Smart Couples Finish Rich: Nine Steps to Creating a Rich Future For You and Your Partner

Amazon.com

Like many savvy business people of the 21st century, David Bach offered his first pearls of financial wisdom to women, in his bestselling book Smart Women Finish Rich. Recognizing that these women are often accompanied by significant others and that money arguments are the number one cause of divorce in America, Bach has now broadened his scope. Presumably intended to help change this depressing statistic, Smart Couples Finish Rich is a well-written financial planning tool, packed with useful charts and information, inspiring examples, and practical advice.

For people who've been disappointed by the shallowness of some of the "quick tips" self-help books out there, the subtitle of this book is a little misleading. Bach's nine steps are not instant change techniques or chirpy little quips to recite to yourself whenever you go to balance your checkbook. Instead, the first few steps include a series of exercises that will help you determine what you know (and don't know, or understand) about saving and investing, what role money should play in your life (which includes understanding your values), and how to work together toward a common financial goal. From there, Bach teaches his readers how to account for "disappearing" money, how to build retirement, security, and dream baskets of wealth (providing detailed options for all three), and how to avoid the most common financial mistakes most couples make. Though the focus of the book is predominantly on working with your existing income, Bach includes a final chapter entitled "Increase Your Income by 10 Percent in Nine Weeks."

Bach's writing style is engaging and his advice is user-friendly. A successful financial planner, he obviously believes passionately in all the "fringe" benefits of being financially responsible but employs a no-nonsense approach that makes financial smarts available to everyone. So whether you're 25 and just starting out on the earning, saving, and spending road or you plan to retire next year; whether you've recently got hitched for the first time or you've just entered your fourth marriage; and whether financial planning comes first or last on your list of fun things to do, the advice in Smart Couples Finish Rich is worth heeding. It's not about becoming a money-obsessed bore, it's about getting smart... and rich. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

The bestselling author of THE AUTOMATIC MILLIONAIRE offers his innovative financial advice in SMART COUPLES FINISH RICH and SMART WOMEN FINISH RICH-now both programs are available on cd, timed to coincide with the publication of his new book, START LATE, FINISH RICHFighting about money is the number-one reason for divorce in America. SMART COUPLES FINISH RICH covers a powerful combination of strategies that helps couples work on their finances as a team. Addressing every couple-younger or older, married or not, straight or gay-this is a comprehensive, positive financial lifesaver that will help couples of all ages and in all tax brackets communicate comfortably about money and start building a strong financial future together.

Download Description

Fighting about money is the number-one reason for divorce in America. David Bach knows that it does not need to be this way. In Smart Couples Finish Rich, David Bach makes his tips available for everyone trying to navigate the complex joint-finance waters.

Customer Reviews:

Helpful for all couples planning a future.......2007-09-04

Much of this information can be found elsewhere. I like his idea of dividing savings into the retirement, security, and dream 'baskets'. Many people do not understand that there are different types of savings and that they are all needed to live a happy and healthy life. He even gives advice on the types of investments for each 'basket'. Most of his advice is invaluable and the book is well worth it.

Self Help Finance.......2007-08-25

If found this book very helpfulas a new married couple. It is an easy read without all the financial jargon and is something you can read and actually put into use. Great resource!

Time Waits For No One..............2007-07-12

I originally purchased this book for my son and his wife, but after a month went by and I discovered that it was still laying near the computer where he left it, I picked it up and read it in one day. The information contained is concise, relevant, on-time and indispensable for any couple at any stage of their relationship, hey, as indicated by a scenario by the author, it might even save their relationship. My son and his wife are young, she budgets and is a spend-thrift but he is Houdini with his money, it just diappears: he can never account for his spending and he has not disciplined himself to save. I take the blame for this lack of discipline because I did not always actively encourage him to save his money. The book even addresses this issue, advising parents how to actively involve their children in financial matters. I wholeheartedly agree with David that financial issues should be taught in school. There should be a curriculum designed to address this deficiency in the American educational system. I just wish that I had had this book when I was married. It would have given me a head start, a tremendous guideline, a map, a light in the tunnel to the financial issues that have confronted me over the years. Young couples, married or not married, sit down and read this, it's practical and it is doable and you will not regret it, believe me...time waits for no one.

get control of your finances.........2007-06-27

This is the book which helped me priortize and organize my financial records and life. The information is organized into 3 baskets(retirement, security & dream) based on their priority. It has helped me immensely to
have discipline and control in my financial life. I followed the steps, plan to maximize my retirement contibution this year, now have a security fund, bought life & disability insurance to secure my family and organized my financial records using inventory planner.

