For the married folks: How do you all manage bank accounts?

[Mrs Pantherfan]

Completely seperate with each of us having visibility into the other's account if we need to, but the need for that rarely arises.

Basically we divide the joint bills up based on our salaries, and after that she can spend her money any way she feels like and i can do the same.

Will never have joint accounts as i won't be put on an allowance of my own money.

Same as logic 1977.

We have seperate, albeit linked accounts. Either one of us can look at the other's account. She has a few small bills to pay, plus the majority of the household expenses (clothes, food, tp etc...). I pay the big bills (mortgage, car, electicity etc...). We contribute to a joint savings account/emergency fund.

Husband...is that you?? :D

We do it just like this...separate accts..He transfers me money to pay the bills out of my account....then I have my money, and he has his

[Inimicus]

Joint everything. If I couldn't trust my wife to be completely responsible with all of our money then I would find a different spouse.

[Jase]

It takes every red cent we have every month to make ends meet, so separate bank accounts are a luxury of sorts.

We're joint on my wife's account. I have my own account, but only because it is a hassle to add her to it. She can see it any time she wants, in all of its empty glory.

[Zcustom]

Joint.

Not hard to keep track of it when there's not much of it. Reminds me of something funny I heard the other day. "There's too much month at the end of my money"

[Mrs Pantherfan]

Joint everything. If I couldn't trust my wife to be completely responsible with all of our money then I would find a different spouse.

In our situation its got nothing to do with trust why we don't have joint accounts. We were together for 4 years before we got married..what worked for us with bills, worked for us..so we didn't change it. We've now been together for almost 13 years and keeping it separate still works. I do better with money when it's on a debit card..he prefers cash. I know exactly what's being spent b/c I'm the only one swiping on the account. We honestly never really argue or fight..but when we do money is never one of those things.

[mr beauxjangles]

I'm glad this question was asked. The fiancee and I have been discussing this recently. We have a joint savings account already but are discussing what to do with checking. She wants to combine them and I'd like to keep them separate. I guess my only reason is so that we keep our discretionary spending on one another separate (meaning gifts). For those of you with joint checking accounts, how do you keep birthday gifts, etc a secret? Separate credit cards?

[Inimicus]

In our situation its got nothing to do with trust why we don't have joint accounts. We were together for 4 years before we got married..what worked for us with bills, worked for us..so we didn't change it. We've now been together for almost 13 years and keeping it separate still works. I do better with money when it's on a debit card..he prefers cash. I know exactly what's being spent b/c I'm the only one swiping on the account. We honestly never really argue or fight..but when we do money is never one of those things.

I hope that I didn't offend. I actually had a much longer post but erased it for fear I would step on toes. I know it works for some people, I just couldn't do it.

For me joint finances is one of the cornerstones of very successful 25 year marriage.

We tried separating accounts once years ago and it had two major flaws for us.

1. She had access to my account and vice-verse so when she was light one month and wanted some thing I just gave her the cash and she did the same for me when the situation was reversed. I wasn't going to make her go without something she wanted when I had extra so the overhead of two accounts became more trouble than it was worth.

2. There was always a tension around money and how to divide it up. % of household earnings? 50/50? and then who gets what bills? Does the person paying the natural gas bill get extra in the winter and the person with the electric get more in the summer? How do you deal with an emergency when one person has been very frugal and can pay for repairs to the car that were unbudgeted? Do they get punished for not spending? Crap like that kept popping up and it was causing more disagreements than it was solving so we ditched it.

[Carolina Husker]

We have separate accounts just because we lived together for two years first and it was a pain to link everything after we got married. She writes me a check at the beginning of every month for her car and a portion of the mortgage. She buys the groceries and vet bills, and I pay for everything else.

Haven't had an issue yet.

[Mrs Pantherfan]

like...and actual check? out of that checkbook thingie?? :)

[Carolina Husker]

She pays in racoon pelts and Iroquois wampum.

[Ja Rhule]

I'm glad this question was asked. The fiancee and I have been discussing this recently. We have a joint savings account already but are discussing what to do with checking. She wants to combine them and I'd like to keep them separate. I guess my only reason is so that we keep our discretionary spending on one another separate (meaning gifts). For those of you with joint checking accounts, how do you keep birthday gifts, etc a secret? Separate credit cards?

Yeap. We have our own credit cards for stuff like eating out with coworkers, car maintenance, etc. And we have a joint credit card for groceries and home goods. I'd buy something for her and she'd have no clue.

[Ja Rhule]

I'm glad this question was asked. The fiancee and I have been discussing this recently. We have a joint savings account already but are discussing what to do with checking. She wants to combine them and I'd like to keep them separate. I guess my only reason is so that we keep our discretionary spending on one another separate (meaning gifts). For those of you with joint checking accounts, how do you keep birthday gifts, etc a secret? Separate credit cards?

Yeap. We have our own credit cards for stuff like eating out with coworkers, car maintenance, etc. And we have a joint credit card for groceries and home goods. I'd buy something for her and she'd have no clue.

[logic1977]

My wife and i had a lot of fri tion initally on the seperate accounts. She thought they should be join also. Mostly what changed was she went back to school so it was all my money for a few years. And then when she got out o school and got a decent job she very much wanted to feel like she has "her" money.

Its all gravy now

[Guest]

Separate accounts, one joint for bill paying. I transfer $ into that account and she pays the bills. What's left is mine (not very much :( )