Your Money and Your Man
by Michelle Singletary
Published by Ballantine Books
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Review by Shaunta Alburger
Michelle Singletary is a columnist for The Washington Post. She started "The Color of Money" column in March 1997. In 2003, she published her first book, 7 Money Mantras For A Richer Life: How To Live Well With The Money You Have. The paperback of the book was retitled, Spend Well, Live Rich. Her second book, Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich, was released Jan. 31, 2006, both published by Random House.
As always, I found Michelle Singletary's writing style pleasant to read and easy to understand. If the reader has little or no prior knowledge of finances, especially with regards to marriage, than this might be a good first start. However, if the reader already has a library of basic financial books, this one is a little redundant.
In this her third book, she divided her advice into sections that help at different stages: dating, marriage, when children arrive, divorce)--and learning to talk about money with someone you intend to marry--and finding your "money compatibility." Fighting over money is still the number one problem in most marriages.
I did find her decade-by-decade list of money milestones to be very interesting and useful. Be aware that this book is filled with Bible quotes and is very conservative. For instance, Singletary suggests that having separate bank accounts is leaving a way out of marriage--instead of simply stating the pros and cons of separate vs. combined incomes.
This is a wide-ranging book, covering everything from dating, planning the wedding, marriage, children, straight through to divorce or separation. Unfortunately, there was nothing in this book that I hadn't read in several other books, with the exception of the money milestones, which while not new, were put together in an interesting way.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a basic book of finances for those with a conservative, religious point-of-view who are considering or newly married, this book might be helpful. If, however, you have already read several basic finance books, this book might not have much that is new.
Armchair Interview says: If you've read no other book about money and relationships, this has good info for you.
Author's Web site: http://www.michellesingletary.com