Married couples and joint/separate bank accounts

My friend and I were discussing this a couple weeks back and he was very firm in his belief that a joint bank account was the only way to go because it was an affirmation of unity and trust as a couple, and that anything else was undermining the concept of trust and love that you married each other for in the first place.

I countered with the fact that we're just human at the end of the day, and that i've seen plenty of marriages on the verge of being on the rocks by virtue of chronic monetary disagreements..how to handle x money, why is he/she spending this money when we agreed on this, why should he/she be allotted this amount of money, etc. I hypothetically proposed that if I as the main source of income for my household, I would arrange an allotment of money be given to my wife for paying a certain amount of bills--be it the phone/car payments and groceries..or similar. A fair amount proportioned based on the amount that she was contributing but also giving her a small amount to spend each week if she was taking care of kids at home, etc.

I feel like separate bank accounts do not undermine my trust for my wife and only further add to the peace of mind and respect for one another as adults that we. Much like any prenuptial agreement, it is only "insurance" and takes a lot of the headache out of budgeting.

Maybe I am thinking about it the wrong way..Would like to hear your input