For economists and researchers
Why would a researcher need a prenup?
Because a research career rarely stays on one track. The same doctorate can lead to a modest academic salary or a far higher-paying role in industry, consulting, or government, and the work itself can produce intellectual property and royalties that outlast any job. A prenup lets you agree in advance how that is handled. Neptune is the lawyer-led online prenup service: both partners get their own lawyer for one flat fee.
Flat fee of $5,000 per couple. No payment to get started.
The career fork
One PhD, two very different financial futures
Academic placements now account for only about half of new economics PhDs, with the rest heading into tech, consulting, and government. Those paths pay differently, grow differently, and package compensation differently. A prenup written around today’s salary can miss where you actually end up.
The academic track
- A nine-month salary, often supplemented by summer support and grants
- A pension or defined-contribution plan that builds slowly over decades
- Compensation that is portable but rises gradually with rank and tenure
The industry, consulting, and government track
- Higher base pay, frequently with bonuses, and sometimes equity
- Roles at tech firms, banks, consultancies, and agencies that now absorb about half of new PhDs
- Faster early-career earnings growth, especially for those who change roles
A good agreement does not bet on which track you take. It sets out how each kind of compensation is treated, so it holds up whether you stay in academia, move to industry, or move back and forth over a career.
What your work leaves behind
The assets a researcher creates are not just a paycheck
The distinctive thing about a research career is that the work produces lasting assets: models, data, books, and reputations that keep generating value. These are exactly the areas a prenup can speak to, and the ones a generic agreement tends to overlook.
Research-derived intellectual property
Papers, models, datasets, algorithms, and forecasting tools you build can outlast the job that produced them. A prenup can address how intellectual property created during the marriage, and any income it later generates, is characterized.
Books, royalties, and licensing
A textbook, trade book, or licensed model can pay out for years. A prenup can describe how royalties earned on work started before versus during the marriage are treated.
Consulting and expert-witness income
Many economists consult, advise, or serve as expert witnesses alongside a primary role. That income is uneven and separate from salary. A prenup can set expectations for how it is handled.
Equity and deferred pay in industry roles
A move to a tech firm, bank, or startup can bring restricted stock, bonuses, or deferred compensation. A prenup can address how equity and deferred pay that vest during the marriage are treated.
Grants, awards, and honoraria
Research funding, prizes, and speaking honoraria arrive irregularly and are often tied to you personally. A prenup can clarify how such personal awards are characterized.
The value of your track record
A publication record, a well-cited body of work, or a reputation in a field is career capital built over years. A prenup can address how the earning capacity that record enables is considered.
On timing
Many researchers marry before the career takes off
Graduate school and the early postdoc years are common times to marry, and they are also when compensation looks simplest. The complexity, an industry move, a book deal, a consulting practice, or a widely used model, often arrives later. Setting the framework while things are still straightforward gives both partners clarity about how future complexity will be handled, rather than negotiating it in the middle of a career that has already grown complicated.
How Neptune works
Three steps to an agreement that anticipates change
Guided intake for researchers
Answer questions about your current role, where your career might go next, any consulting or writing income, and any intellectual property tied to your work. Plain language, no legal jargon.
Your own attorney, free consultation
Each partner is connected with a separate, licensed attorney who can review how a two-track career, outside income, and intellectual property fit into your agreement.
A finished agreement
Your attorneys draft an agreement that anticipates how a research career can evolve. Turnaround is typically around 3 to 4 weeks when both partners use Neptune attorneys.
Transparent pricing
One flat fee. Two independent attorneys.
Each partner gets their own licensed attorney. One drafts the agreement; the other reviews it on behalf of the second partner.
$5,000
per couple, total
Rush pricing applies when the wedding is within 45 days. No payment required to get started.
Guides for you
Guides on assets, debt, and equity
Start with the guides other couples read before they begin, then take the next step when you are ready.
Common questions from economists and researchers
Why would an economist or researcher want a prenup?
Because a research career rarely stays on one financial track. The same PhD can lead to a modest, portable academic salary or to a much higher-paying role in industry, consulting, or government, and the work itself can produce intellectual property, royalties, and consulting income that outlast any single job. A prenup lets you and your partner agree in advance how those moving pieces are treated, whichever direction your career takes.
I might move between academia and industry. How does a prenup handle that?
That uncertainty is exactly what a prenup can address. Rather than tying the agreement to your current salary, it can set out how different kinds of compensation are treated, whether that turns out to be a nine-month academic salary, an industry package with equity and bonuses, or consulting income on the side. Your attorney can review how to draft terms that hold up as your career evolves.
What happens to intellectual property from my research?
Models, datasets, papers, software, and books you create can generate value long after they are made. Whether that intellectual property, and the income it produces, is treated as separate or shared can depend on when it was created and how it was developed. A prenup can describe how work started before versus during the marriage is characterized, so a future royalty or licensing stream is not left undefined.
I mostly earn a salary now. Is a prenup premature?
The best time to address these questions is often before the career takes off, not after. Early in a research career, compensation may look simple. It can become far more complex with a move to industry, a book deal, a consulting practice, or a widely used model. Agreeing on the framework while things are still straightforward gives both partners clarity about how future complexity will be handled.
What does it cost and how long does it take?
Neptune charges a flat fee of $5,000 per couple, which covers two independent attorneys, one for each partner. No payment is required to get started. Turnaround is typically around 3 to 4 weeks when both partners use Neptune attorneys. Rush pricing applies when the wedding is within 45 days.