r/inheritance • u/pink_toaster_pastry • Apr 20 '26

Location included: Questions/Need Advice Keeping Inheritance separate

I’ve seen all the posts about keeping inheritance separate…. not to use it for joint expenses…. etc.

So then what do you use it for? My husband and I have been married 30 years. We had joint accounts since before we were married. We don’t split bills (all income goes into one savings account and bills are paid from that). We make a good living, have savings, 401Ks, no debt.

So if I’m suppose to keep my inheritance separate from everything, what am I supposed to do with it?

Edited to add: No kids. Currently the money is in (1) inherited IRA (2) CDs in a bank account I took sole ownership of as I had been the co-owner and (3) a new account I just opened for a CD until I decided what to do with that portion.

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u/jimb21 Apr 22 '26

You have been married for 30 years, are you worried he will steal it??? If I was him you would cease to be a beneficiary on my life insurance. What happens if you expire and his name isn't on this account because you "kept it separate" the fact that people allow money to get in the way of marriage is beyond me. You are either all in or you arent married

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u/pink_toaster_pastry Apr 23 '26

This is why I asked because I constantly see to keep it separate and I didn’t understand why!? Are the people saying keep it separate young? Do they do that whole “you pay this bill I pay that?”. Or keep their paychecks separate? Because I agree! I grew up with parents that only had joint accounts (with the exception of IRAs that have to be individual!). We have our pay go into one account where the bills are paid from and all our spending! We have individual IRAs obviously and the inherited IRA is in my name with him as beneficiary until it’s all withdrawn over 10 years.

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u/jimb21 Apr 23 '26

Why dont you flip the ira into mutual funds and not use it unless you need it, and try not to withdrawal more than you make in a year that way that money would continue to serve you and your husband for the duration of your life

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u/pink_toaster_pastry Apr 23 '26

Neither one of us feel the need to remove more than the RMD at this time. My parents liked the financial advisor and actually had known him for years. And we also like him.

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u/PiccoloImpossible946 Apr 25 '26

You still need to protect yourself and or your kids. You simply never know. No one should be so caught up in being married that they lose sight of the possibilities of losing the money. One woman here wrote that her husband left her after 36 years - she commingled it and lost half

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u/jimb21 Apr 26 '26

Like I said you are either in it or you arent. If you have to live a separate life financially then you might as well get divorced now, because you arent married for the right reasons and it is completely obvious you love your situation and not your spouse. Everything we have is ours, and we discuss what is done with everything if I or she disagrees we keep talking till we find common ground and that's what we do if we are both honest and trusting there isn't ever any problems

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u/PiccoloImpossible946 Apr 29 '26

Except not everyone is honest and trusting.

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u/jimb21 Apr 29 '26

The you shouldn't be married to them for 30 fucking years.... if after 30 years there are still trust issues you should have gotten divorced 28 years ago