Ramit Sethi, author, money coach, and host of both a financial podcast and the 2023 Netflix show How to Get Rich, returns to the publishing world with a step-by-step guide to help couples align on their financial goals and live their best lives together.

Money for Couples gives practical advice about how to approach a partner about money, create joint money goals, and build a system that prioritizes getting out of debt, saving for the future, and spending in line with their values. People who frequently fight with their partner about finances will find Chapters 2 and 6 especially useful for understanding the root of their shared money issues, including helpful scripts on structuring difficult conversations. I appreciated that, for couples with extreme or toxic money dynamics, Sethi recommends seeking the help of a therapist. I think the end of the book will be helpful for most readers; Sethi has written multi-step guides on common money concerns, like how to make a debt payoff plan, whether a prenuptial agreement is the right move for a couple, how to save for large purchases together, how to teach kids about money, and when to work with a financial advisor. His casual style and practical tips are accessible, giving readers self-efficacy in implementing his advice.

However, not everything in the book was a hit for me. In particular, I think Chapter 9 (setting up accounts) overcomplicates the process of creating a joint financial system with a partner. Sethi recommends three checking accounts (1 joint, 2 personal) and up to seven savings accounts (3-5 joint, 2 personal), all on top of credit cards and investment accounts. Granted, in an offhand comment, he does recommend banks that allow for multiple sub-accounts under the same primary account (Ally’s “buckets” or Capital One allowing up to 25 accounts) and software like YNAB that makes it easy to break lump sums of money into separate goals. I just think the majority of people (especially those intimidated by having a hands-on approach in the first place) will find this setup too complicated. I also think that some of the “dream big” verbiage in the first few chapters goes too far for couples with deep-seated money issues, especially since the process of deep-diving into accounts and numbers doesn’t happen until Chapters 5 and 7. If the goal is to help couples understand values-based spending, I think anecdotes about bucket-list items and long honeymoons miss the mark.

One thing about self-help books in audio format is that they can come across as repetitive. Tables and graphs are particularly difficult to convey in words. For the most part, Money for Couples sidesteps this issue. Sidebars are handled as additional sub-sections under the main chapter, and the few tables/graphs included in the book are explained within the text. Sethi has put in the work to be a dynamic audiobook reader. Author-read books can come across as stilted, adhering too closely to keeping their tone and pace even. Sethi does great - he is conversational, which is why I think his advice sticks. I’m sure his 3.5 years of podcasting has helped a lot in this area.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t enter this audiobook completely free from bias - I credit Sethi’s book I Will Teach You To Be Rich with motivating me to open a low-expense ratio Roth IRA while paying down my student loans. I also consider his conscious spending plan (detailed in Chapter 7 and free to download on his website) to be a realistic, non-judgmental way to set up your finances for both short- and long-term goals. You could say I’m on board with his personal finance philosophy. He doesn’t try to force people to live like monks while investing for the future, he’s not afraid of credit, and he doesn’t mince words when it comes to calling out companies with predatory practices. Money for Couples is a great resource for people to explore their finances with a partner. I would recommend readers come at it with an open mind, adopt the advice that resonates, and leave behind what does not.

**Thank you to Workman Publishing Company, Hachette Audio, and Ramit Sethi for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

This book is easy to understand and helpful. He always makes talking about and dealing with finances and money easy to understand. While I have lots of experience dealing with finances this still had great ideas and actionable steps. At times the book was super wordy and felt like he was rambling on, the bulk of it is great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook arc.

Money for Couples was a helpful listen. I appreciated the tools and techniques to managing money. I will implement some.

This book, as well as the show, is great for couples to learn how to talk about money. It is one of the biggest reasons why couples fight. I would say this is a book every couple must read.

Thank you NetGalley, Ramit Sethi, and Hachette Audio for providing me with this ARC of “Money for Couples” in exchange for my honest review.
As someone who is constantly looking for a way to save money and better improve my marriage while doing so, I got some very important, practical, and useful guidance out of this book.
While parts of the book are wordy and can be easy to get lost or distracted by all of that, the “meat” of the book is very well informative and very specific in how how you and your partner can better save and spend your money.

WONDERFUL! OUT NOW!

