5 Personal Finance Books About Money and Relationships | One Smart Dollar (2024)

Managing money on your own can be a challenging and adding another person to the mix can make things even more difficult. In the context of personal finance, it is very common for couples to struggle with their money issues and there are a variety of obstacles that can arise.

Whether it’s learning to communicate better or combining finances successfully, it is important to know that there are resources around to help. Oneof the top causes of divorce is money. Financial infidelity can ruin a relationship without the tools to work through it. Professionals, podcasts, and books are all great tools to help fix these problems.

There are many experts who have made their careers around helping couples with financial matters. Here are five books about relationships and money that could be helpful when you’re just getting started.

Money Talks: The Ultimate Couple’s Guide to Communicating about Money by Talaat and Tai McNeeley

Talaat and Tai McNeeley are the power duo behind the HisandHerMoney.com personal finance blog and brand. After working through their struggles with financial infidelity and credit card debt, they came together to write this guide for their audience. Communicating well as a couple is hard, but adding money can be an extra hurdle. Financial infidelity occurs when one person hides money or money habits from their partner. This can be secrets about spending, debts, or other financial obligations. This guide will take readers step-by-step through the process of positive changes in their relationships through better communication.

Buy Money Talks: The Ultimate Couple’s Guide to Communicating about Money

The Heart of Money by Deborah Price

Deborah Price is the CEO and Founder of The Money Coaching Institute. Her company dedicated to emotional and psychological healing around money. This book teaches couples how to communicate and understand themselves in a new way, and further understand each other. As a master money coach, Deborah uses her expertise to lead readers through the process of discovering the inner workings of their relationships with money. Money biographies and habits learned from family members influence the way we communicate with others about money. This book is a deeply introspective and spiritual journey.

Buy The Heart of Money

Couples’ Money by Marlow Felton

Marlow and her husband Chris had countless negative money experiences. Not just their own, but as financial experts over their combined 19 years of working with couples. They have learned so much about navigating the waters of personal finance as a couple. In this book, they share their story and the story of many others to help readers find their way. The good, the bad and the ugly is all discussed in this book. It can be helpful for some readers to know that they are not alone.

Buy Couples Money

Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner by David Bach

David Bach is a well-known expert in the personal finance space. His first publication was for women, and this one was written with the same goal. It can be difficult to discern what couples need to do throughout the years to build wealth, but this book makes it easy. Putting together plans to accomplish this can be daunting as an individual. This book covers everything from debt management to long-term care. His advice is well-favored by many couples and individuals, and David Bach gives an outline for those who need structure.

Buy Smart Couples Finish Rich

The Couples’ Guide to Income Power by Jason G Miles

The tagline of this book is “increase income, destroy debt and retire young.” Like David Bach’s book, The Couple’s Guide to Income Powertalks more about the numbers than soft skills. Where they differ is the goal of the book. This book has a narrower view which may attract readers focused on lowering debt. A unique feature of this book is that it addresses the “dual income” strategy in a unique way. Miles argues that it is not always the best choice for people trying to meet the goal of destroying debt and retiring young. In this book, you will find his 9-step strategy for increasing income as a couple and reaching your goals.

Buy The Couples Guide to Income Power

Whether it’s a soft skills approach or a hard look at the numbers, all books on this list point in the right direction.