Smart Couples Finish Rich

We’re reading Smart Couples Finish Rich and it’s been helpful. One exercise it recommends is to create a circle on a piece of paper. In the middle, write “What is the purpose of money in my life?”

Around the outside of the circle, write five different values. It is important to write values and not goals. For example, my values are freedom, marriage, learning, family & friends, and giving. (Goals would be something like buying a house or taking a trip.)

My wife’s top value was security. For women, security tends to be very important, while men often want the freedom associated with money. When we started to understand what money represents to other people, we began to understand each other a little better.

It also brings some clarity to why we are attempting to accumulate money. We don’t have to have a whole lot of stuff to be happy. For example, we don’t have a TV or cable.

But back to the exercise, I’m a big believer in writing things down. Thinking about things and writing them down accesses a different part of the brain than just thinking about things. For me, this full-brain workout can bring more clarity to thought processes. It also creates something concrete for me to look at and think about.

So Smart Couples is worth taking a look at if you and your spouse want to work toward your financial goals together.