In their 40 years of marriage, Bill and Rosemary Drake have come to an agreement on every financial decision, from monthly bills to retirement funds. The retired Snellville couple, who once owned a software company together, even keep a joint checking account.

But 24-year-old Lekeisha Massey finds that view of marriage passe. Although the recent college grad trusts her boyfriend and expects to marry him, she wants separate checking accounts . . . just in case.

"I don't care if I have a dusty duffel bag when I start; I want it back when it ends, " she said.

More often, couples are saying "I do" to Massey's view of matrimony. Nearly half of the married couples in the United States choose to keep separate accounts, according to a survey of 1,200 households conducted last fall by the Raddon Financial Group, a financial research company. The study found that 48 percent of married couples have two or more checking accounts, compared with 39 percent in 2001.

Is this a sign of increasing distrust between men and women entering the tender trap?

Liz Hagerty, a financial analyst specializing in divorces, says yes.

With so many women in the workforce, and couples marrying later in life, both parties bring more to the wedding table. Hagerty, who has dealt with her own divorce, said women in marriages want control of their assets.

"Women have become more educated and realize how important it is to pay attention to their finances, " she said.

Dunwoody resident Dori Sokol scrambled to learn how to manage her finances and adjust to a lower standard of living after her marriage ended. Her husband had held the reins to their joint checking account over the course of their 16-year marriage.

Eight years later, Sokol, an administrator at Northside Hospital, is a newlywed again. She said the hardest part will be adjusting to sharing financial responsibilities.

"For the last eight years, I was in complete control. I knew when money was coming in and out, " said Sokol, who remarried two months ago. "Now I have to share. That's hard."

The couple plan to have a joint account. But this time around, Sokol is getting a postnup (a prenup after marriage) to protect investments and money set aside for her two children --- another reason divorced people who remarry choose individual accounts.

By discussing the financial arrangements, Sokol may avoid heartache later. Kathleen Gildea, an Atlanta-based marriage and family therapist, says many of her clients lie to each other about spending habits. Gildea said that individual accounts are a popular tool to avoid answering for purchases.

"Not only are couples keeping their money separate from their spouse, but they are keeping their spending habits separate, " she said. "They just spend and don't tell. It's more about not wanting to share their money. [They have a] 'when I leave, I'm taking my money with me' [attitude]."

Angie Rehkop can relate to that attitude. During a 2 1/2-year marriage, Rehkop and her then-spouse tried splitting the bills from their separate accounts. But the discussions digressed into a game of I-don't-want-to- get-stuck-with-the-bill.

"It was one side plays against another. We weren't playing as a team, " said Rehkop, an Atlanta-based financial adviser. "Every man for himself."

Looking back, Rehkop, 38, said she and her ex weren't cognizant of each other's financial situation during the marriage.

Massey and her boyfriend, Nathan Holmes, said they frequently discuss their financial future and current spending habits. Neither has significant finances built up, but Massey still wanted a prenup. Holmes rejected the notion, so Massey plans to keep a private stash. That backup plan comes from experiences learned from her mother's divorce.

"If a man's around, that's a wonderful, beautiful thing, " she said, "but if he's not, you still got to go out there."

Holmes has not dealt with divorce. His view on marriage resembles the Drakes' what's yours is mine, what's mine is yours mind-set. But the 26-year-old is willing to adjust.

"We are open-minded. I bend a little bit or she bends a little bit, " he said.

As a middle-of-the-road choice, financial experts suggest having a joint account for bills and individual accounts for personal spending. It's the agreement Massey and Holmes reached.

Sokol said she and her new husband also debated having joint and separate accounts, but it made sense to share once they established priorities.

"I don't think the kind of financial arrangement is very important, " she said. "I just went from two kids and one dog to four kids and three dogs. My financial comfort stems from the fact that we both agree on how we want to spend our money."