I've already ordered the paperback to work through! :-)

The way Ramit dives into the psychology of money and money conversations between couples is seriously great! I loved the actionable items, the script examples, the possible responses, etc. Literally he has spoken with so many people he pretty much knows how conversations will go. I loved the layouts of the different types of money mindsets and how to work with your partner no matter what type of mindset they and you have. I loved the full explanation in each chapter of the steps. At the end of each chapter the checklists are such a great way to go through each of the steps in a concise way.

Ramit seriously makes this SO easy. Simple steps, simple questions, simple numbers, simple conversation guides.
Laid out SO well! And SO thorough!

Side note: this has a section on working with children and money. I don't have kids but I thought this was seriously great! A lot of the aspects of the book talk about how many adult's thoughts and perceptions towards money are based on how they grew up so this plays perfectly into the theme of the book overall.

Love anything by ramit Sethi, very knowledgeable guy and he explains these principles well. Definitely would recommend

I am a huge Ramit fan and have listened to nearly every episode of his podcast, and of course devoured the Netflix special. I understand why he's publishing another book and I like the idea of the topic, but I would say that anyone who listens to him regularly will be disappointed in that its nothing new. With that said, he remains the ONLY financial expert I have any interest in, he's brilliant and so funny.

I don’t need a budget?! 🤯 This was a revolutionary concept to me and so freeing. Ramit is full of money ideas I’ve never heard or thought of before. Do I agree with all of them? No (and Ramit says he doesn’t expect you to)! But overall, his money rules are super helpful, and this is a must-read for anyone looking to strengthen their financial relationship with their partner.

My favorite part of this book is Ramit making money FUN! I listened to the audiobook, and it’s not only what he teaches you but also his energy that is contagious. Turning money into something to be celebrated instead of something to fight about is so encouraging.

Ramit repeatedly emphasizes the importance of open, honest conversations about money, and his approach fosters collaboration and understanding, allowing couples to feel like they’re actually on the same team when they talk about their finances.

While anyone can benefit from at least some of the advice in this book, I do think it’s more geared toward high-income couples who aren’t absolutely overwhelmed by a mountain of debt. He briefly touches on dealing with debt and admits a budget is necessary if your income is so low you have to mercilessly track each expense, but the majority of the book focuses on things that only people who are already privileged with money could afford to do. For example, he suggests setting a worry-free number below which each spouse can make purchases without question. He proposes $20 as the limit. That sounds great in theory, and maybe your husband stops nagging you about your Starbucks habit, but if someone spends that limit 15 times a month, that adds up to $300, which is no longer a worry-free amount.

Overall, there is a real sense of empowerment that comes from reading this book, as it gives couples the confidence to take charge of their financial futures together. I highly recommend it and would even give it as a gift!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC!

This is an excellent book about finances for couples that addresses the psychology of money without getting bogged down, stays positive and hopeful, and includes humor and loads of practical tips and advice. I can’t wait to implement this book with my husband and recommend it to all couples.

Ramit Sethi will always be a first purchase author for me. I follow him on social media after reading his first book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. Dude, that book is so life changing, specifically for those of us who might have been told that DR was the only option to learn how to use money. He has a refreshing take on helping money havers to use their funds to create Rich Lives. Seeing the niche to work with couples was a brilliant transition for him, seeing as there is even less talk around people in relationships sharing money and dreams. Most of his work these days has been with couples working through their struggles with making their money work for them. His soothing voice makes learning about finance enjoyable! Take time to read this one with the person you share money with to start your new year in the right direction. Thanks NetGalley for the ALC of the book. All opinions are my own.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with this book, but it was better than I expected. I love the simplicity of his system and how straightforward this book was. As the “money person” in the relationship, I’m always looking for ways to get my husband interested in our budget. He went over how to talk about uncomfortable conversation and this book really helped me pull my husband into our finances. I liked how it isn’t just about a strict budget, but it discusses to spend money on the things that make you happy and scale back on everything else. I highly recommend this audiobook for a bit different approach to handling money. Huge thanks to Hackett audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book.

Ramit has done it again! I was a big fan of his first finance novel and TV series, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on his new “Money for Couples” book. I was thrilled to be approved for an ARC audiobook before the release date.

