Sharing finances in a relationship

[iswmle]

I was married, shared the finances, never learned how to manage money, got divorced, BK'ed, learned the hard way how to manage... but recently I have had this feeling that I don't want to share my finances with someone again. I am in a relationship now and he and I have very similar views on finances, in fact I would say he is more conservative than me. In the future he will more than likely end up making more than me... and yet I still would feel more comfortable keeping things separate.

Am I alone here? Is this normal for someone with a BK less than a year old to feel this way? Especially after a divorce? Can a couple successfully keep their finances apart? I just don't want to be in the position I was before...

[Exployer1234]

I learned the hard way as well. I was married and we shared everything. In the end it only made matters worse in our case by sharing our finances. Fast forward 13 years later. I am engaged and we do live together. We keep everything separate and it has worked well. Basically we came up with a system on paying bills. He pays for the rent and I pay the utilities. we split the food bill. We have separate checking accounts so nothing gets mixed up that way. For us this was the best way to handle the bills, and that way things get paid on time. He owns his own business so paying the rent made since, and that way I could pay the utilities, since I do not make as much as he does. I can honestly say we have not fought over money and what each of us can spend.