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Rating: 
Summary: Sound advice, but a little outdated
Review: I noticed the reviews are either 5 stars or 1 star! This book definitely deserves more than 1 star as it does contain some very sound advice and is great for those who need good solid financial training.
I am a Christian, but found many of his principles to be outdated and just a little too conservative. This book was first published in 1989 and SERIOUSLY needs a updated version. He implies throughout the book that the woman should not work and if she does her income should only be used for "extra purchases" not for basing a budget on. Why? Because she might get preganant, some terrible ill befall her, and no longer work to support the family. (I am a nurse and have found that this is the exception, not the rule)
I also have a problem with the fact that he continually refers to the husband as the "wage-earner". I know plenty of families where the wife earns more money than the husband and they both share duties and expenses within the household. He also says that you should not spend your money on buying life insurance for the wife just to cover "funeral expenses" because of course all budget expenses should be based on the "wage-earner's" (the man's) salary. Therefore, life insurance is only truly necessary for the husband.
I don't want to sound like I'm bashing the book because the sections on training children to use money wisely and how to save for your future and get out of debt include some really excellent advice.
However, his theology and principles behind a lot of his advice are quite "old-school".
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting information, practical steps
Review: I really liked reading this book, Larry Burkett gives solid, down-to-earth information about how a young couple can make good financial decisions early on to prevent big problems down the way. While his whole book is not necessarily applicable to everyone (most young couples in expensive real estate areas will NEVER be able to buy a house with no debt or mortgage), much of it is very useful. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning: Extremely Religious and Conservative
Review: It is a scary thought that most marriages that end up in divorce do so over financial concerns. Larry Burkett's book shows the clear value of managing your money in your marriage. He sites many examples from consulting where families were unprepared for financial situations that arose in their lives (for example, purchasing a home based upon on two incomes and then one of them becomes pregnant ...). Other examples include communication breakdown and unrealistic expenditure patterns. Most importantly, Mr. Burkett emphasizes the use of a budget in order to avoid these pitfalls and take teh stress out of your marriage.I found the book to be a simple and interesting read. There are many practical guidelines about establishing a budget. The percentages in the proposed budget are backed up with numbers and consultation experience. You can modify the budget to fit your own needs. There is also a lot of discussion about debt reduction. My wife and I read this book about 6 months prior to our wedding; it allowed us time to put into practice the very principles of good money management that Mr. Burkett teaches. Now these ideas are second nature and easily implimented into our marriage. Our finances are under control and do not control us!
Rating:
Summary: Practical financial guidelines to apply before you wed
Review: It is a scary thought that most marriages that end up in divorce do so over financial concerns. Larry Burkett's book shows the clear value of managing your money in your marriage. He sites many examples from consulting where families were unprepared for financial situations that arose in their lives (for example, purchasing a home based upon on two incomes and then one of them becomes pregnant ...). Other examples include communication breakdown and unrealistic expenditure patterns. Most importantly, Mr. Burkett emphasizes the use of a budget in order to avoid these pitfalls and take teh stress out of your marriage. I found the book to be a simple and interesting read. There are many practical guidelines about establishing a budget. The percentages in the proposed budget are backed up with numbers and consultation experience. You can modify the budget to fit your own needs. There is also a lot of discussion about debt reduction. My wife and I read this book about 6 months prior to our wedding; it allowed us time to put into practice the very principles of good money management that Mr. Burkett teaches. Now these ideas are second nature and easily implimented into our marriage. Our finances are under control and do not control us!
Rating:
Summary: Sound Financial Advice
Review: It is true that this book feeds the readers with scripture and Biblical principle for almost any financial situation. However, that is the most sound financial advice anyone can receive, Christian or not. My husband and I have been married for 11 months. Neither of us had financial problems prior to marriage and we are doing fine now. This book is an excellent guide for us to manage the little money we have and keep out of potential trouble in the future. It's an excellent wedding gift (that's how we were introduced to it).
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!!!
Review: Larry Burkett's advice cannot be highly stated enough. He has solid biblical direction, practical advice, and years of "field testing," making this a book which won't gather dust on your bookshelf. He explores many topics, such as being able to buy a car or house; as well as is it wrong to borrow large amounts of cash. He also explores credit cards and life insurance, as well as the standards, such as budgets, teaching your children about financial principles, and seeing ahead towards economic trends and dangers. For a good and practical read which can be applied to any situation, a great resource!!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!!!
Review: Larry Burkett's advice cannot be highly stated enough. He has solid biblical direction, practical advice, and years of "field testing," making this a book which won't gather dust on your bookshelf. He explores many topics, such as being able to buy a car or house; as well as is it wrong to borrow large amounts of cash. He also explores credit cards and life insurance, as well as the standards, such as budgets, teaching your children about financial principles, and seeing ahead towards economic trends and dangers. For a good and practical read which can be applied to any situation, a great resource!!!
Rating:
Summary: The most wonderfully difficult financial advice!!
Review: This book is not easy to swallow, but neither is medicine, and both will make you feel better down the road! Burkett lays out the basics for financial planning and budgeting so that anyone can do it. The information is easy to understand. You'll learn to add things in your budget that most people forget. For instance, he'll teach to you cover those expenses which show up randomly throughout the year (car inspections, insurance, medical deductibles, etc.) We bought this book over a year ago, and revised our budget at that time to reflect the suggestions in the book. We never have any surprise expenses anymore. No matter what it it, we have it covered. We have cash savings, college funds for the kids, retirment savings, and every other area of life is budgeted. My husband and I do not fight over money!! When every expense is worked into your budget, there is no reason to argue, because you have a plan! Because of the concepts we have used from this book, we will be paying off our car and my student loan in the next six months (two years early!!). At that point, our only debt will be our home, and we will then begin paying extra on our mortgage. Our plan is to pay it off in 15 years instead of 30! Hopefully sooner!! Making a budget is the most difficult thing to do ... in the beginning. No one likes to face the fact that they are spending more than they bring in. But this book makes it possible to fix your problems, and with each passing month, that difficulty turns to joy! You'll start to see your debt go down and your savings go up! It doesn't happen over night, but then again, you didn't pile up that debt overnight either!
Rating:
Summary: A helpful guide for anyone, not just young couples.
Review: This has been a very helpful book for my husband and I. We are a couple in our mid twenties, and not in financial trouble, but wanted to learn better money skills. the information in this book is easy to understand, and realistic. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the suggested ways to budget. Thanks Larry Burkett!
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