Smart Couples Finish Rich, Revised and Updated: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner

by David Bach

“[David Bach’s] advice is heartfelt and worthy. For most couples struggling to make their financial lives smoother, this is a good place to get the dialogue rolling.” –USA Today#1 New York Times bestselling author David Bach has helped millions of couples plan for a future they love with more than 7 million of his books in print. And now, completely updated and revised, Smart Couples Finish Rich, America’s favorite money book, is back. You’ll discover the latest techniques to live a life as a couple, where your values align and your money decisions become easier. Whether newlyweds, a couple planning for retirement or already retired, this timeless classic provides couples with easy-to-use tools that cover everything from credit card management to detailed investment advice to long term care. Together you’ll learn why couples who plan their finances together, stay together!

Genres: Finance, Nonfiction, Personal Finance, Money, Business, Self Help, Marriage

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2001

About the author

David L. Bach is an American financial author, television personality, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and founder of FinishRich.com. Bach, is best known for his Finish Rich Book Series and Automatic Millionaire Series of motivational financial books under the Finish Rich Brand. He has written 12 books since 1998 with over seven million copies in print.
Eleven of Bach's books have been national bestsellers, including nine consecutive New York Times bestsellers, two of which were consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers (The Automatic Millionaire and Start Late, Finish Rich). Bach has had four of his books Smart Women Finish Rich, Smart Couples Finish Rich, The Automatic Millionaire and The Finish Rich Workbook appear simultaneously on the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and USA Today bestseller lists. Eleven of Bach's books have been published from Random House (Broadway Books).
Bach's first book Smart Women Finish Rich was published in 1998, and appeared on the bestseller lists for a decade. His most recent book Debt Free For Life (2011) was published by Crown Business Books, and appeared simultaneously on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists.
Bach has appeared regularly on television dispensing his financial advice since 1994. His first appearance on television took place in San Francisco, on local cable channel BayTV, where he was "The Money Doctor", and answered personal financial questions.
He was a regular contributor to The Today Show, appearing weekly on the Money 911 Segments. He also has contributed to CNN American Morning, CNBC, Fox Business, ABC Good Money, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show over six times, including the shows "How to become an Automatic Millionaire" (2004), "How to become an Automatic Millionaire Couple" (2004) and "Oprah's Debt Diet Series" (2006). Bach has appeared on CBS's The Early Show, NBC's Weekend Today, CNN's Larry King Live, ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly, and ABC's The View.
Bach has written, produced and hosted two public television specials, Smart Women Finish Rich and The Automatic Millionaire, which aired nationally. Smart Women Finish Rich was produced by Connecticut Public Television (1998) and The Automatic Millionaire by Chicago Public Television (2006). He has hosted two radio shows, Finish Rich with David Bach (Sirius Satellite Radio) and The Finish Rich Minute (Westwood One).

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This helped my wife and I reach up and make the sacrifices and smart moves to get our finances and retirement on track. Worth reading- especially if you are a young couple trying to figure out how to fund things like college, retirement, and how not to be eating Ramen noodles for the rest of your life.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Automatic Millionaire, by David Bach, was such an easy read and so motivational, I thought I'd see what he has to say in this book for couples. It gave really great information, but was almost identical to Smart Women Finish Rich, so you don't need to read both. I really had a hard time noticing much difference at all between the two.

But this was a great source on how to easily save money regularly and invest for retirement, focusing on pre-tax contributions. A lot of the information is rather obvious, like paying yourself first, watching even the little purchases you make, and the power of compounding interest. But it also gave very helpful advice on chosing good insurance plans (health, life, disability, etc.) There was also a good chapter on how to increase your salary by 10% in 9 weeks. Overall, very good and basic information for people who might not understand much about investing.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam and I read this book chapter by chapter, finishing a chapter and then speaking about the steps asked of us by David Bach. There were two big things we took out of the book. First, obviously, talking about money with your spouse is the most important thing in a relationship. As two people who have been talking about money together since, honestly, the first month we met, this was nothing new for us. But, we did enjoy the exercises that asked us to talk about our long term goals, and how we would actively plan, save, and execute them. The second big thing we took away from the book was I finally signed up for my 401k. I know, I know, it's something you're just supposed to do, especially since I work for a company where they offer a 401k AND even contribute! But, I simply couldn't see the value in taking money away from what always felt like a too small paycheck to begin with. But Bach did a great job of explaining the benefits of putting away 10% of my income into a 401k that I finally grasped the importance. And after my first 401k payment went out of my paycheck, simple math showed that I was still coming out way, way on top. I think if nothing else, reading this book with your significant other, and talking about it together is a right step. Even if it inspires you to do nothing else but talk frequently about your financial future. So thanks Bach, and here's to Adam and my future as early retired millionaires....

