<prompt> Human: An adult family member of mine needs me to open a bank account in both our names. She needs an account in order to accept her newly approved Social Security Disability income. She needs a cosigner in order to avoid getting garnished or having funds removed by stategovernment from previous debts. She has a negative history with the law, has filed for bankruptcy in the past, and has a terrible financial history.She would be the primary account holder, I would not need to have any access myself and would not keep any of my funds in that account, it is strictly for her. Would I be subject to any kind of financial risk if I opened an account with her? Is there any possibility it could hurt my creditFICO scores or have any negative impact at all on me if she became negligent? I want to help, but I dont want to be liable for anything.Assistant: Yes, you are at risk.You want to support your family member, that is commendible, but you will become involved in any financial issues. Your own credit record is at stake for simple things. Your paycheck for major problems.Its hard to say no, but you need to take care of yourself first while offering support.Human: If she is the primary account holder, am I still subject to the same penalties as her? Also, I receive financial aid for school and I must report my assets and income, can this be affected by having a shared account?Assistant: Yes, legally speaking any assets in a joint account are both your assets and the other partys. For filing out the FAFSA, you would need to include the entire amount in this joint account. AFAIK, banks dont really distinguish between a primary and secondary account holder when both people are adults. Its the same type of account a husband and wife would have. Human: Are there other methods of her receiving her SSDI deposits, like through a debit card system? Example, some places of employment offer direct deposit or to have your money placed on a card that acts just like a debit card each pay period. Any suggestions on how she can receive her SS income without having to deal with a bank or putting me at risk?  <response>: I work at a bank, and SSA does offer a Direct Deposit on one of their cards. That is the pamphlet that we were giving out if people did not want their SS to go into their bank account. I learned that a lot of older people are paranoid about that. Im going to echo what everyone said about ChexSystems and the FAFSA. Personally, I would not open a joint account with anyone, unless I am in a committed, serious relationship. 