Product Description

From first-time newlyweds to people on their second or third marriage, couples face an overwhelming task when it comes to money management. Nationally renowned financial advisor and bestselling author David Bach knows that it doesn’t have to be this way. In Smart Couples Finish Rich, he provides couples with easy-to-use tools that cover everything from credit card management, to investment advice, to long-term care. You and your partner will learn how to work together as a team to identify your core values and dreams, creating a financial plan that will allow you to achieve security, provide for your family’s future financial needs, and increase your income. Together, you’ll learn why couples that plan their finances together, stay together!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4167 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-08
• Released on: 2002-01-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.com Review
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

From Publishers Weekly
Bach, author of the bestselling Smart Women Finish Rich and host of a popular PBS series, offers his advice on how couples can keep their financial lives in sync. Familiar financial strategies on routine concerns, such as investments, retirement and insurance, form the bulk of the book. However, Bach's work does distinguish itself in one critical area: Bach believes that all couples (gay and straight, married and unmarried) need to identify values as well as goals as their first step toward achieving financial security. As he explains, values have to do with "being" (e.g., security, health, spirituality, fun), while goals are related to "doing" and "having" (e.g., playing golf regularly, taking frequent vacations, retiring with a million dollars). Moreover, he avers, not only is money management an issue that couples should plan and work on together, it is one that they should talk about, in a positive way, all the time. For example, Bach firmly believes that all couples need to be aware of their spending (what he calls the "latt‚ factor," or being more conscious of the regular little purchases they make each day) in order to make positive changes in their financial lives. Agent, Jan Miller. (On-sale date: Mar. 6)Forecast: Given Bach's previous success and the support of a five-city author tour and 22-city radio satellite tour, this book will quickly move toward bestseller lists, though its ho-hum approach doesn't mark it as a future evergreen paperback.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The author of SMART WOMEN FINISH RICH taps his experience and perky personality to help couples manage their money. He covers spending, investing, and the habits you need to do both wisely and speaks with wisdom about the importance of clarifying personal values before starting a financial plan. By focusing on who they are, instead of what they do or what they have, a couple can tap into a powerful force that will guide their activities to be consistent with what they believe. With many clever questions and challenges, this is a delightful resource that will really make you think about where you and your partner are going financially. T.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Making it practical
First off let me say two things, 1. I have a degree in business 2. I own my own company and have a pretty strong operation with more than 40 employees. That said,
I loved the book. It compiles all the information you need. Everything that you have been putting off, and that you knew you had to do, and think about, but you managed to always say "I'll do it later" or "my husband takes care of that", well all that is in this book, simple and straightforward.
Thinking about retirement is important, for me, very much so since I have three children. And even though I have a very strong business background, these are thing that you don't learn at school, or at work. The basic premise is that very little adds up to a lot. The author presents the math in a very straight-forward manner, and he really gets you thinking, NO, acting upon it. I also appreciated all the helpful web links that took me directly to updated information. It opened up a whole door, on talking about finances with my kids, opening up a retirement account for them (why NOT?- why shouldn't they start saving now?) All in all, even if you have your finances in order, read it, it will give you great ideas and allow you to know if you are on the right track, or if there is something better to do....

pretty good
It would have been better had I not been single at the time of reading this!

Combine Your Efforts and Cash In
Maxed-out credit cards. Depleted savings. Underfunded retirement accounts. Millions of couples struggle with common financial issues, but instead of looking for solutions, they perpetuate harmful behaviors by bickering, blaming and, in many cases, divorcing. David Bach, author of the best-selling Smart Women Finish Rich, says you'll never solve your money problems if you view your partner as the enemy. It's not all your fault, though. Typically, people do not discuss money openly, so individuals may know very little about their spouse's financial priorities, philosophy and history. Establishing and maintaining an open line of communication is pivotal to sensible financial planning as a couple. You don't have to agree on everything. You don't even have to change. You just have to work together. Bach shows couples how to get on the same page. Using clear (in fact, somewhat simplified) formulas and charts, he tells them how to handle saving, spending, investing and retiring. getAbstract thinks that Bach's conservative approach makes sense. So does his emphasis on making your relationship - not money - your number one priority. Whether or not you finish rich, at least you'll be happy.