-planning arrangements.In California, you can enter into a prenup, but there are limitations, especially regarding spousal support. Under state law, a spousal support waiver is not enforceable against a party who lacked independent counsel when signing it. Even if both parties had lawyers, the waiver can still fail if it is unconscionable at the time of enforcement, meaning at the time of divorce or legal separation, not just when the contract is signed. In most non-community-property states, divorce courts use equitable distribution: Marital property is divided based on what the court considers fair, not necessarily equally. That makes outcomes more fact-specific and harder to predict. A prenup can replace some of that uncertainty with agreed-upon rules for separate property, shared property, business interests, debt, appreciation, and support. This can be especially useful in states with complex or heavily litigated equitable-distribution rules, including Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.You’re on Your Own, Kid What about the disparity in assets and income? While Kelce has plenty of assets, Swift is still worth significantly more. That can come into play when sorting out debts, taxes, and spousal support.Prenups often say that premarital debt stays with the spouse who brought it to the marriage. The treatment of joint debts—including tax debts—incurred during the marriage would be spelled out in the prenup.Importantly, a contract can only do so much. For example, spouses who file jointly for federal income tax purposes remain jointly and severally liable for any resulting tax debt (meaning either can be held 100% responsible for the debt). That’s true even if the prenup says otherwise—at least as far as the IRS is concerned. While spouses can allocate the debt between themselves, that doesn’t bind the taxing authorities. Practically speaking, a prenup can establish who would be responsible for the debt, but if the IRS collects from the other spouse, that spouse may need to seek reimbursement or enforcement under the prenup.Spousal support is particularly state-specific. While the approach can vary—it can be waived, capped, formula-based, or triggered only by defined hardship events—total waivers can be scrutinized, especially in states like California, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey, where courts often give them a second look.And while there used to be a tax incentive for some spouses to treat support as alimony, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in 2017 changed that. Agreements finalized on or before December 31, 2018, generally allow alimony payments to be deductible for the payer and taxable to the recipient; those finalized after December 31, 2018, do not treat alimony as tax-deductible for the payer and there’s no taxable income attributed to the recipient.These Hit Different Not everything related to marriage can be negotiated in a prenup.When it comes to children, most states won’t recognize provisions that are negotiated in advance, including custody terms that are not in the best interest of the child. Child support waivers are also generally considered unenforceable.You also generally should not include provisions intended to control personal behavior. High-profile prenup stories often feature rumored lifestyle clauses—such as weight penalties or sex-related requirements—but these are usually tabloid anecdotes. In practice, such provisions are risky and can make the agreement look coercive or punitive.When It’s Time to Go It doesn’t matter how well written a prenup might be—at the end, the effectiveness hinges on enforcement. That’s why a good prenup will also explain what happens in the event of a dispute.Mediation, where spouses agree to try to resolve disputes with a neutral mediator before going to court, is often a first step. In arbitration, spouses agree to have the dispute heard before a private decision-maker (how successful this might be depends on the agreement and state law). If the matter goes to court, a prenup may address in advance how legal fees will be paid since divorce can be messy and expensive.Particularly important for public figures and professionals? A confidentiality clause that keeps financial disclosures, negotiations, mediation, arbitration, and (where possible) court filings private. Shake It Off A prenup doesn’t have to be forever—some may include sunset or review clauses. With a sunset clause, the provisions could expire or partially expire after a certain number of years. A prenup could also require that the parties revisit the provisions after a number of years or upon the occurrence of a trigger, such as having children. While those clauses may make a prenup feel more palatable, they can also undermine the certainty the agreement was meant to provide.You Need to Calm Down Many people hesitate to discuss a prenup because it can feel like planning for divorce before the marriage has even begun. But a well-drafted prenup is less about anticipating failure and more about reducing uncertainty. So how do you start a conversation about prenups? Colton says that it can happen in a few different ways. Sometimes it’s spurred by family, especially when there are children from a previous marriage, a family-owned business, or other assets. That can reframe the discussion to be, “My family expects this.”Otherwise, she says that bringing up a prenup is like any other conversation. It’s simply a matter of ripping off the band-aid and asking, “What are we doing? You have to sort out: Is the expectation that you will have separate accounts? Joint accounts? And what happens to those assets?” That’s getting easier. Colton says in her experience, couples are more open to conversations about the financial aspects of marriage today. Nelson echoes that, suggesting that it might have something to do with timing. While previous generations might have married soon after college—when their income was relatively low, and debt may have been high—the current generation is taking a page from Swift’s playbook and waiting until their careers are established before marrying. Not only that, Nelson says, but these couples have something that the previous generation did not have: access to the internet. They know what it can look like when things can go wrong and are more likely to discuss ways to protect themselves and their families in advance.A good prenup establishes a clear framework for managing money, property, debt, family wealth, business interests, and support obligations before conflict arises. In that way, it can strengthen the relationship, since you’ve had the hard conversations early rather than leaving those issues to be sorted out later under stress, resentment, or litigation. Don’t think of a prenup as a prediction that the marriage will end, but as a practical tool for preventing avoidable disputes if life becomes complicated.More from ForbesForbesDeath And Taxes: Forbes’ Practical Guide For FamiliesBy Kelly Phillips ErbForbesWhere Not To Die In The U.S. In 2026By Kelly Phillips ErbForbesWhat To Do With All Your Parents’ Stuff–And Your OwnBy Kelly Phillips ErbForbesSo You’re Getting A Divorce: Do You Need A Forensic Accountant?By Kelly Phillips Erb