Aggiegal raised an interesting point recently in a comment on the privacy in marriage blog about bank accounts. I hear lots of couples and it’s his and hers bank accounts. I have to admit I find the idea strange. And yet it’s one I hear often as people talk about ‘that comes out of my money.’ Or ‘he pays that out of his money.’ Isn’t marriage meant to be a partnership? Doesn’t that mean in the area of money too? So what’s with his and hers bank accounts?
For most of our married life Mick and I have had a joint account. The only time that was different to that, was when I was working for one company who paid straight into a bank account and insisted I had to have a separate account for that. And I hated it. A friend recently said she felt the same when the accountant suggested she ought to have a separate account. Maybe it makes sense from a financial point of view, I don’t know. But I’m concerned with the attitude that often goes along with it.
It concerns me when I hear people say things like; ‘It’s my money. I earned it. I can do what I like with it. He (or she) has no say in how I spend my money. I’ll do what I like.’ Such an attitude doesn’t sound like a partnership to me. It sounds more like the selfishness I talked about in the Number 1 attitude blog.
Money I earn is paid into our joint account, as is Mick’s regular superannuation payments or his wage was before he retired. When I want money for birthdays or for clothes or anything else, I simply take it out of our joint account, no questions asked and Mick does the same. There’s no checking up on each other about why money was withdrawn or what for.
I’d be really interested to hear others thoughts on this subject of his and hers bank accounts. Are you for or against it and why?
Related blogs
Money Strategies that Worked in Our Marriage
Want to Know How to Decrease Stress?
Recession Effects on Your Marriage- Your Choice