Married Couples & Finances

[LaoGuy]

There is a high rate of marriages falling apart due to financial problem, a lot of stress that trigger silly fights between them. Majority of the problem with most couples (I myself included) is that we do not know how to properly manage our income. Are you at risk? So, do you have joint or separate bank account, why/why not?

[llcoolrich]

Good topic.

I'm not married but my gf and I have a joint account only to pay expenses such as rent, utilities, and misc.

I think most couples live in the moment and dont like the idea of talking about finances. Too much of a headache so when the time comes, its too late. As for me, I give my gf headaches talking bout it.

[gaykhmerguy]

Money is the #1 reason for divorce and mainly filed by women. The problem is that in order to impress women, guys have to spend money on things they can't afford and they do that by charging their credit card. Then once married or living together, the debt becomes hers. It's one thing to have a man spend his money on you...it's another when he's spending your money! Women are hit with the fact that she's holding his debt and he doesn't have as much money.

That's why you gotta be honest. If you look at couples that spend money like crazy together and honest, they do just fine. Couples that are cheap and honest together are fine. The problem is when a guy is lying to the world that he got money and when women overlook his lies and believe he got money.

[Mizz_Luv3r]

I'm not at risk. I always keep my finances in check. I keep his in check too. I pay things off for him, that he tends to tuck away and hide...lol I used to have a joint checking account with my ex, but we always had our seperate savings and he had another checking account. He usually okay'd it with me before making big purchases, except for one time where he spent over $500 on a sushi place with his friends.

I don't worry about money 'cause I make my own. But it is nice to know that my man can support me if I needed him to.

[vtec]

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[tuksuhew]

Once you move past the sex and lust in a relationship, the "ugly head" rears itself out. Money is the root of many of the problems in divorces and breakups. Getting married is more like a business contract more than out of true love.

People who say money doesn't buy happiness are delusional and naive. Money could mean the success of your relationship or it could mean the end of your relationship. Unfortunately for a lot of Americans, money is hard to come by now a days, and that's the reason why you've seen so much divorces lately.

[T.Wizzle]

i received some very good advice once. unless you really can't trust your partner with finances (which you shouldn't have gotten married in the first place anyway), never fight about money. money comes and goes.. things will work themselves out. as for joint accounts.. never. i see no point and can't trust anyone with my money, especially in today's world, you'd be a fool to share access to your money, even with your s.o.

[Azi]

I live with my bf of three years and we do not mix our finances. Everything is paid out equally (he's so lucky he's got a feminist girlfriend..lol). I am very involved with learning and understanding personal finance and I do everything in my power to be smart about it (budgeting, emergency funds, 401ks). I share what I learn with him and he's been able to grow his own 401k and take my advice in certain matters and I've taken his. We are aware of where each other is financially but we see no need to micromanage each other's earnings. We are on the same page and that's important in a relationship.

Money is important. It's tough when one partner is a saver and the other is a spender. You really need to sit down and address each other's habits and see where you want to be in the future. If one can't see beyond that first dollar then there is bound to be some resentment in the future.

[Samster]

We have one joint account and one separate account.
The joint one is for bills and payments. (All our bills will automatically get taken out from this account.)
The separate one is for our own savings. (Our own money to spend and to transfer money to the joint account for bills.)

I manage our money. My husband calls me his personal accountant, lol.
I made a spreadsheet of our income and calculated our expenses.
I also keep track of when things are due so we're never behind.
If you know how to use a spreadsheet, I highly suggest you make a monthly budget.
It'll help you keep track of your money better.

Sometimes you think you can remember it all, but I have so much going on that I literally rely on my calendar to remind me, lol.

[Azi]

^ I agree. I use Quicken. It's a great way to keep track of my finances. I especially like being able to look at what I've spent in each category per month/per year and make adjustments to my spending. :}

[RAZOR_BLADE]

I just wanna make more money than I can count!

[llcoolrich]

We have one joint account and one separate account.
The joint one is for bills and payments. (All our bills will automatically get taken out from this account.)
The separate one is for our own savings. (Our own money to spend and to transfer money to the joint account for bills.)

I manage our money. My husband calls me his personal accountant, lol.
I made a spreadsheet of our income and calculated our expenses.
I also keep track of when things are due so we're never behind.
If you know how to use a spreadsheet, I highly suggest you make a monthly budget.
It'll help you keep track of your money better.

Sometimes you think you can remember it all, but I have so much going on that I literally rely on my calendar to remind me, lol.

There's free sites now that do that. Check out www.mint.com In a couple of months, these self-financing sites are going to take over.

[Samster]

^ You know a friend told me about that last year and it totally slipped my mind.
Thanks for the reminder. I will check it out. :)

[Mizz_Luv3r]

Oh yeah, the only reason why we had a joint account was so he could have money to spend when he wasn't working. We were in a long distance relationship for years. Just my way of having his back though I'm not physically there....lol

[urpimped]

joint accounts, i dont really care to much about the money.. take what you want i could always get more just leave me alone after you do that...

[Ivan]

I don't trust a woman with my money, no matter how honest she is lol. I plan on having separate accounts even when I marry, perhaps even a prenuptual. Just to be safe.