Having a joint bank account can be beneficial in the right situation. If you are involved in a small business partnership, it can provide you and another owner access to the funds of the business. The benefit of having a joint bank account for a business is that multiple parties have access. Typically, these arrangements are created when the business is formed or when a new partner joins the business.
Teaching Children Financial Responsibility
Another situation where a joint bank account comes in handy is when you want to teach your child how to use their finances wisely. At a certain time in your child’s life, you may want to choose to open up a bank account with your name and your child’s name. This type of joint account lets you control the account from a distance. Your minor child has the opportunity to deposit and withdraw money. It will get them into the habit of not overspending, saving and keeping an eye on their balance so they don’t use too much of their funds.
Married Couples
Most married couples have joint bank accounts. This usually occurs after they merge their funds together after saying their vows. In contrast to the joint account associated with a parent and a child, this type of arrangement is generally equitable — each spouse is able to draw money out of the account and make financial decisions. Unfortunately, a joint bank account may cause friction if a married couple ever decides to get a divorce.
Removing Someone’s Name Off Of A Joint Bank Account
There are a few reasons why you might want to remove your name or someone else’s name off of a joint bank account. If you want to take the steps to do this, it should be completed fairly quickly.
If you have a minor child in a joint bank account with you, you can either visit your bank or call them and request that your child be taken off of the account. They may ask you to come into the branch to have this completed if there is any paperwork to fill out.
In addition, it is also easy to have a willing participant removed from a joint bank account that they currently have with you. If the other party does not have any desire to stay on the account, it’s best if you both meet at the branch and discuss the matter with the staff of the bank. This way, they can confirm that the both of you are in agreement of having one person taken off of the joint bank account.
Be sure to bring at least two pieces of identification that can verify your legal identity. The process should be fairly fast and only take a few minutes.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!