Informative.......2007-06-10

I read this book aloud with my husband and we discussed it all along the way. It brings some common-sense ideals together in a well-explained, organized fashion and sells them well. We've all heard "pay yourself first," but this book explains how best to achieve that adage in today's financial environment.

The book is not just about cutting out gourmet coffee-- in fact it doesn't suggest that at all. The author illustrates how people typically fail to prioritize their savings by showing how easily they would spend $3 a day on a latte, but say they cannot afford to put away more money in their 401(k).

The author's idea of "baskets" gives couples a game plan for their retirement, security and recreation. The worksheets provided in the book are helpful by helping couples articulate their dreams and goals both individually and jointly. Couples may also be surprised when they sit down to analyze their current financial picture during one exercise in this book!

If you are ready for advice on a financial game plan, then this is a great book for you and your significant other. (See Bach's other books if the "couple" factor does not apply or appeal to you but you want to understand his philosophies.)

Average customer rating:

This book is out of print

An excellent primer for facilitating group work

The New Compleat Facilitator: A Handbook For Facilitators
Drew Howick
Manufacturer: Howick Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Running Meetings & Presentations | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0964697211

Book Description

Whether you call it a team, a task force, a committee, a congregation, a crew, a board, or a council, chances are you belong to or are responsible for leading a group. Together, you can make magic happen.

If you are involved with a group that wants to get something done, the organizational development experts of Howick Associates wrote The New Compleat Facilitator for you. This easy-to-use book is a reliable, everyday reference for both and new and experienced facilitators. Useful for everything from training to troubleshooting, this unique guide can help you become a "fearless facilitator.' This second edition is chock-full of tips and tools.

Discover what thousands already know: The New Compleat Facilitator is the practical, indispensable handbook for facilitating group work!

Customer Reviews:

This book is out of print.......2007-01-11

I don't know why Amazon is asking how I liked it; I ordered it in October and it wasn't until December that they told me it's out of print. I like the book, but I'm not impressed by Amazon's customer service.

An excellent primer for facilitating group work.......2002-10-22

For people who lead and/or work in groups, this is a terrific little how-to book, practical and readable. I sit on a number of non-profit boards, and I've given it as a gift to all my board members to help us have more effective meetings. I also gave it to everyone in my department -- the book's advice on groundrules and agenda-building has helped us cut our meeting times in half. The book is so well-organized that I can take it into meetings with me and access information and tips quickly and easily. It doesn't load the reader down with theory and jargon. I'm an experienced meeting-manager, and I've read lots more advanced books on the topic, but I still like The Compleat Facilitator the best of all the facilitation books I own -- it's just so useful!

Book Description

This book addresses the changing, growing role of the housekeeping department to include maintenance of health club facilities, grounds, valet, and foodservice facilities.

Average customer rating:

Disappointing

Great Introduction to Buddhist Principles at Work

great ideas for relaxtion and enpowerment in management

Enlightened Management: Bringing Buddhist Principles to Work
Dona Witten , Akong Tulku Rinpoche , and Akong Tulku Rinpoche
Manufacturer: Park Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Work as a Spiritual Practice: A Practical Buddhist Approach to Inner Growth and Satisfaction on the Job

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Accessories:

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

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ASIN: 089281876X
Release Date: 1999-09-01

Book Description

• How to create a successful and harmonious business environment by bringing Buddhist principles to the workplace.

• Practical, time-tested methods that help transform your business environment into a productive and peaceful workplace.

• Includes a series of mental and physical exercises designed to help people cope with challenges they face when working in groups, offices, or industry.

The goal of management in most businesses, large or small, is to get people to work together successfully and harmoniously. This practical manual shows how Buddhist principles can be used to transform the workplace into a supportive, productive environment in which people are capable of maximizing their own potential. Using the ancient Tibetan text The Seven Points of Mind Training as its base, Enlightened Management shows how these time-tested methods can be used in a modern business environment with stunning success.

By applying Buddhist principles to the workplace the authors provide new insights into the true meaning of responsibility and the importance of focus. They teach how to relax under pressure and control emotions, and provide tips on constructive conflict resolution and understanding personal limits. More than just a book on achieving success, Enlightened Management is about creating happiness for all involved, employer as well as employee.

