Should married couples have separate bank accounts?
Reasons Given For Married Couples Having Separate Bank Accounts
Numerous reasons are often given by people who say married couples should have or maintain separate bank accounts. Among the reasons given are if a couple decides to separate or divorce, it is much easier to do so if the finances have been kept separate.
In addition to this, some also say that couples can feel a loss of financial independence by having joint bank accounts. This is often said to be the case for people who marry or remarry later in life. These people have sometimes accumulated substantial amounts of wealth during their single life or their previous marriage.
Two Become One
The problem with a majority of these reasons for keeping finances separate is that it goes against the Bible’s meaning and purpose for marriage. The purpose of a man and woman getting married is for the two to become one.
(Genesis 2:24) That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
(Mathew 19:5) And he said, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” NLT
(Ephesians 5:31) “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
The principle of two people becoming one should include everything both individuals bring to the marriage, including finances. Regardless of how much money someone has accumulated previously to getting married, any hesitation when it comes to a willingness to become one with your marriage partner that involves your finances, this can speak to trust issues that need to be dealt with before getting married.
Mine And Yours Becomes Ours
While money and finances can often be a cause of arguments in a marriage, it is something to work through as a couple. Maintaining separate bank accounts just in case you get divorced is the wrong mentality to have for anyone who intends on having a successful marriage. It is sometimes referred to as a back up plan, or having an easy way out. This kind of thinking can’t be part of the thought process for two to truly become one. What was mine and yours becomes ours in marriage.
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