Money for Couples

October 15, 2024
Readers will recognize Sethi as a New York Times best-selling author (I Will Teach You to Be Rich, 2009) and host of Netflix's How to Get Rich and welcome his newest book focusing on money. It guides couples on how they can use his 10-step plan to talk about money and develop a shared financial vision. The first part of the book includes helpful tips and scripts to get couples in a positive routine about discussing money. One example: set a daily spending limit, like $20, and honor that value to each other. Sethi also offers advice for setting up accounts, like having automatic payments put into separate accounts for a down payment for a house, an emergency fund, and a vacation. Part two focuses on topics such as getting out of debt, thinking about prenups, and talking to kids about money. To wrap up, he includes advice from "The Vault"--tips for using credit cards, investing in a Roth IRA, tipping, and more. This money guru's book is sure to be popular with couples and those entering into serious relationships.

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October 21, 2024
This solid manual from Sethi (I Will Teach You to Be Rich), host of the Netflix series How to Get Rich, outlines 10 tips to help romantic partners get on the same page about their finances. Sethi recommends partners develop a financial plan by discussing how they currently feel about money and what might help them feel better. Many couples can afford more of what they love by cutting back “mercilessly” on less important expenses, he contends, suggesting readers might free up money by eating out less or downsizing their housing, depending on their priorities. His “conscious spending plan” encourages directing 50% of one’s income to necessities, 10% to short-term savings, 10% to long-term investments, and 30% to whatever one wants. Sethi’s emphasis on positioning oneself to “spend extravagantly” on favored items is a welcome departure from the asceticism espoused by other guides, and discussions of how to talk about getting a prenup, set up joint bank accounts, and navigate buying a house provide valuable tips on common financial quagmires (raise the issue of a prenup “when things are getting serious but before getting engaged,” he recommends). This will be a balm for anyone who’s struggled to see eye to eye with their partner about money.

November 1, 2024

Sethi (I Will Teach You To Be Rich), host of Netflix's How To Get Rich, asserts that couples can avoid money arguments by following his 10-step program designed to build a common vision regarding finances. His latest book demonstrates how aligning spending with personal values enables couples to live fulfilling lives. Readers are given practical tools to tackle thorny money issues in a positive, productive manner, which allows couples to build common monetary goals. He shows readers how to have constructive conversations about money, understand basic financial psychology, focus their spending on shared values, manage differing material desires, and maintain or adjust their financial plans throughout their lives. His book also addresses paying off debt, planning for major purchases, teaching children about money, working with a financial advisor, and preparing prenup agreements. VERDICT Readers committed to gaining control of their finances in a manner that brings more joy into their family life will find Sethi's advice to be just what they need. Highly recommended.--Lydia Olszak

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