Rating: 
Summary: Smart Couples Finish Rich
Review: A very easy read, and yet one of the best books for my wife and I to get 'together' on in our finances. Highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: After reading the reviews and other praise, perhaps my expectations were too high for this book. Yes, it is a book worth buying for most couples. It has excellent advice about paying yourself first (by saving), but also rewarding yourself (within reason). The key thing is to get your financial priorities in line with your own values -- which is the hard part. The author does a good job of helping you do this. The author is also level-headed about what can happen, but the title sounds trite in comparison. This was borderline four stars, but considering the competition, this is a five star book.
Rating:
Summary: Easy To Take Advice
Review: After years of getting through only the first half of personal finance how-to books, David Bach offers practical and easy-to-follow steps for even the most squeamish. I was able to follow his instructions and refer back to the book many times as a valuable resource. He gives all the instruction and advice that they never teach in school, and makes all that financial language easy to digest so you can be on the road to wealth in no time at all. This book rocks!
Rating:
Summary: Very informative and useful
Review: As someone who was just learning the "ins and outs" of personal finance, I found this book to be very helpful. Mr. Bach explains the financial world in a way that is easy to understand and apply. He also gives you some good advice about what to look for in a financial planner. And he provides a multitude of sources you can turn to for more complete information.Most importantly, Mr. Bach really encourages couples to plan their finances together, which is something that not enough of us do. His model helps you identify your the things you care about most (he calls them values), and then plan your finances around those values. If you and your partner need some solid, simple guidance for personal finance, this book is worth the investment.
Rating: 
Summary: Practical advice for couples starting their financial future
Review: Bach has written a nine-step plan for couples that should not be overlooked by any couple doing financial planning. The book is written on two premises: (1) that the issue of finances cause couples the most stress of any issue in a relationship; and (2) everyone can become wealthy, no matter how much you currently make. The nine steps walk you through what you need to do to set up emergency reserves, and start investing, so that you can retire a millionaire. His plan is not revolutionary - it is essentially the same mantra of dollar cost averaging, invest in mutual funds, and invest at least something on a regular basis. But Bach adds a new spin by gearing his book to couples, and encouraging people to do financial planning with their partner, rather than independently. This is not a hard book to read or understand, and it is a relatively quick read. People who have read other books in this genre will recognize the theories and themes, but I think you will find that Bach adds enough new information and new slant on old ideas that you will learn from and enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I expected better advice
Review: First let me admit I did not read the whole book. As I sometimes do, I went to the table of contents and started with what I found interesting. In this case it was "10 Mistakes Couples Make" or something close to that. I was disappointed that the first bit of advice was to pay off your mortgage early. What a cliche, outdated notion. It doesn't take a CPA to do some quick calculations to figure out that if you invested that extra payment amount each month rather than pay down your mortgage, you would be light years ahead. This book may have other good advice, but if this is the caliber of advice this book has to offer, I won't waste my time looking for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Risky
Review: Generally speaking I find this book to be a tad misleading. Many financial "gurus" have taunted people with the vision of financial freedom and eternal happiness for years. They are not honest about the fact that by the time you have the "riches" you have so painstakingly saved for, you are physically, emotionally and mentally spent. Both the husband and wife look physically repulsive, you are sick to death of each other after years of psychological game playing and have no emotional strength left to "enjoy" basically anything. I think it's important to realize that every relationship is a gamble and no human is perfect. Beauty fades as the body grows old and our hearts become torn by the torrents and storms of marriage and life events. Family members from both sides pry and fight over any money you have and impose guilt trips on you for any success - considering only a small percentage of people actually acheive this type of wealth before getting a terminal illness or dying tragically. It is much wiser to build a life on the wealth and richness of good friends and great experiences and not roll your dice for a perfect "someday." My advice would be to save your money, which is basic common sense, and not buy this book. Use the money now, in your life, for something that will make you truly happy.
Rating:
Summary: CPA or not, this is THE financial book for couples
Review: I am a CPA and my wife is a full-time education student. I enjoy reading about accounting and finance. She does not. I like to pay the bills and do the household bookkeeping. She does not. However, my point is, we BOTH agree that this book is the one to have if you want to learn about saving and investing, building a nest egg for retirement, and having the financial independence to realize dreams, AS A COUPLE. I found this book very easy-to-read and informative, and I know I will use it often for future reference. As a CPA, I am accustomed to reading finance books and articles that are loaded with technical finance jargon. However, David Bach presents this information in a much more refreshing manner, and in a way that is easy for those unfamiliar with financial terminology, to understand. It gives you a wealth of information about 401(k)s, life insurance, trusts, wills, mutual funds, DRIPs, and much more. Most importantly, Smart Couples Finish Rich emphasizes personal financial planning and management as practically a lifestyle, not just an exercise or process. It shows you how to determine, as individuals and as a couple, what values you hold dear and how your view of money, investing, consumption, etc., should be aligned with your values. It really helps the reader to see that everything that one does in his or her life is a reflection of their values, including how one plans and manages his/her financial future. I highly recommend this book to those couples who are looking for an effective tool to learn more about personal finance and how to provide for their rich future together.
Rating:
Summary: EASY READ, WORTHY ADVICE
Review: I felt the author had sound advice. Very down to earth. I read the whole book within a week and was very motivated to take action and take control of my finances. I knew about investing before but this gave specifics so that you knew where to begin and what to do.
Rating:
Summary: Got direction for life
Review: I graduated from college two years ago with a major in accounting. In Nov. 2001 I passed the CPA exam. However, I didn't know what I should do with my life. The two obvious directions of auditing and taxes didn't sound to thrilling to me...It has been such a wonderful book and very easy to read. While giving me tons of information to digest and further research, it has also helped me find a direction for my life. I now realize that I can spend my life helping people get their finances in order...Thank you, David, for writing a book that is so clear, direct, and easy-to-read. It has been a huge help!
|
