Is It Really a 'Joint' Account?

The inevitable question of whether or not to pool your finances after marriage will crop up sooner or later. But has your joint account become a bone of contention and do you feel economically abused by your partner? BHG explores the answers.

- Rene Verma

My husband and I married almost four years back. He’s my tax person. My investment adviser. My trip planner. My daily organiser. My coffee partner. My best friend. All rolled into one. He also seems to derive immense joy from ridiculing my terrible maths. You know where I’m going with all this, right? No? Ok. So, here’s the deal. He became my default money manager as soon as we became a couple—completely taking over my bank accounts, investments, paperwork and all things numbers. But through all this, he’s always pushed me to be more informed. And I, on some occasions, have been a patient listener. The result is that, now, I do have a vague understanding of what my statements look like, how our joint account works and how our funds are divided. To be honest, I’ve been really lucky. But, as I cast aside my rose-tinted blinkers and looked around, I realised that where a joint account had given me joy, it had also become a bone of contention between so many couples.

Joint At The Hip