[Caitlin Stark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good, basic information on financial planning. But it really needs to be updated.

[Amanda Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and motivational without being too negative or enabling! Ttyl I’m busy being rich!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I managed my finances well before I got married, but the way my husband managed his finances was totally different, and we had a tough time figuring out how to merge our methods and I always felt behind the ball. It was also hard to find a financial planning guide for couples, since so much of the literature is focused on personal finances. This book was so practical, approachable, encouraging, and thorough. I love his writing style and I really appreciated his philosophy for financial planning. I feel much more confident about what I need to do now to feel more aware of and on top of our finances and I feel much more hopeful about sharing our financial goals and management as a team!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked his approach. He emphasizes values and relationships, not just accumulating wealth. He also had a lot of good ideas and information. I have a better understanding of investing, mutual funds, retirement, and insurance than I had before I read this book. I found this to be a great supplement to Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. Now I am off to make a value chart and get my financial stuff organized!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, it's self-help. Yes, the writing is mediocre-- it's spattered with exclamation points, rhetorical questions, and incorrect uses of the word "literally." But who cares! The advice is invaluable, and thanks to this book I know with certainty that Adam and I will be more than comfortable in retirement. Hell, we might even be able to retire much earlier. Here are two of the choicest nuggets of wisdom I picked up:

1. Start a retirement plan. Now. There's a reason that the phrase "compound interest" is usually preceded by the the participial phrase "the miracle of." It's miraculous. If you start saving $2,000 a year when you're 30 and STOP saving when you're 40 but leave the balance untouched in an IRA, you will STILL have over a $100,000 more in retirement than if you start saving when you're 40 and continue to save until you are 65. The terrible paradox is that it's always harder to save when you're young. But seriously, everyone needs to do it anyway-- especially if your employer matches your contributions (in that case, contribute the maximum! You're getting free money!!). People think it is impossible to save a few bucks a day, but as Bach points out, most Americans spend around $600 a year on Starbucks anyway.

2. Pay off your mortgage early. Again, it doesn't sound so easy, but think about it: you will pay much more than DOUBLE the total cost of your house in interest if you take the full 30 years to pay it off. 30 year plans are scams. Much better to rent until you can pay off your home in 15 or 20 years. Adam and I did some calculations and we realized that if we cut our payment schedule in half we'll save $87,000. Wow. Banks are getting rich off us. And, people who pay off their mortgages in 15 years retire an average of seven to ten years earlier than they would normally. Sign me up.

There are all sorts of other pointers in here that I'd never thought of: important kinds of insurance to have, the importance of making a will, the different kinds of investing available. I'm not going to follow every little tidbit of advice right now, but I figure if I can get a few of the biggies under my belt-- save for retirement, save for emergencies, pay off the house-- then I'll be miles and miles ahead. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants the same for themselves.

[Lori Guerin · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Bach’s “Smart Couples Finish Rich” is a more challenging read than other personal finance books that I’ve read, but perhaps one of the most educational for me. Bach approaches couples’ finance from a place of genuine concern for marriages. He encourages couples to set aside time to talk, really talk, about finances before issues arise from them.
I appreciate his “be, do, have” approach - deciding what your values are, what you need to do to aid those values, and then what you have matters. His foundation for Smart Couples is the values of the couple.
Bach thoroughly explains retirement planning/accounts and investing options, which I found to be very helpful. I expect I will be referring back to this book frequently throughout life.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too American focused.

While David Bach's ideas are fairly universal and everyone could definitely learn a thing or two from his pragmatic insight into saving money, the practical approach of this book is suitable most for the US (and similar economies where the state does not look after its citizens in the way many European countries do). That being said, there's nothing wrong with and given the direction that the world economy is taking and the ageing of the population in most developed countries, it might not be long before we need to look after ever penny in the ways David Bach suggests.

