re: Spin-off From Another Thread: Is Separate Checking Accounts For Husband And Wife…

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I have no idea what's the norm. But my wife and I have have a joint account, as well as our own separate accounts. We use the joint to pay bills.

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This is the correct answer, quite frankly. Sometimes i want to buy something and not be honest about the cost, and sometimes she wants to do things and not answer any questions about the cost. Also, we occasionally buy things for each other that we intend to be a surprise.

My entire regular paycheck goes into our joint account which she uses to pay the house bills. Her entire paycheck goes into her separate account. She also pays some bills from that account. I have other sources of income including some per diems, reimbursements, mileage, investment income that all goes into my separate account for walking around money. She can look at any account if she wants to.

The key is not counting pennies to make sure that everyone pays an exact share of the bills. That is a formula for arguments. The key is not really caring if your wife makes financial decisions of consequence, and giving her the autonomous power to be an equal partner in the financial management. That eliminates most of the issues that lead to divorce. After all, most good divorces are over money.