My question involves marriage law for the State of: Arizona
I am a high income earner by comparison with my significant other, with salary increasing roughly 20-30% /yr on average since I started working. She has been living off of welfare and child support for most of her adult life. As irresponsible as she might be, I do love the woman, and I may consider spending the rest of my life with her; however, I do not want to find that half of my income / equity has been attributed to someone who can't hold a steady job and hasn't contributed in any significant way to my success. She has been a burden on the state, and as harsh as this sounds, she will almost certainly be a burden on me while we're together. That's a price I will happily pay without complaint; however, should things go sour, I want to try to protect my assets as being with her will have hindered my economic growth rather than helped it, while her situation will have remained the same (minus living a better life for a while). What are the limitations of prenuptial agreements? Can I protect equity built in a home purchased a few months or a year before the wedding? What about large purchases made further down the line? Future income?
Everything I've read suggests that the courts are very rigid in considering anything gained during the marriage to be marital property and subject to equal sharing, and that terrifies me.

