随着美国年轻一代更晚步入婚姻,与父辈相比,他们更有可能保持财务独立。这未必是件坏事。Brighton Jones的认证离婚财务分析师杰西卡·雷(Jesica Ray)说,对于任何一对夫妇,尤其是新婚夫妇来说,财务都是非常重要的话题。由于每对夫妇的情况不同,因此何时或是否合并财务,并没有唯一正确的答案。
虽然许多顾问表示将资产合并可以建立信任,使夫妻双方更容易参与账单支付和制定家庭预算,但雷却持不同意见。她表示,夫妻双方应仔细审视自己的财务结构,并决定这种安排是否基于文化或社会假设(情况常常如此),而这些假设并不能反映一方或双方的价值观。
雷说:“如果你重视简便,那么选择共同理财可能是适合你的路径。但如果你不介意处理一些复杂性,那么把资产登记在自己名下有助于保护自己。从一开始就应该分开管理财务。设立一个共同账户用于共同支出,然后设立自己的账户。把一部分资金存入共同账户,然后把其余的存入个人账户。”
雷提到的“保护”涵盖了多个层面:它既包括在离婚时的保护,也涉及到防御债权人对资产的追索,以及确保在晚年有资格享受政府的相关援助计划。
她还发现,保持财务独立可以让夫妻双方都感到更独立,尤其是女性。对于晚婚的人来说,他们有足够的时间发展自己的职业生涯和积累储蓄,因此,保持财务独立是他们身份的重要组成部分。
她说:"我们的世界正向这样一个方向转变:不共同理财变得更为常见和舒适,这完全没问题。避免离婚风险是原因之一,而女性自我赋权则是另一个重要因素,因为女性正在积极打造自己的财富。”
Equitable Advisors的注册理财规划师乔迪·达戈斯蒂尼(Jody D'Agostini)通常建议客户共同处理大部分财务事宜——至少要达到雷所说的那种程度,即设立共同账户,但每位伴侣也拥有自己的账户,这种策略在理财界被称为“你的、我的和我们的”。但在某些情况下,这个等式会发生变化。
她告诉客户,不要将遗产或家人赠予的财产与夫妻共同财产混在一起。这意味着不要将遗产存入共同账户,也不要用这笔钱来支付共同账单或共同债务。相反,应将其存入只有你名字的账户中。
达戈斯蒂尼表示:“赠与人将财产传给你的初衷是为了你的利益,而不是你的配偶。”同样,这是为了在离婚的情况下提供保护,甚至是躲避财务虐待。“除非你开始将遗产与夫妻共同财产混在一起或从中获取收入,否则遗产永远不会被视为夫妻共同财产。”
在这一点上,在大多数州,遗产并不被视为夫妻共同财产,而是个人财产(这与婚姻存续期间赚取的金钱或获得的其他财产不同)。但是,如果你开始将其与夫妻共同财产混在一起,之后再离婚,就会出现问题。
达戈斯蒂尼还说,夫妻双方都应将婚前财产分开,哪怕只是为了在离婚时简化手续。这可以通过婚前协议来实现。
“婚前协议可以帮助那些拥有一定资产的职业夫妇。”达戈斯蒂尼说,并指出,是否需要签订婚前协议并没有一个特定的资产门槛:“这取决于你的舒适度。”
另一种情况下,分开管理财务是明智的:配偶一方或双方已育有子女选择再婚。在这种情况下,将资金分开管理可以确保在一方去世后,其在婚前获得的资产(如果这是其遗愿的话)将归其子女所有。
她说:“你不希望在遗产分配上出现错误,导致遗产继承顺位变成配偶,然后是其子女。在结婚前,就要制定遗产规划。”(财富中文网)
译者:中慧言-王芳
随着美国年轻一代更晚步入婚姻,与父辈相比,他们更有可能保持财务独立。这未必是件坏事。Brighton Jones的认证离婚财务分析师杰西卡·雷(Jesica Ray)说,对于任何一对夫妇,尤其是新婚夫妇来说,财务都是非常重要的话题。由于每对夫妇的情况不同,因此何时或是否合并财务,并没有唯一正确的答案。
虽然许多顾问表示将资产合并可以建立信任,使夫妻双方更容易参与账单支付和制定家庭预算,但雷却持不同意见。她表示,夫妻双方应仔细审视自己的财务结构,并决定这种安排是否基于文化或社会假设(情况常常如此),而这些假设并不能反映一方或双方的价值观。
雷说:“如果你重视简便,那么选择共同理财可能是适合你的路径。但如果你不介意处理一些复杂性,那么把资产登记在自己名下有助于保护自己。从一开始就应该分开管理财务。设立一个共同账户用于共同支出,然后设立自己的账户。把一部分资金存入共同账户,然后把其余的存入个人账户。”
雷提到的“保护”涵盖了多个层面:它既包括在离婚时的保护,也涉及到防御债权人对资产的追索,以及确保在晚年有资格享受政府的相关援助计划。
她还发现,保持财务独立可以让夫妻双方都感到更独立,尤其是女性。对于晚婚的人来说,他们有足够的时间发展自己的职业生涯和积累储蓄,因此,保持财务独立是他们身份的重要组成部分。
她说:"我们的世界正向这样一个方向转变:不共同理财变得更为常见和舒适,这完全没问题。避免离婚风险是原因之一,而女性自我赋权则是另一个重要因素,因为女性正在积极打造自己的财富。”
Equitable Advisors的注册理财规划师乔迪·达戈斯蒂尼(Jody D'Agostini)通常建议客户共同处理大部分财务事宜——至少要达到雷所说的那种程度,即设立共同账户,但每位伴侣也拥有自己的账户,这种策略在理财界被称为“你的、我的和我们的”。但在某些情况下,这个等式会发生变化。
她告诉客户,不要将遗产或家人赠予的财产与夫妻共同财产混在一起。这意味着不要将遗产存入共同账户,也不要用这笔钱来支付共同账单或共同债务。相反,应将其存入只有你名字的账户中。
达戈斯蒂尼表示:“赠与人将财产传给你的初衷是为了你的利益,而不是你的配偶。”同样,这是为了在离婚的情况下提供保护,甚至是躲避财务虐待。“除非你开始将遗产与夫妻共同财产混在一起或从中获取收入,否则遗产永远不会被视为夫妻共同财产。”
在这一点上,在大多数州,遗产并不被视为夫妻共同财产,而是个人财产(这与婚姻存续期间赚取的金钱或获得的其他财产不同)。但是,如果你开始将其与夫妻共同财产混在一起,之后再离婚,就会出现问题。
达戈斯蒂尼还说,夫妻双方都应将婚前财产分开,哪怕只是为了在离婚时简化手续。这可以通过婚前协议来实现。
“婚前协议可以帮助那些拥有一定资产的职业夫妇。”达戈斯蒂尼说,并指出,是否需要签订婚前协议并没有一个特定的资产门槛:“这取决于你的舒适度。”
另一种情况下,分开管理财务是明智的:配偶一方或双方已育有子女选择再婚。在这种情况下,将资金分开管理可以确保在一方去世后,其在婚前获得的资产(如果这是其遗愿的话)将归其子女所有。
她说:“你不希望在遗产分配上出现错误,导致遗产继承顺位变成配偶,然后是其子女。在结婚前,就要制定遗产规划。”(财富中文网)
译者:中慧言-王芳
As younger generations of Americans marry later in life, they are more likely than their parents to keep their spousal finances separate. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Finances are a huge discussion for any couple, particularly newlyweds, and there is no single right answer as to when—or if—to combine them since every couple’s situation is different, says Jesica Ray, a certified divorce financial analyst at Brighton Jones.
