I need your advice girls. Do you and your fiance have joint bank accounts to pay your bills?

we've had a joint account for almost our whole relationship, i've been unemployed for a little over a year and a half, but he doesn't care . we use his money to pay our mortgage and bills, when i tell him i feel bad about it he tells me its 'our' money

We have a joint checking and saving account and then we both each have a seperate savings account. The only bills he has are his cell phone and whatever he buys for the house....that goes on his Discover card.

We have separate joint accounts (we were previously married so....you learn your lesson!).

We plan on having a joint account but also keep our separate accounts.

Unfortunately you marry him and his debt....

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Posted by LBride

Unfortunately you marry him and his debt....

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SO true!

we plan on doing a joint account to pay for all of our bill and his school loans, etc.

we'd like to put 10% of our paychecks into our separate accounts, and that money can be spent at our own discretion (read: shoes for me! and jiu jitsu videos for him! )

Personally, while I see why people open joint accounts, I have to say I will ALWAYS have my own account in addition. I can see myself having a joint account for the wedding gift money - but I personally want to invest that and/or put it into our mortgage anyway - actually there's a joint account we have together . No one get angry, this is just my honest opinion, I personally like to believe my student loans are mine - not ours- the loans went to the degree I earned, not that WE earned and I chose to go to grad school many years before he was in my life - therefore he had no say in any of it, including the fact I went out of state which was more expensive. He too has things that he took on way before I came into his life that were decided before he ever laid eyes on me that I don't feel responsible to pay for. Once we have kids together then I totally feel a joint account would be a good thing for their expenses - but again only in addition to our separate accounts. That's just my honest opinion (no one get mad please, I was just trying to explain). We both lived on our own prior to living together so we have a quite a bit of our own separate debt... once that is paid off and we can start a clean slate, then there may be more need or reason for an additional joint account. Both our names have been on our car leases and insurance. But that's totally personal preference too.

We bought a house 3 years ago and while FH physically pays the mortgage, anything I want to contribute goes to him via a check I write to him (I personally don't think it's silly to give him the money - he makes a lot more than I do so he pays like 90% of it anyway and often times he uses it for utilities rather than the mortgage b/c I have no $$$). Also in our case rather than offering him money - often times I just buy what we need for the upkeep of the house as part of my contribution, granted there are also larger ticket items that he paid 100% for in maintaining/remodeling the house. On the more 'positive side' of the separate account thing... I like being able to splurge on him for his birthday or Christmas (or he on me) and him not being able to just look at the bank ledger to see how much I spent on him (or he on me). I believe even in relationships you have to have a sense of independence as well. An apartment or even a house doesn't necessarily mean that you have to open an account together... it's totally personal preference.