For Married people where both work.?

Question

Do you have seperate checking accounts?

My husband and I lived together for 10yrs before recently getting married. We have always kept our checking accounts seperate with a joint savings account. We have a house together, we split all joint expenses down the middle. We each have our own car payments which we do not split. We have no childern. We both bring in ruffly the same amount of money.

I recently heard a talk show host say that couples who don't combine money are asking for trouble. We feel that with the way we do things we avoid the fights about money. We decide on common goals and put that money into savings and neither of us can touch that. Anything left from our paychecks after bills in our checking accounts is ours to do with as we please.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

My husband and I combine our money. Whats mine is his and whats his is mine.

Answer 2

I really believe the problem people have in relationships is they listen to too many people. The best thing you should do is do what is good for you. The joint savings account is fine. A suggestion I would give is that you both give each other access to each account. Maybe though online banking. That's a good way to see what is going on. But here is the truth, at anytime even if you have a joint savings account, one of you can open a "secret" account at another bank and not tell the each other. So there is always room for secrets, but lets just pray that you guys don't have any. But do what you feel is best for you and do what you feel is good for your relationship. Use tips from others lightly and take what you need when someone gives you advice and leave the rest behind. Good luck and don't worry about the rest!

Answer 3

If it's working for you, I say keep it as it is. Why mess with a system that works?

Besides, now that my wife has gone back into the workforce after being out for the first 7 years of marriage, we have seperate accounts as well, but we split expenses as a portion of our respective incomes. I pay some bills, she pays others. It just makes the whole system simpler that way, especially since we both have busy schedules. We used joint accounts when she was not working because it was convenient for me to transfer funds into her account for her household expenses, groceries or whatever.

I say, do whatever works. I really don't necessarily think one way or the other is better because there are so many factors to consider.

Answer 4

I believe if your way is working for the 2 of you for the past 10yrs, then something is going right. My husband and I do the same thing, except he doesn't have a checking account. The bills the need paid get paid through a money order, or my checking account. We split everything as we can afford and make our own car payments. He pays car insurance, while I pay rent. (full coverage for 2 vehicles is almost as much as our rent) I pay gas and he pays cable. Most of everything equals. Groceries are split too. He's good about buying food we both eat, as do i. Extra money from his check and mine go for ourselves. We have a 3yr old too. I think your ways are working for you and to keep it up. My mother-in-law has no job and takes her husbands checks to pay bills and only gives him like $40 from it. It works for them, but really I don't think he likes it b/c he has to ask for money every time he needs it even though he makes the money.

Answer 5

I think your way is fine - every couple is different in the way they approach their relationship, and if you find that keeping your accounts separate works for you, keep doing it. It doesn't matter what other people think you 'should' be doing.

My boyfriend and I have been living together for three years. We have three accounts between us - a joint account and a separate personal account each. We both pay some of our salaries into the joint account (which is used for the mortgage, for groceries, for household bills, for joint holidays, things like that), and keep the rest. That way I can buy things I want without having to ask his permission or check that it's okay, and the same goes for him. It works pretty well, and means we both get to keep a bit of financial freedom.

Answer 6

Not married but my gf and I have lived together for 7 years now. We own a house together as well.

We still have separate accounts, I find this to be more convenient as we have different means of tracking payments. I write very few checks, so I just keep track of it in my head, I never put them in the check register. She tends to write more checks and makes the effort to record them (she's also an accountant.)

I think we'd often be overdrafting because we're not keeping track the same way and wouldn't communicate about it.

Also, I have a lot of automated bill payments set up using my checking accounts. It's just more convenient for me not to have to change things around.

My gf would prefer to have joint accounts, and we probably will once we move in a few months to a new state.

Answer 7

I am not yet married but I am engaged and have been living with and spliting the bills for the last three years. We put the money together because it is what works for us in our relationship. I firmly beleive that if a couple sees that having seperate accounts is better for both of them then go for benifits you. I have even had couples that have been married for many years tell me that they prefer it like that..because it works for them. Do not let someone that does not know your life tell you how to run it for you.

Answer 8

Whatever works for you and you both are in agreement
and happy then do what you are doing: My wife and I
happen to have joint accounts as the bank's maintenance
fees are less and we keep a little on the side to buy our
extras that we each want.

Answer 9

We had a joint account for "family business" and I had a separate account and suggested that my wife have one for herself...but she got all bent out of shape by the suggestion. We all need a separate little stash for our "crazy money"...you know what I'm talking about, right? I had always suggested that she do things to cover herself in case I died early, like establish credit in her own name and stuff. But she still thought I was trying to do something behind her back. Why would it be considered "behind her back" if I was suggesting it to her face? Women, I'll never figure you out....LOL!

Answer 10

Well, from my experience with joint accounts and marriage it feels to ME that if a married couple DOESN'T have a joint account and just split the bills, it's pretty setting yourself up for a divorce. It's like a prenup--it's just screaming that "I love you, but I don't trust you with MY money."

You two really aren't working like a TEAM, just two people who live together. Marriage isn't just about you. It's about being two people who work together, as a team.

Like in your case--it's never a car payment for you BOTH, just one. You split the living expenses. Someday you two are going to have an argument where you each will try to add up and compare who has paid less and who has paid more.

Answer 11

As you need to observe approximately 0.5 of marriages fail, maximum are as you will discover from right here we web pages are whilst human beings under the age of 28 marry. So incredibly it fairly isn't any longer a reliable theory for many motives to marry previously your out of school and have dealt with discovering a thank you to be an person. through fact as an person existence is thoroughly alien from college, and not in any respect what we predict of it's going to be like. Adjustment into adulthood is ultimate performed on my own and as quickly as you the two "settled" in that place, then your marriage will in all hazard final a lot longer, in case you wait some years previously having toddlers. what's your rush? If she won't wait, properly she might have broken us with you on a similar time as your at college besides (in case you haven't got faith me wait till ultimately your there and ask the others who've broken up with spouse's husbands and female/boy acquaintances.) Yea absolutely everyone thinks they are love is diverse and robust the completed reason the marriage fee is so intense, yet human beings improve aside incredibly in the time of the years whilst your existence is changing in 1000 methods. in the journey that your love is that reliable it is going to proceed to exist till ultimately after universally and settling right into a job. besides she needs to have the journey of having a job, in spite of if she does not use it, it's going to make her waiting IF the worst occurs, and could make her enjoy all you do on your loved ones too.