By: Danielle Ulman

Celebrity divorces can be awfully messy, not to mention outrageously expensive. Even when there’s a prenup (especially if it was scribbled on a napkin).

So, when I catch news of an A-list celeb breaking up with her husband, or a star athlete calling it quits with his hometown sweetheart, I often wonder why they bothered to get married in the first place.

My story on athlete prenups in today’s Maryland Lawyer shook up that notion. Or, rather, a friendly reminder from wealth management attorney David Pessin, who I interviewed for my story, changed my perspective.

When I asked why some athletes balk at signing a prenup when 50 percent of marriages in this country fail, Pessin said it’s because they just don’t believe divorce could happen to them.

And then he turned the tables on me.

“Well, Danielle, let me ask you something,” he said. “When you got married did you think your marriage would be one of the 50 percent that fail?”

Touche.