[Amber Eide Wiese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even tho this book is a few years old… it’s finally a book about finances I could relate to. Writing down personal values and dreams to reach goals is my language. Over the past 18years my husband has set many books on my nightstand about stocks and retirement. I read about 3 pages. I couldn’t read them. Board and just a different language. This book (possibly with age helped too) was a lot easier to understand and read. Yes I may have fallen asleep during a few parts but I get it more now. And am finally interested in all our stocks, mutual funds and savings. I want to big talks with our children and get them investing soon.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I'd read this like a decade ago! The couples part is really just a small part of the book, and it's helpful if you are working on finances with a partner, but the bulk of the message is applicable to anyone (living in the US, don't know about finance outside of this country). Great accessible overview of so many personal finance topics with actionable tips that anyone can follow, non judgemental, and empowering. I really wish something like this was required reading in high school, but better late than never :)

[Kerry & naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read (and reviewed) Smart Women Finish Rich and found it very useful as a single woman navigating the financial world on her own. Once I was married, I found it fortuitous that David Bach published Smart Couples Finish Rich .

Bach’s general approach has remained the same: he discusses the building blocks for financial fitness and prosperity in an engaging, easy-to-read manner without throwing in confusing jargon with which the reader might not be familiar. However, in this book, Bach definitely specializes his approach to appeal to both partners (I guess he got nasty phone calls and emails from husbands and boyfriends after publishing his first book, geared toward women taking control of their finances). He cites statistics that money and financial problems are a leading cause of friction in marriages and can lead to divorce and he’s right: it’s not always easy for two people with differing spending habits, credit histories, upbringing, etc., to combine their finances (or not) in ways with which they are comfortable and will optimize their use of money. Throughout the book Bach gives accounts from his own experiences as a financial advisor and as half of a couple who had differing views on how their money should be handled. One of the major tenets of the book is that couples need to work as a team toward their financial goals; it’s not enough to just finish rich.

Bach outlines how couples can become fiscally solvent and independently wealthy by retirement in nine steps, divided into chapters. As I summarize the chapters below, I will also note information that differs from Smart Women Finish Rich where applicable.

Step One: Learn the Facts and Myths About Couples and Money

A portion of the information presented in this chapter, such as “everyone makes enough money to invest,” mirrors Bach’s first book. However, the bulk of information was new, such as the myth that “if we love each other, we won’t fight about money.” This chapter has several activities for couples to do, singly or together, to facilitate discussions about money. I liked the quiz because it demonstrated to me that I, the financial manager in my (first) marriage, did not have as good a grasp on where all our money was as I should have, and if something were to happen to me, my (ex-)husband would not have all the information he would need (oh well).

Step Two: Determine the True Purpose of Money in Your Life

While the goal of this chapter resembles the same concepts of Smart Women Finish Rich, the method is different. For this book Bach revised the ladder method for determining one’s values and changed it to a value circle. I like the value circle much better because it does not privilege one value over another and I do have several values that determine how I spend, save, and invest money. Couples are encouraged to make individual value circles instead of trying to compromise on one set. From values, the activities move on to establishing goals (i.e., marriage or independence are values, to be debt-free or retire early are goals).

Step Three: Plan Together…Win Together

In this chapter, Bach demonstrates how couples create a Purpose-Focused Financial Plan, a plan that respects their values and helps them meet their goals. He updated and simplified the plan used in Smart Women Finish Rich and included extra worksheets in the back of the book. Bach encourages couples to start by figuring out what assets they have and where everything is and provides a filing system for getting the finances in order and keeping them that way. I already had a filing system in place, but I adopted Bach’s method since it cleared up some ambiguous categories for me.

Step Four: The Couples’ Latté Factor

This chapter, very similar to the first book, details how couples spend money frivolously and amply demonstrates how middle class couples have enough money to start investing. He adds a new activity to this chapter for couples to track their spending called “The Seven-Day Financial Challenge.” The real challenge is trying to remember to write down everything, every day.

Steps Five-Seven: Building Your Baskets

Bach believes that everyone should have three baskets: one for retirement, one for security, and one for dreams. The retirement chapter discusses 401k accounts and how to invest the funds, IRAs (all kinds), tax deferrals, and even a section for the self-employed. The security chapter discusses not only funding the basket but other measures for protecting one’s family like having a will or living trust, and various kinds of insurance. The dream chapter has an activity for figuring out what one’s dreams are and then implementing them. This chapter also discusses more of the short-term kinds of investments like bonds, mutual funds, etc. All of these chapters have information similar to the first book, but expand upon the topics a great deal. Bach also includes telephone and website information for some of the top companies (investment, insurance, etc.) and encourages couples to do their homework before placing their money with any bank or firm.