Packed with exercises and techniques tailored for today's workplace, Enlightened Management shows how to draw the best out of ourselves and our colleagues to create the productive, balanced, and happy office environment in which everyone dreams of working.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2006-08-31

I had very high hopes for this book due to its title and was looking for how to more cohesively merge Buddhism with management in modern corporate America. My experience is that this book neither explained Buddhism correctly nor did it give good management principles. It was just some light reading and common sense. The meditation exercises at the end of the book were strange discussing different colors of light and using the four elements in meditation all that is needed is to focus on the breathe and observe thoughts without losing yourself in them, that is true meditation, simply sit. This book also focused to much time and effort on the self,which is the very thing we should be overcoming. This is a poor book on Buddhism and management.Keep Looking.

Great Introduction to Buddhist Principles at Work.......2006-07-11

This book is a terrific introduction to integrating Buddhist principles for Western business people. Part 1 of the book, written by an American business consultant, outlines the approach and discusses the basic tenets and how they apply to the business community. Part 2 contains practice exercises for general issues and specific concerns.
An excellent starter book for those interested in Buddhism in the work environment. Probably not appropriate for readers who already have a basic understanding.

great ideas for relaxtion and enpowerment in management.......1999-10-07

I found this book to be interesting, well researched and her ideas on stress relief and managment principles were written in an easy to follow, likeable format. She involved the reader in an ancient world and plainly stated how these principles can be used in modern firms.

Book Description

"The only goal you cannot achieve is the one you have not yet recognized."

More than twenty years ago, entrepreneur Stephan Schiffman launched his own business -- D.E.I. Management Group Inc. -- and built it into a major financial success. Since then Schiffman has taught more than 300,000 salespeople his internationally acclaimed methodology for high-efficiency selling. Now Schiffman reveals his innovative business-building strategies -- from conceptualization to cashing out -- in one complete and concise guide written specifically for the entrepreneur.

Combining his revolutionary, user-friendly approach with real-life examples of his methods at work, Schiff man guides you through the four critical "threshold experiences" all entrepreneurs must cross to be successful.

STARTING OUT -- the most important early issues and key questions:

How to know if you have what it takes to be your own boss

How much capital you need to begin

The pros and cons of franchises, manufacturing startups, service startups, and buying existing businesses

BRANCHING OUT -- making the most of your resources:

Why you are your own best asset

How to track progress -- and focus on goals

How to create your own niche in the marketplace

How to manage money, people, and time

FINDING OUT -- knowing your customers, and your marketplace:

How to sell -- even if you're a non-salesperson

The advantages and disadvantages of direct marketing, advertising and publicity

Understanding the sales cycle and maximizing profit

GROWING UP -- the keys to managed change and growth:

Why growth is costly, but worth it

How to change with your business

When to sell the business -- and for how much

Strategies for moving on -- and attacking the next challenge

Whether you're just thinking about starting a business, or have already taken the plunge, Make It Your Business is an essential resource you can use daily. Complete with information on obtaining financing, a concise guide to interviewing potential employees, and long-term planning tools, it will ease your company's growing pains while helping you build the business of your dreams.

Customer Reviews:

I expected more.......2000-12-16

Schiffman does a good job of outlining the dos and don'ts of starting your own business. As a small business owner, I was looking forward to reading the book.

However, like many business books, this book disappoints. All you get is common sense solutions and advice. While I did manage to get a few pieces of advice that I can use, I didn't snag much more than that.

This tape could do you more harm than good........1998-12-24

I operate a successful Internet-based business that nets me a six-figure annual income. I make a conscious effort to learn new things each day and bring my business to higher and higher levels. It was in this spirit that I bought this item.

The author gives a "test" at the beginning to "qualify" people considering self-employment. If you "fail" as many as two questions, he says, you won't succeed in business. Better keep your day job. I "failed" several of the questions. So why am I successfully self-employed, making a six-figure income? The answer is that Mr. Schiffman's test is highly flawed. It pains me to think that people who could succeed in business, as I did, will take this "test," "fail" it, and then be discouraged.

The author comes across as a very sincere person, someone who is decent and well-intentioned. But his "definitive guide" consists of tired platitudes (admit your mistakes, consult a financial advisor, take time off to relax, etc.) that are of little value to anyone with common sense.

The author asserts that you have to spend more money (on your infrastructure) as you become more successful. If that ever was a valid business model, it certainly no longer is and my own experience is testimony to that. Each year, I spend less, because I know what doesn't work, because technology is improving and I can harness technology to work for me.

In short, I'm afraid that this guide can potentially do people more harm than good.

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