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Member Reviews
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I loved this book! I have read many of the financial books on the market and listen to many financial podcasts in my free time. This book had many of the general principles I see in many of these resources but also had a new spin and focused on the mentality behind spending and saving and how to approach certain situations once you know your general mentality about spending. I plan to buy this book in hardback to go on my shelf to further reference later! It was an interesting reflection on those who prefer to save versus those who prefer to spend. At first, I expected the book to say that "tightwads" were superior because they saved for their future and "spendthrifts" were frivolous. Instead, I found that the author focused on the good and bad of each of these, even going so far to talk about how these two "money personalities" can complement each other in a marriage. For example, when vacationing with kids, better to let the spendthrift make more of the decisions rather than the tightwad in the relationship to enhance the vacation experience. I will be recommending this book to all my friends as the principles will stick with me and I think it's important for others to see this as well.
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I thought this had some great insights and perspectives, but overall it was a bit surface level. The audiobook was well done.
I may have had some personal hang-ups with it since Dave Ramsey is not my favorite and he is cited quite often, which is understandable since he is at the forefront of this area but I wish the author found some other references to cite. I also skipped the chapter on children & money but can appreciate that this is a valuable perspective to have if it applies to you!
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Informative and interesting to read about! Almost every couple cites money as a topic of high priority in their relationship, and I found this book interesting as it delves into advice and facts to help people navigate what can be an important conversation in life.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Disclaimer: I am terrible with my money.
I definitely fall into the spendthrift category and very often find myself as the poster child for the ostrich effect, as Scott Rick so kindly described in this book. Most of the time I don't even realize I've put my head in the sand until my bank account hits the negatives. Again, I am terrible with my money.
The thing I liked most about this book is that it wasn't telling me that I was "doing it wrong" or telling me how to fix my mess - there was no advice on budgets, investing, or even advice on relationships. This book is simply put: a guide to understanding the why behind our financial decisions.
But not only did it help me understand my own behavior, it helped me understand a little bit more about what influences my husband's financial decisions as he is most definitely a tightwad.
Many people have asked me how my relationship works. I still don't really have an answer other than "it just works". This book however helps give me a little more insight to how we work and how we can work better together.
Definitely passing this book on to my husband and everyone else.
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I listened to this over several weeks and ended up really enjoying. I appreciated the gentle approach to understanding your partner's money habits and then learning how to be in a partnership with different styles. The approach towards finances from a behavioral science perspective was fascinating. When the author says in the beginning that Dave Ramsey didn't like him, I knew this was the right book for me! :) I thought the audiobook was really well done and I learned a lot. Thanks to MacMillan for the ALC!
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As the clock ticked and we flipped the calendar to a new year, many of us immediately wanted to become better versions of ourselves. Tightwads And Spendthrifts: Navigating The Money Minefield In Real Relationships by Scott Rick is one self-help book that would be extremely beneficial as we adjust to this new year and educate ourselves to make change.
Rick is a behavioral scientist, and as such, this book takes on a different perspective than other financial books I have read; as a result, this one worked better for me than any other ever has. The information presented was not based on wealth management statistics, but instead focused on the human side of money. This approach spun the narrative, and allows reading this self-help book to become extremely accessible to those in any tax bracket. Never once did it come across preachy or focus critically on money management.
I was shocked at just how much information this book provided and was fascinated by what it brought to the money and wealth discussion. Not only is it about money and how we spend it (or don't) but it also touches on our relationships with our partner and children (in relation to spending habits). This book truly narrowed in on our individual relationships with money, and how that relationship further affects our partnerships and children.
As I envisioned who should read this book, I thought about couples reading it together (it would be a great road trip audiobook), so I decided to put myself in that space as much as possible; I challenged myself and only listened to the audio format. (With that said, I am unbelievably happy to have the physical copy to return to, highlight and reach for time and time again.) The audiobook narrator (Stacey Carolan) was well spoken, easy to understand and provided the perfect tone for a non-fiction book; I'm also appreciative that a professional narrator was chosen to voice the book as an author is not always the best choice. My only issue with this audio format: I found it hard to fully comprehend the quiz at the beginning of the book but my solution worked and I simply slowed the narrator, and rewound as many times as needed until I grasped what was being asked.
This is simply one of the best self-help books I have read, especially in regards to this topic of money and how it is presented!
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.
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This book had great insights on the psychology of why and how we use finances. Really interesting perspectives to a topic that can create so much controversy within relationships. It encourages self reflection and opens your mind to consider why another person might spend or think about money differently from you, and then decide what to do with that information to make your relationships work more smoothly. I would highly recommend this to friends!
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Tightwads and Spendthrifts by Scott Rick was such an interesting look at what makes us tick when it comes to money. I enjoyed all of the anecdotes and seeing how different money personalities play out into relationships. I think listening to this book would be super helpful for opening dialogue if both partners aren't on the same page about money.
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Wowza, this book has been super helpful regarding my family's financial situation. If anything, it has given me the confidence of my decision with my husband on handling our financials. I love how supportive this book has been, the narrator (Stacy Carolan) was fantastic and "alive" when listening. He caught my attention and did not bore me!
I like the studies that they did between tightwads and spendthrifters. The title got my attention because it made me wonder where I fell. It helped me understand the development of managing our finances and the decision behind what my family considered a priority. I love that opposites do attract because I used to be the huge spender in the relationship, but as life happens I reevaluate what is "best" for our family. I have a child with special needs so my spending became non-existence because of the money that went towards specifically his therapy. I am the "financial account" of the family and pretty much direct where the money goes (towards our savings, 401k, Roth, and bills). I LOVE listening to the study on the different couples who 1) have only joint accounts vs 2) have separate accounts in the relationship - there is no wrong answer! It does make you think of the relationship that you currently have with your partner/spouse and helps you figure out the future financial security you guys want and/or need to discuss to meet the happy middle.
Highly recommend and would recommend to my children when they get older and friends to listen before marriage! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this self-help financial book for a review.