Step Eight: Learn to Avoid the Ten Biggest Financial Mistakes Couples Make

In the first book, Bach listed nine mistakes, in this book, he lists ten, but not all the mistakes are the same. This section addresses college funds and teaching one’s children about money as well as day-trading and pre-nuptial agreements. Bach also includes rules for choosing a financial advisor, scaled back to eight from ten rules in the previous book.

Step Nine: Increase Your Income by 10 Percent in Nine Weeks

I found this chapter nearly useless because it’s about how to ask for a raise. While other people can benefit from this information, I’m a government employee and there’s no such thing as asking for a raise; if an employee has a certain number of years of service and is in a certain grade, the salary is set. The only piece of information in this chapter of use to me was about cleaning out and organizing one’s workspace, but I already try to practice that.

Appendices
Bach also includes, besides the worksheets mentioned above, an income-expense worksheet, an inventory planner for determining net worth, and a contract for increasing one’s salary 10%.

Overall

Smart Couples Finish Rich expands on some of the ideas and information from Smart Women Finish Rich and presents it all in a friendly, couples-focused fashion. This book details the tools couples, or singles, need to secure their financial independence for their retirement. And, it encourages us to finish rich for all the right reasons, consistent with our values, not just to have money for the sake of having money.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid gift to read.

I appreciate that everything was discussed optimistically and practically. The only quality advice to having more money is to make more money, but I liked getting to read descriptions of all the options.

[Hara Chiaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on personal finance and how we can manage to plan it within a relationship. Style of writing is simple and easy to understand. The author also coaches us how to negotiate our annual salary, to create a budget, to plan our dream/goals depending on our core values. Definitely recommend.

[Kira S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easily approachable book for anyone who wants to make the most out of their money. You don’t even need to be in a relationship to read this book. Even though I am familiar with personal finance, this broke down specific topics in understandable ways

[Tami Barbettini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little outdated but some great advice especially for younger couples.

[Brian Egge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses much on the mechanics of individual finance and doesn't spend much time and working together as a couple. Most of his advice is sound, but I think he has lost touch with much of the general population. In each chapter, he has a new suggestion to store away 5-10% of your income. I don't think giving up latte's is going to work for the household making the US median of $62,175. Yes, it's good to max out your tax advantaged retirement accounts, having income reserves, college savings accounts, maximum health coverage, 15 year mortgage, etc.., but I don't think you can do all this if you are making what most Americans make.

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart Financial Planning Puts Values First And Stuff Second

In SMART COUPLES FINISH RICH, author David Bach first explains the purpose of the updated edition. He explains that many things have changed—including tax law, investment options, and technology; he wanted to update that information.

Of course, the book has lots of financial saving/planning tips, but I thought the best part of this book was something else entirely—the question of WHY you are saving money. Bach argues that you need to figure out the things you value the most, then use your money toward that end. He explains: “When you understand your values, you tend to live the life you really want almost automatically.”

For couples who say they can’t really save, the author has a funny idea called, “The Couples’ Latte Factor.” Bach insists that the savings problem is rarely the income; rather, it’s the spending. If you add up the cost of the morning latte, you will likely find that you could be saving money after all.

The author suggests an important exercise called “The Smart Couples’ Seven-Day Financial Challenge.” It’s a pretty basic concept, and not really anything new, but it’s still a good idea: “Get a small pad and track your expenses for the next seven days.” If you don’t know where you money is going, how can you save anything?

The author has an entire chapter devoted to common financial mistakes. For example, start tracking your expenses, and don’t try to time the stock market, He also cites the common blunder of not taking advantage of your company 401(k): “If you do just one thing today after finishing this chapter, please let it be that you contact your benefits department to make sure you are truly maximizing your contributions to your 401( k).”

So all in all, I found SMART COUPLES FINISH RICH to be a well-written, solid book. The author writes very well, and comes across as a wise counselor. It’s true, the financial suggestions are mostly pretty standard, but they’re still good advice.

