30-Second Book Review: Smart Couples Finish Rich

Isaac and I had only been married for a few months when I realized that I knew nothing about money. Nothing. I was twenty-one years old and financially clueless. Since I hate to feel clueless about anything, and because I had more time on my hands than Isaac did (at the time, I was working part-time; he was going to school and working, both full-time), I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could about money.

I was a little overwhelmed. It's been four years since then, and I've read a lot of books and articles--a lot of different people's ideas about what I should do with my money. Over time, I could see that some people's advice was based on solid principles, and other people's advice was...not.

Out of all that reading, I've come across plenty of good stuff. And out of the good stuff, there are three books that I recommend for absolutely everyone: The Millionaire Next Door, The Total Money Makeover, and Smart Couples/Smart Women Finish Rich.

I read Smart Women Finish Rich when I was just starting out; I finished Smart Couples Finish Rich a few days ago. The two are basically the same, so if you've read one, don't feel like you have to read the other. The Finish Rich books outline nine steps that anyone can take to improve their financial situation. You don't have to be wealthy already to take their advice, and I like that. Our family can't do all nine steps right now--we're not ready for that yet--but we can take a couple of steps that apply to our situation now. And then, once we've got those things covered, we can go back and work on a few more.

So if you feel like maybe you could benefit from learning a little more about money, pick this one up. Do as much or as little of it as you can. It might just make a difference to you and your family.