Sebastian and Dana have been dating for a year, and now they are thinking about starting a long-term relationship. Because Sebastian knows I’m writing a blog about how to date safely, he would like to hear my advice on this topic. “How do you feel about joint bank accounts in relationships?” Sebastian asks me, “Should couples merge their bank accounts? Or should modern couples keep them separate nowadays?”

  • You can have a joint account and separate accounts at the same time.

Because both Sebastian and Dana have pretty good jobs, they are able to have a joint bank account for rent, utility bills, cars, groceries, and so on. Meanwhile, they can also have separate bank accounts for their guilt-free spending money. In other words, this couple can be more flexible in this regard.

My advice for Sebastian and Dana is to have multiple bank accounts: 1) a joint bank account for all bills; 2) a joint bank account for savings; 3) Sebastian’s individual bank account for his spending money; 4) Dana’s individual bank account for her spending money.

I think this is a good model as it makes this couple have honest conversations about their finances. Also, they can figure out what type of life they would like to build through looking at their expenses: Sebastian and Dana love good food, so every week they go out for a dinner date at a nice restaurant. Sebastian likes fitness, so he uses money on his personal bank account for gym membership, sportswear, etc. Dana loves fashion, so she spends money from her personal bank account on clothing, shoes and bags. Because they regularly save money on a savings joint bank account, this couple feel very financially secure! Therefore, Sebastian and Dana can enjoy a happy and stable relationship in the long term.

date safely

  • How to stick to saving money in a romantic relationship:

Since you want to date safely, you have to know how to protect yourself financially. More importantly, you would be well-advised to know how to save money no matter you are in a relationship or not. Because you are reading this blog right now, probably you are interested in starting a serious relationship. Hence, I’d like to mention how to stick to saving money in a long-term relationship.

When you start a meaningful relationship, you and your partner can automate your saving each month in a joint bank account. After setting this up, you don’t need to worry about discipline anymore.

“If you are keen to know more about how to date safely, please watch this space as we will surely keep sharing helpful tips on dating and relationships regularly on this blog.”