Reply To: All Wife's Money & Properties Belong to Husband

She has the right to tell her husband:”Do not support me, and I’ll keep my earnings”.

She has to verbalize this to do this. This isn’t commonly done. And if it is, she loses rights she was entitled to from her kesuba (i.e. support).

Most people these days insist on separate fianances (checking accounts etc.) just in case they will divorce

Separate finances doesn’t change this halacha, even if it is a case of divorce. He is still be entitled to all the marital assets (sans the specific exceptions) in a divorce case.

If there is a practical effect of this halachah, it must not be a very good marriage.

I believe this halacha actually makes better marriages. Why would you say following a halacha makes a marriage worse??

For us, it has no effect. All our money goes into the communal pot — regardless of who earns it.

Perhaps in your individual circumstances it has no effect for some reason. But the fact that it goes into a communal pot doesn’t negate its effect. The communal pot, per halacha, is yours and not hers.