Leasing a car might cost you less per month than making payments on a car you buy. But when the lease is up, if you want to purchase the car, there's a balance to pay. Depending on the car's features or service level, on top of anything else that may have changed since the lease was initially signed, the amount owed might be higher than the current value of the car. Consequently, before deciding whether to buy or lease, it is important to carefully evaluate what your needs are at the outset, and how advances in technology may affect those needs over time. The same is true of entering into partnership agreements. Making a realistic determination of actual needs up front, assessing how those needs may change over time and identifying the acceptable levels of risk associated with each of those needs are important steps in preventing surprises down the road.