<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">It's a partnership -- not OWNERSHIP. In 26 years of marriage, I have NEVER looked in my spouse's purse. Even if I am asked to get something out, I hand her the bag and she gets it out. We don't open each other's mail. We have joint accounts -- one for each of us -- and they are private. Every couple has to make their own rules, I suppose, but ours work for us and they have always been unwritten. It is not a matter of hiding things but simply maintaining some independence, respect and personal sovereignty. </font>