I thought the most valuable suggestion in the entire book was to first figure out what in life you value as a couple, and then let those values drive your money decisions. Smart idea—I’ve never thought about it that way.

Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.

[Edwin Setiadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smart couple plan their future together

It's almost the end of year, holiday mood already sets in, and I've reached my yearly goal to read 50 books minimum. What else can I do to enjoy the last month of the year? (No, not taking a break from reading a book, are you mental?)

Instead, I'm doing the second best, having a semi-break while reading some of the fringe books that I have purchased over the years. You know, just to get them over with. They are those books that I bought on a whim from an algo recommendation (during a price drop under $2-5 at Amazon), which on hindsight I should've double checked first before buying and piling them up. This is one of those books.

The book is written by David Bach, a financial consultant for couples; so it is a book written by an expert on his field, which gives early credibility to the book. And some of the messages are actually pretty good, which can be summed up more or less into these 12:

1. Smart couple plan their future together.
2. How you spend money has nothing to do with how much you love each other.
3. The two of you were most likely raised differently when it comes to money.
4. The two of you probably value money differently.
5. The two of you probably spend money differently.
6. Most couple don't have money problem, they have spending problem.
7. Your life values should determine every life decision that you make.
8. Our financial behaviour should match with our value circles.
9. Figure out what the purpose of money in your life.
10. You can't plan your finances if you don't know where you're starting from or where you want to end up.
11. In order to stay on track from your starting point to your destination, you have to monitor your progress.
12. You need to clean up the mess before you can move forward.

Indeed, the "couples stuffs" in the first few chapters of the book are actually sound. The Purpose-Focused Financial Plan story, in particular, with the example of Bill and Kim is actually a great insight into how to merge a husband's and a wife's different values into one. Jerry and Lisa's story is also sobering, how a couple with little money can retire relatively young at 52 with 2 houses and several cars, by just planning them out since they were 20 years old and had the discipline to save up and pay the mortgages on time.

However, Bach elaborates a little too much on these main 12 points or so, with many repetition and unnecessary gibberish along the way that makes the book extra long to read.

And after the initial 30ish% of the "couple stuffs", the rest of the content of the book are your typical personal finance books, which are filled with the technical stuffs that only applicable for US readers - with advices such as how to navigate the 401(k) plans, the IRA, and the likes - which seems like a content from his other book focusing on individual finance and less so on couples.

Moreover, in the getting rich part, Bach presented the usual formula: Set aside 10% of your income for investment (just like the advice from the book The Richest Man in Babylon). Bach then told the story of his grandmother who did exactly this, setting aside 10% of her husband's income and invest it where the investment eventually turned her into a millionaire. But Bach didn't elaborate on which financial instruments she invested in, and instead he wrote what his grandmother said "if we were going to get rich, I was going to have to learn how to get rich! I needed to take classes, read books, study the stock market, and make friends with rich people."

Yeah ok, it's not necessarily the "what" or the "why", but when it comes to getting rich the most important part is often the "how." The "how" is what's lacking in this book (other than putting your money in a mutual fund or ETF index).

And instead of focusing on the technical know-how of investing, Bach is focusing more on "becoming rich is nothing more than a matter of committing and sticking to a systematic savings and investment plan." I mean, if you consistently committing to set aside 10% of your income and put it in Enron's stock in the late 90s, you'll get wiped out. Put it in Apple? You'll get rich. Smart investing also being able to determine whether put your 10% investment money to Google instead of Yahoo despite Yahoo being the bigger company back then. Even mutual funds and ETFs were down during a bear market or a market crash.

To be fair, had this be the first personal finance book that I've read, I'd probably gain more value from it. But instead, I've read my fair share of them over the decades, from the questionable Think and Grow Rich, to the British version Think Yourself Rich, The Millionaires Mind, Tony Robbins' weird venture into personal finance (I read 2 books - both awful - but his earlier works are masterpieces), an ancient Japanese financial wisdom (the Way to Wealth), to the best one in the genre for me the Psychology of Money, and many more, including The Opposite of Spoiled (a parenting book that teaches about money to kids) and of course the dozens of books on investments from Market Wizards series, to Money Masters of Our Time, to any book by/on Warren Buffett, Jim Rogers, George Soros, Charlie Munger, Benjamin Graham, etc.

