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MsMoney.com recommends...
Smart Couples Finish Rich : 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner
By David Bach
 Like
many savvy business people of the 21st century, David Bach offered
his first pearls of financial wisdom to women, in his bestselling
book Smart Women Finish Rich. Recognizing that these women are often
accompanied by significant others and that money arguments are the
number one cause of divorce in America, Bach has now broadened his
scope. Presumably intended to help change this depressing statistic,
Smart Couples Finish Rich is a well-written financial planning tool,
packed with useful charts and information, inspiring examples, and
practical advice.
For people who've been disappointed by the shallowness of some
of the "quick tips" self-help books out there, the subtitle of this
book is a little misleading. Bach's nine steps are not instant change
techniques or chirpy little quips to recite to yourself whenever
you go to balance your checkbook. Instead, the first few steps include
a series of exercises that will help you determine what you know
(and don't know, or understand) about saving and investing, what
role money should play in your life (which includes understanding
your values), and how to work together toward a common financial
goal. From there, Bach teaches his readers how to account for "disappearing"
money, how to build retirement, security, and dream baskets of wealth
(providing detailed options for all three), and how to avoid the
most common financial mistakes most couples make. Though the focus
of the book is predominantly on working with your existing income,
Bach includes a final chapter entitled "Increase Your Income by
10 Percent in Nine Weeks."
Bach's writing style is engaging and his advice is user-friendly.
A successful financial planner, he obviously believes passionately
in all the "fringe" benefits of being financially responsible but
employs a no-nonsense approach that makes financial smarts available
to everyone. So whether you're 25 and just starting out on the earning,
saving, and spending road or you plan to retire next year; whether
you've recently got hitched for the first time or you've just entered
your fourth marriage; and whether financial planning comes first
or last on your list of fun things to do, the advice in Smart Couples
Finish Rich is worth heeding. It's not about becoming a money-obsessed
bore, it's about getting smart... and rich. --S. Ketchum
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