First is proud to be featured in Business Insider's in-depth exploration of how prenuptial agreements have evolved from tools for the ultra-wealthy to essential financial planning for today's self-made couples.
The New Face of Prenups: Stock Options, Startups, and Side Hustles
Business Insider's piece opens with a compelling example: Kamila Staryga, founder of reproductive health startup Rita Health, and her husband who works at a leading AI company. Both receive compensation in stock options, but their situations differ dramatically. Her equity is a bet on the future; his is already valuable.
As Staryga explains in the article, she and her husband used First to create their prenup. The process felt natural for a tech founder accustomed to signing contracts online and part of a generation expecting on-demand everything. "We bought a Tesla on a website," she reasoned. "Why not a prenup?"
This perfectly captures First's mission: bringing the convenience and clarity of modern technology to one of life's most important legal agreements.
The Numbers Tell a Compelling Story
Business Insider cites striking statistics about the prenup revolution. According to Harris Poll data featured in the article:
- Just 3% of married adults had prenups 15 years ago
- In 2023, that number jumped to about 20%
- Among Millennials: 47% have prenups
- Among Gen Z: 41% have prenups
As the article notes, this climb tracks a fundamental shift in how younger Americans think about marriage. They're marrying later, with established careers, mortgages, and diverse assets worth protecting: social media handles, bitcoin, frozen embryos, and yes, even collectibles like Labubus.
Why Women Are Increasingly Requesting Prenups
One of the article's most important insights: women are now more likely than ever to be the ones requesting prenups. Business Insider talked to Professor Elizabeth Carter of Louisiana State University Law, who serves as an advisor to First. Professor Carter says that the rise of prenups isn't only due to soaring assets, but about who's earning them.
The facts speak for themselves:
- Women are more likely than ever to be household breadwinners
- More women own homes and hold college degrees
- Women increasingly run teams and build companies
The legal document that once shielded dynastic wealth now protects dual incomes, side hustles, and entrepreneurial ventures. As the article frames it, prenups are about financial empowerment and protecting what you've built.
First: Making Prenups as Easy as Filing Taxes
Business Insider describes First as a "TurboTax-style prenup service" that has raised $4.3 million in venture capital. The article details how First walks couples through a questionnaire and allows each partner to bring in a lawyer to review the draft before signing, with no-frills prenups starting at $649.
The piece features Rachel-Jean Firchau, who raised the prenup idea to her then-fiancé. As the primary earner for five years, she was about to quit her ad-agency job to build her travel-and-lifestyle blog full-time, betting that her brand with over 20,000 Instagram followers could become her dream career.
Firchau and her husband used First, filling out questionnaires over a Trader Joe's dinner and later signing from their studio apartment with a notary on video. Their prenup ensures Firchau owns her brand's intellectual property. As she tells Business Insider: "You can't handshake your way into a marriage and expect that to protect you."
Protecting Modern Assets: Beyond Cash and Real Estate
First's CEO and founder Libby Leffler is quoted in the article discussing the diverse assets modern couples want to protect. She's seen it all: sneakers, handbags, game consoles, patents, and crypto art.
This reflects a crucial truth about today's economy: wealth isn't just in bank accounts anymore. Modern assets include:
- Stock options and startup equity, which are particularly relevant in tech hubs
- Intellectual property, including blogs, social media brands, and other creative work
- Digital assets such as cryptocurrency, NFTs, domain names
- Side hustle businesses, anything from online content creation to farmer’s market stalls
- Personal collections consisting of valuable items from sneakers to designer goods
- Frozen embryos (an increasingly common asset that couples possess prior to marriage!)
First's platform is designed to account for these modern realities, ensuring couples can protect what matters most in today's economy.
The article also highlights how prenups are spreading through tech and finance circles by referral. Startup workers often have equity-heavy pay packages. If the company hits, the windfall can be significant. With a prenup, couples can make proactive decisions about how they want these assets to be treated, regardless of when the value of the assets is realized.
The Breadwinner's Perspective
Kate Winick's story in the article perfectly illustrates why breadwinning women are embracing prenups. She found love at 34, after spending a decade growing her savings working in media and then at Peloton. "That nest egg was really important to me," she tells Business Insider.
Winick and her husband used a mediator before hiring separate lawyers. Her philosophy resonates: "I think we both felt like the goal was to walk out whole, not to walk out at an advantage or make a profit."
This captures the spirit of modern prenups - they're not about distrust, but about fairness and protecting what each partner brings to the partnership.
Your Best Self Planning for Your Worst Days
One of the most powerful insights in the Business Insider piece comes from Winick, who describes herself as "reasonably feisty." She knows the version of herself that shows up when she's stressed, tired, or hungry. She and her husband chose a prenup so their best selves could set rules for their worst days.
"We're going to guard each other against even the possibility that we will do things out of anger and hurt," she explains.
As Business Insider concludes: "Seen that way, a prenup isn't a hedge against love, but a buffer against our worst impulses."
From Cold Law Offices to Your Couch
The article also contrasts old and new prenup experiences. The traditional version involved a trip to a law office with a cold receptionist and a candy bowl on the conference table. The new version? A couch, two laptops open, and a list of prompts nudging couples toward hard questions while they still like each other.
This is exactly what First provides: a modern, accessible way to have important conversations about money, assets, and expectations in a comfortable environment where couples can take their time and approach the process thoughtfully.
Why First is Leading the Prenup Revolution
The Business Insider article makes clear why First has become a go-to solution for modern couples:
Accessibility: Starting at $649, First makes prenups affordable for couples at all wealth levels
Convenience: Complete the process from your couch with an intuitive online platform
Modern Focus: Designed for today's assets - from stock options to Instagram handles
Expert-Backed: Founded by tech executive Libby Leffler and advised by legal experts like Professor Elizabeth Carter
Comprehensive: Covers everything from traditional real estate to cryptocurrency and intellectual property
User-Friendly: As easy as filing taxes online, with clear prompts and guidance
Ready to Protect Your Financial Future?
Whether you're a startup founder with equity, a breadwinning professional, a content creator building a brand, or simply someone who wants clarity about your financial partnership, First makes it easy to create a prenup that protects both partners.
As Kamila Staryga puts it in the Business Insider piece: "You don't write a contract for good times. You write them for when stuff goes south."
But more than that, you write them when you're at your best - full of love and optimism - so you can protect both partners if things ever become difficult.
Join the thousands of couples who have used First to design their partnership agreements. Get started at thisfirst.com.
Read the full Business Insider article to explore more stories from couples who chose prenups and learn about the evolving legal landscape around modern marriage contracts.
