Why Many Couples use a Premarital Investigation Before the Big Day

Premarital Investigation

The United States is tied for 10th place in the divorce rate. In other words, we have the tenth highest divorce rate globally. That means thousands of married couples suddenly have to go through the expensive, confusing, emotionally challenging, and reputation damaging process of legal divorce, which is often before adding in child custody issues.

The average total cost of divorce in 2019 was $12,900. Think about what that would mean for your life right now. Do you have an extra $13K sitting around somewhere to be burned up by a mentally and emotionally taxing situation that often never works out the best for either side of the equation?

These are precisely the reasons many couples entering the stage of marriage in their lives decide to do a little research before committing to a lifetime partnership with another human being. While we all want to think our significant others have been 100% honest about who they are, where they’ve come from, and what obligations they may have financially or otherwise, the sad truth is that there is no way to know for sure without an investigation.

Privin Network sees many premarital investigations and background checks from our clients wanting to verify they are marrying the right person. This is an often easy process to conduct because we live in such a digital world, but it does take doing the due diligence that most citizens do not have the training or experience to do on their own. When you hire a private investigator for a premarital investigation, you are hoping to get information like:

Has There Been an Affair?

Trust is a serious issue for most of us. At some point in our lives, we’ve had our hearts broken and want to do everything we can to avoid that same situation in the future. For any working professionals or public servants, a potential affair can cause severe damage to our reputations or business profiles.

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy put about 15% of married women and 25% of married men having extramarital affairs. Those numbers go up about 20% when you include emotional and sexual relationships without actual intercourse. In other words, there is a solid chance the person you love and trust now may cheat on you in the future. It is better to know if they have a history of this type of behavior before committing.

Have They Been Married Before?

This reason is simple but has many causes. Yes, of course, you want to be sure your potential husband or wife didn’t have a 2-year marriage to some random high school sweetheart that ended badly, but you also want to make sure your upcoming wedding is entirely legal. Unfortunately, some people choose to hide their marriage pasts for reasons that may be completely understandable.

Maybe your potential wife was abused in the past, or future husband faced severe financial repercussions, and they are embarrassed by having to overcome these challenges. This is your opportunity to bring these issues to light and build a stronger bridge for communication. You don’t want to be in the middle of your honeymoon and get a call saying you just married someone else’s spouse.

Do They Have a Record of Criminal Offenses?

It is amazing what even a primary online private investigator can pull up during a background check. We live in a very litigious society where nearly one-third of the adult working-age population has a criminal record. The good news is that these are mostly for low-level crimes that happened in their youth, but not knowing the details can lead to serious problems down the road.

Imagine trying to go to Canada for a quick trip with your newly wedded spouse and getting stopped by border patrol because their DUI is a felony offense in that country. Situations like that pop up all the time because our potential partners do not want to discuss something that makes them feel lesser in our eyes. While this is understandable, you need to protect yourself from the repercussions of these mistakes.

What About their Family Life?

When we at Privin Network conduct a premarital investigation, we are often asked to verify their immediate family. Maybe it is because popular TV shows have used secret families a little too often in their plots or because so many of us experienced family trauma growing up, but knowing the family we are committed to is a big deal.

It never hurts to be aware of the playing field before saying “I do.” You wouldn’t want to be married for a few months and suddenly start getting endless phone calls from a distant uncle looking for a financial handout.

Problems with Addiction

Many of our expert private investigators come from former law enforcement or military backgrounds. They have seen partners and officers fall victim to addiction. It isn’t pretty and can ruin the lives of people who are far from the day-to-day activities of the user. That doesn’t mean we wish to pass judgment on those brave individuals who have the commitment to face and overcome their addictions with complete transparency. In fact, if you marry someone with that kind of dedication to getting clean, we think you may be in for an excellent life as they will understand the value of what they are fighting for.

However, for the rest who haven’t yet hit rock bottom, you may not want to be there when the fallout suddenly happens. Addiction affects 21 million Americans, with about 10% of that group seeking help. Getting a quality premarital investigation lets you know if you’re going to have to deal with this situation during your marriage as well. While some may be willing, going into the fight with your eyes open is much better than being blind to the potential harm.

Are They Financially Stable?

This is probably the biggest reason we at Privin Network are called in for a premarital investigation. Financial problems are a leading cause of divorce in the United States. Whether this is because they are hiding significant student or credit card debt or have grossly overestimated their business worth, getting into a long-term commitment with someone unable to manage on their own is a serious issue.

Our private investigators go through public filings to check for bankruptcies, debts, liens, and other financial issues that may contribute to an unhappy marriage. On the flip side of the equation, we can verify the information you may already know. Wouldn’t it be better to have a report that corroborates the financial disclosures your potential spouse already let you know of before you wed? It is nice to know they have been open and honest about their background.

Wrapping it Up

The point of premarital investigations isn’t to “catch” your lover in a lie. It is to protect yourself from the potential fallout that can come when new information is suddenly brought to light, throwing you completely off your game. When you marry, you want to trust your significant other, but there are many legal, financial, and child custody reasons to keep you and your family insulated from previous problems that may threaten your future.

That is why hiring an expert team like the private investigators at Privin Network is essential to your wedding bliss. Our premarital investigations go beyond a simple background check and ensure the person you are committing to is the person you think they are claiming. To get started with our expert, professional, and experienced private investigator service, reach out and schedule a consult.

We look forward to working with you and providing you with the information needed to make a decision about your future.