Once that's done, they can move from being responsible people to responsible partners and providers, he said.
"In our culture, we have taught both men and women to view money as a right rather than a responsibility," said Bickel, who's also a Reformed Baptist minister. "When people start talking about rights as opposed to responsibilities, they run into problems."
"What kills a relationship is ownership, meaning 'I have a right to it,' as opposed to stewardship - 'How do we manage this?"'
Whether couples choose to have joint accounts or go the 'mine, yours and ours' route, the important thing is they agree and understand each other's position, Bickel said.