And if I learn anything from these books, those who are truly successful in finance won't tell you their "secret formula" at its entirety, those who are successful and do write about it won't package it as a way to get rich (instead the money is only a result of their main focus: their craft), and hence those books that have "rich" in the title is usually nothing short of a get-rich-quick kind of scam.

Just like Rich Dad Poor Dad whose author, Robert T. Kiyosaki, had 2 failed businesses and only became rich after writing the book in 1997, with the "rich dad" character turns out to be fictional (read: fabricated, fake). And he became rich after riding the housing bubble in late 1990s early 2000s, but has since publicly made many predictions wrong and ended up having 1 of his companies being bankrupt and he himself (a millionaire) is actually $1.2 billion in debt and using the debt to speculate in the market. But yet he still has cult followers, especially in the multilevel marketing scene. I should know, since I used to be one of his eager followers when I was a teenager.

Not saying that this book is similar to Rich Dad Poor Dad and its kind, since Bach looks like a legit personal finance advisor, whereas Kiyosaki himself stated in Rich Dad Poor Dad that he is a best "selling" author and built an empire from that (implying that he's only a salesman). But this book does have this borderline misleading feel to it, as it's not really a book about couples' finances (only a slight repackaging from his usual personal finance stuff), one that lures you into wanting a quick fix simple solution in the road to become a millionaire without giving you the proper tools.

Hence, a little grain of salt is needed when reading this book, but overall it's still can make your money's worth if you're new to the personal finance genre.

[Clairette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone knows that senselessly accumulating wealth is pointless, so one of Bach's first steps is to have you really think about what you (as a couple) want to accomplish in life, then think about what kind of money is needed to be able to accomplish those things. This sparks vital conversation, allows you to think about how your goals could be accomplished with less moolah, and gives you something to work towards that is much more important than money itself. It stresses that money is a tool to be used for the things you want to do in/with your life, then goes into how to make your money work for you.

I learned a lot about how to make your money work for you and thought this a useful resource. (I should note that I'm a personal finance novice.)

That said, Bach is annoying. He's so freakin' bubbly and pulls you along as though you haven't got a motivated bone in your body. He really wants you to act out each of the 9 steps as you read about it and will make you feel bad if you move on to read about the next step without finishing the preceding one... which I guess is fine, because that way once you've read the book you've done the steps so you're set on a pretty good path, and won't have to think about your money plan until something life-changing happens. But he's still annoying. It's no surprise that he's been on Oprah.

I'd recommend at least the first two chapters to everyone.

[Vivian Adram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precise, concise and informative as ever.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid financial advice for everyone. Not just people in a relationship. Only the first two of steps, parts of step 8, and step 9 focus on couples. The rest is just good info, except the last chapter. The last chapter was corny.

Note: It would be much more useful as a physical book instead of an ebook because of all of the worksheets.

The earlier steps contain useful concepts and exercises like the Value Circle process, which makes you think about and write down the things that matter most to you in life. Then once you do this, you'll have a purpose-focused financial plan so that your money is used for your values, not for random things.

The most helpful steps are 5 and 6. Step 5 has a lot of helpful pearls of wisdom about investing and step 6 walks you through what to do with everything when you die. I was also surprised at the brief introduction to the different types of health insurances. That was helpful and I would recommend just those pages to people who don't understand that.

Step 7 is very useful but a lot of information. I would buy this book as a reference instead of borrowing it from the library so I can reread this section.

Overall, answered my stupid questions about investing and is a helpful book for the basics of money management. It is better as a physical book than an ebook.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I'm amazed at all of the things that this book is forcing me to do. I thought I knew 'enough' about our finances, investing, saving, etc but I really wasn't getting anywhere or making progress. I didn't know what I didn't know! The opening section on first determining your values as a starting point was eye-opening. Then, I totally failed the quiz. Yikes! After submitting to the fact that I wasn't being a very good financial partner, I decided to take it seriously and do all of the little exercises throughout the book (and I have now officially annoyed my husband in doing so). The filing system exercise was amazingly informational and getting our Will completed felt like a huge accomplishment. I would have never considered a 'long-term care' plan but now realize how much cheaper it is to buy one now rather than to wait. Next up is experimenting with DRIP investing - should be interesting! The quote that affected me most in the book was "Failing to plan together is the same as planning to fail together". Before reading this book, I really didn't think it was possible to make financial planning an enjoyable aspect of a marriage. Now I understand how much fun dreaming together is and setting up plans to actually make them happen.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tyler said that since I read so much, I should try reading something that would benefit us both every now and then (Bill Simmons, apparently, doesn't count). Fair enough, so I looked up the most popular book on finances and put in a hold for it at the library. In the meantime, I went to the money section and picked this one up randomly. It was written in a MUCH more financially stable time. The author mocks people who would let their money waste away in a CD with an annual return of a measly 5-7% and I punched him in my head because show me those numbers now! and then I cried into my terrible interest rates. But there is some valuable advice regardless of the economic climate, like taking full advantage of my company's pretty decent 401(k) program and creating savings "baskets" for retirement, security, and dreams (to use his phraseology) and getting organized.

