"... Randy Shuldt, a vice president with IHateFinancialPlanning.com, a new web site devoted to the more than 75 percent of Americans who hate financial planning, says the key to talking about money in a relationship is to start early. Schuldt, who's happily married and the father of two, says it's paramount to understand each partner's savings and spending habits. Because it's not easy to talk about money, web sites like IHateFinancialPlanning.com can serve as a source to initiate the conversation. I also highly recommend the new book by Ruth Hayden, For Richer, Not Poorer: The Money Book for Couples."

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"It never has made sense to me to divorce because of money issues--because they only get worse with divorce. But we know money is high on the list for reasons marriages fail. So get some money training! Inevitably, you'll find yourself somewhere in the pages of For Richer, Not Poorer-and you'll find usable answers and solutions as well. First there's information on discovering things about yourselves and your relationship to money, then how to talk to each other about it, then how to work with each other about money--and coming from the position of being on the same side. Ruth Hayden makes dealing with money easier--and more fun--than you thought it could be. Don't deny yourself this valuable information!"

Marriage Magazine, May/June 2000.

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... Do you have $1.43 in your purse? Could you manage without it? ...
The sooner you start [saving, investing, accumulating], the greater the benefits. You have to find the money to set aside, of course, but that can be surprisingly easy if you have a plan. Begin by keeping track of your daily expenditures for a week or two. It's a nuisance, but very revealing. "Even people who think they're careful with their money are stunned to see how they're actually spending it," says Ruth Hayden, author of How to Turn Your Money Life Around. "Once they realize they're throwing away $8 a day on coffee, many people change their habits."

The money you save must be kept separate, though, so it won't get spent on something else. Experts recommend making weekly deposits in a savings account where you'll earn interest while you look for suitable investments. Clint Willis - Solutions: "Turn $10 a week into $10,000: A 10-year plan that makes it incredibly easy"

Woman's Day, Feb. 20, 1996.

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Be aware that "budget" is a loaded word. People ought to think of a budget as a way of establishing boundaries for spending habits, a system for allocating scarce resources, much like your appointment calendar schedules time.

Ruth Hayden in Marriage, "How To Turn Your Money Life Around," January 1994.

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People are finally realizing that in our society most men and women are conditioned almost from birth to view money in very different ways. - "He Says She Says--How men and women differ about money." 

Ruth Hayden in Money, "He Says She Says--How Men and Women Differ About Money," November 1993.

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"The real issue for most couples is fairness: 'If you get yours, will I get mine.' We somehow marry our opposites. When we are dating, we are stimulated by someone who is very different from us. But in a longer-term relationship, we are frightened by it." Hayden tries to teach partners to compromise without feeling that they are giving up their autonomy.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine

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As a financial consultant, I know that when couples list money as the primary reason they are getting divorced, the problems are not about money itself. The unresolvable problems are about how, and if, each member of the couple will get what (s)he wants and needs.

Ruth Hayden in Marriage, January 1993.

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Inside Information, June 2000 (The Newsletter for serious financial services professionals) by Robert Veres. Life Planning for Retirement . . . and Before

Journal of Retirement Planning, March-April 2000
A New Model For The Retirement Years

Bottom Line/Tomorrow, March 2000
Much Longer Lives Require Much Shrewder Retirement Planning. Start Here, An Interview