While many advisors say combining assets builds trust and makes it easier for each spouse to be part of paying bills and establishing a family budget, Ray takes a different tack. She says couples should take a closer look at how they structure their finances and decide if the arrangement is—as is often the case— based on cultural or societal assumptions that don’t reflect one or both people’s values.
“If you value ease, then joint finances might be the right path for you. If you’re okay with a little complexity, the advantages of keeping assets in your own name helps in the case of protection,” says Ray. “Start out separate. Have a joint account for joint expenses, and then have your own. Drive some money into the joint account, and then the rest into personal.”
By protection, Ray means in the case of divorce, but also in instances of creditors coming after assets, or to be able to qualify for governmental programs later in life.
She also finds that keeping finances separate can help each spouse feel more independent, particularly women. For people who get married later in life, when they’ve had time to build up their careers and savings on their own, keeping separate finances can be an important part of their identity.
“We’re shifting toward a world where it’s more common and comfortable to not join finances, and that’s okay,” she says. “Divorce is one of those reasons, but self-empowerment is another as women create their own wealth.”
Jody D’Agostini, a certified financial planner at Equitable Advisors, generally advises clients to have mostly joint finances—at least to the degree described by Ray above, where there is a joint account but each partner also has their own, a strategy called “yours, mine, and ours” in the financial community. But there are cases when the equation changes.
She tells her clients not to commingle inheritances or financial gifts from family with marital assets. That means not depositing the inheritance in a joint account and not using the money to pay joint bills or a joint debt. Instead, deposit it in an account with your name on it only.
“The intent from the person granting it to you is to pass it to you for your benefit, not for your spouse,” says D’Agostini. Again, this is for protection in case of divorce, or even escaping financial abuse. “Inheritance is never considered to be marital unless you start to commingle it or derive income from it.”
To that point, in most states, an inheritance is not considered part of the marital property, but rather separate property (that’s different from money earned or other property acquired during a marriage). But if you start commingling it with your marital assets and divorce later, problems can arise.
D’Agostini also says each partner should keep their premarital assets separate, if only to simplify things in case of a divorce. This can be done through a prenuptial agreement.
“A prenup can help professional couples with a certain amount of assets under their belts,” says D’Agostini, noting there’s no specific asset threshold level where it makes sense to get one: “It’s where your comfort level is.”
Another instance it makes sense to keep finances separate: a second marriage when one or both spouses has children already. Keeping money separate in this case can help ensure that the assets each spouse acquired before the marriage go to his or her children (if that is her wish) after death.
“You don’t want to make mistakes where your estate could go to your spouse and then their children,” she says. “Get your estate plan in place before you get married.”