[just-ok]

Why do all of these smart, mathy STEM folk on HN have such imprecise takes on this topic?

1 account for both of you, filled proportionally to your incomes until your monthly expenses are covered + any savings you agree on. This is for rent, food, vacations, childcare, etc. You make more than your partner? Tough, you joined them in the equal partnership known as marriage.

1 account for each of you, for everything else you make on top. This is for personal expenses like clothes or extravagance. You make less than your partner? Tough, you get to spend less of your excess.

Caveat: There are some big assumptions from the OP, like the fact that you’re DINKs and contribute equally to household duties.

[BTBurke]

Precision in this particular case is the enemy of happiness.

[2rsf]

How do you even measure "contribute equally to household duties"? once you open a door to inequality in a marriage it's a slippery slope, next the higher earner can rent a cleaning help for their half of the work letting the other one do their work alone...

Socialism, you do what you can and get what you need, might not work great on large scale bu I do think it should be used at a family scale.