Keeping Separate Bank Accounts When Married
The biggest cause of arguments in any relationship is money; in fact, it’s the nation’s leading cause for divorce. The importance of money in a marriage is crucial to the marriage surviving long into the couple’s golden years. Managing your money correctly will help stave off the needless arguments and could even prevent divorce.
There are two factors that contribute to the proper management of your money, communication and planning. If either of these two factors break down, there is good room for disaster which is why having separate bank accounts even after you are married is a good idea.
The Reckless Spender
Ideally, both you and your spouse would be responsible spenders but as we have all come to know, that isn’t always the case. Usually, one or both of you are bad at controlling your spending habits and it usually results in both of you paying for it in the end. This can end up causing a lot of resentment for one another and this is where communication comes into play. Talking about each other’s spending habits is shown to reduce the stress and anxiety of money management and could even lead to a happier marriage.
The above example holds particularly true if one person in the marriage has good credit and the other does not. Your spouse’s bad spending habits could end up causing you to pay a bill late and having negative marks on your credit file. A joint bank account could lead to this scenario over and over again which is why the separate bank accounts for married couples makes good sense.
Avoid Arguing, but Don’t Put Off Splitting Your Accounts
Lack of communication can be detrimental to any couple. Obviously you don’t want to scold your spouse and tell them that they cannot spend any more money. This could be your downfall as it sometimes does need to be said and if a couple is in a healthy relationship, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. Calmly explaining to your significant other that you would like to have separate accounts is the best way to go about it but remain firm. Explain to them what their spending habits are doing to your finances and your marriage. Offer to work on their finances together as a team and see if you can’t come up with a solution that works for both of you.
The Equal Split
In the previous paragraph, I mentioned that a couple needs to work together on their finances to ensure a happy marriage. We should take that one step further though and suggest that you hold each other accountable for handling the money. It’s best if both people can contribute and equal amount to the financial structure of the relationship. Contributing equally is important so that a couple can avoid resentment and arguing about finances.
When your current financial situation doesn’t include an endless supply of money, make sure to keep your finances separate from your spouse’s. Keep up a good line of communication and manage your money carefully. This will ensure longevity in your marriage and a much happier couple as a result.
