[disneysteve]

This issue comes up periodically and it always degrades into an argument.
Those who keep separate finances can't imagine doing it any other way and giving up some measure of control of their money.
Those who keep everything joint can't understand how a couple could keep their own accounts and still consider themselves married.

The bottom line, though I honestly don't understand it myself, is that both systems work for different couples.

Personally, we combined our money when we got engaged. We consider everything that comes in to be joint assets. We are a team. We work together to achieve common goals. Having separate accounts or hiding money from each other or spending without consulting the other would sabotage those goals.

All of that said, there are circumstances where separate accounts are appropriate or even mandatory. Second marriages can fall into that category, especially if there are pre-existing children involved whose interests need to be protected. Also if one spouse is wealty going in to the relationship and wants to protect those assets. Or if there is a substantial inheritance, which legally belongs to the individual, not the couple.