A lot of the advice needs to be tailored to suit individual circumstances, though. For example, since one of us is still in school, we obviously have that whole "tuition" thing to deal with. The silver lining is that Tyler can draft our will when he's done with law school, so GOOD THING he's getting a 6-figure education to cover a one-time expense. Phew, really dodged a bullet there.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 2001. As such, I think SOME of the specific investment advice might be a bit off given the state of the economy. However, there is lots of good information here to take away.

I appreciate the emphasis on creating a relationship between money management and one's core values. Identifying those core values and standing for them even when they don't align with ideas forwarded in media culture can be a challenge. However, according to Bach, doing so is key to creating the smart and healthy relationship with money that will allow one to create the life they want for themselves.

I also appreciated the emphasis on planning and patience in building wealth. As a high school teacher, I see the perception of wealth in the eyes of my students. The belief that rich is something that happens quickly or not at all is common. Even as an adult, it's hard to avoid the hope for a financial windfall of some sort. However, the reality is that wealth is grown over years; and it takes discipline and planning to make it happen. This is the key component of Bach's advice.

[Adam Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I gave this book 4 stars I must say I was somewhat disappointed in the content of this book .The first few chapters I found very informative with applicable advice for discussing finance issues with your partner. The majority of the rest of the book seemed to give advice that did not appear considerably different from advice in David Bach's "automatic millionaire" or other books such as "I can Teach you to be rich" and "The Wealthy Barber".

Having said that, all of the above books including "Smart Couples Finish Rich" give great advice on saving, investing, taxation and insurance. David Bach's the Latte Factor is such an eye opener and demonstrates how little changes in a person's life can go a long way.

In conclusion, I still managed to give "Smart Couples Finish Rich" four stars due the fact if this was the only financial book someone was to read, they would be infinitely better of than before reading it.

[Dea Minnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book, then took out the physical copy from the library.
I felt like David Bach is not condescending and doesn't make you feel stupid for not having your money perfectly under control. Although this is actually the first financial book I have listened to, I've seen other financial advisors on TV or YouTube and they seem scary and like they're yelling.
I like that this book has steps and that the steps start out with values. It makes saving money not so impossible and in a way that works for each individual, based on their priorities, not someone else's.
The only issue with the book is it was published in the early 2000s when the economy was better. So I had to tweak some of his suggestions for the current economy. Also, he doesn't really talk about debt. Which I need to conquer my debt before saving the amounts he suggests.
I plan to read his book on conquering debt next.

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband wanted me to read this book. There were a lot of things I already knew, and a lot of things that didn't really pertain to our situation. I did really like his emphasis on the fact that there are more important things than money in this life, and we should spend our time focusing on its' quality instead of trying to acquire "things" or "stuff." We are the kind of people that could figure out where to cut out all the little things - like eating out or seeing movies, spending more on gifts than we had budgeted... Once we do that I know we'd see a huge difference.
I love his idea of sitting down early with your spouse to discover the things that you BOTH want out of life, and making sure you have the same goals. I think my husband and I have always had the same vision of how we want our life to be after retirement, but now I'm going to make sure!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A financial book getting 4/5 starts? WTF? It surprises even me. And I think it's safe to say that five years ago I would NEVER have dreamed of picking this book up. But now that I'm in my mid-twenties, married for more than three years, and have a career, I'm suddenly very interested in not living so dirt poor.

But still I don't care a great deal about finances. At least, not enough to read most financial books. But Bach does a nice job of keeping the information light and relevant. And he uses plenty of examples to explain his position.

I really did like the book, but those that read it should know there might be a few parts that don't really apply to you. I read them, but I think it'd have been okay to skip those areas.