Just like in his first book, Ramit presents typically dry personal finance information in a more exciting and palatable way for readers new and skilled in personal finance. Although this book is written to help couples work together towards their money goals, I do still feel all the info is applicable to single readers. I appreciate his positive outlook on creating a rich life and prioritizing spending intentionally on experiences/things that are meaningful to you rather than the typical strict budgeting and debt payoff plans of most financial writers.

I enjoyed listening to Ramit read his own novel as it felt very authentic. The audio was clear, transitions were clean, and his voice was energized without being over the top, keeping me interested throughout. In order to continue keeping our financial goals moving forward, I will continue to read (and listen to!) everything this man writes!

Publish date: December 31, 2024

Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for allowing me to listen to an ARC copy of the audiobook in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Hachette audio, Netgallery, and Ramit Sethi for an advanced audio copy of "Money for Couples" in exchange for my honest review.

Sethi, known for his Netflix show, Podcast, and book I Will Teach You To Be Rich, continues to provide valuable financial insight. In this book, he not only provides strategies for working with your partner on a conscious spending plan, but he gives you the tools to do it. Sethi sets you up for success by providing checklists for things to get accomplished and scripts for having these difficult conversations with your partner. As a clinician, this is a book I would be apt to recommend to couples looking for comprehensive strategies for improving their communication about money.

My only gripe is stylistic; I find it distracting when narrators/authors emphasize too many words. When so many words are emphasized, it detracts from the importance of other concepts within the text/audiobook. That is, when everything is important, nothing is important. Again, this is just stylistic but think it's noteworthy.

Overall, I will recommend this to my friends and family and am definitely going to buy a physical copy when it is released!

I really enjoyed this. I didn't particularly care for his first book because he was too blunt and not really trauma informed in his responses. He seemed a little bit more straightforward with less aggression in his tone in this book. The only part I do not agree with is the part about encouraging women to not have secret bank accounts from their partners that they should tell them. There's a lot of abusive relationships where this wouldn't be sound advice and as women even in a healthy relationship until you work through your own stuff or trust your partner, it's okay to have an escape hatch they don't have access to in order to be safe if you need it especially in today's world. I am excited for this book to be released to buy and work through the exercises with my partner. There was a lot of great ideas about things I never thought of before.

Thank you Ramit Sethi, Hachette Audio, Workman Publishing Company, and NetGalley for this advance listener copy in exchanged for an honest review. I enjoyed the audio production as well and also like when the author reads nonfiction audiobooks. Thank you again.

I've read Ramit's blog, I Will Teach You to Be Rich along with other finance blogs in the mid to late 2000's and found his guidance to be really helpful as I worked on getting myself out of debt and setting up retirement plans. I must have missed out on his podcast, but I plan to catch up on that as well. This audiobook was a great reminder of how much I enjoy his financial advice and personable tone. He explains his points clearly, and actually works a lot on using psychology in a positive way to improve relationships and thereby improve finances.

I really enjoyed this as an audiobook, and I think it would be a great format for couples to listen to in the car, so that they can pause and discuss key areas.

Money for Couples is Ramit’s latest book which will be published on 12/31/2024. This book provides tangible steps you can take to discuss finances with your partner in a healthy way, understand your own money psychology, and move forward in your financial journey. While the title of this book is for couples, I thought it would be useful to anyone and everyone! If you’re looking for an approachable (and often humerus) personal finance book, I couldn’t recommend Ramit’s books enough. His audio narration is fantastic- it sounds like I’m listening to his podcast. I can’t wait to pick up the physical book when it’s published!

This is a great addition to Ramit Sethi first book. I've listened to his podcast with couples and this is a great summary of all of the takeaways presented on the show. A great guide on how to review financial goals and dreams as couples. This give so much aide in what can be a difficult conversation.

Money for Couples is a great step by step guide on how to have straightforward dialogue about money that can be both practical and inspirational.  I read the book and also listened to the audiobook.  The narration by Ramit himself adds just the right touch of humor and I found myself laughing out loud several times at his no nonsense descriptions and approach.  I would recommend both the book and audio.  There's a lot to unpack and having both formats would be a benefit.  I appreciated him pointing out that everyone has their own path and you can have money discussions where both people can speak and be heard in non-judgemental ways.  Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen and read this book.

I've followed Ramit for a while and find his money advice simple and helpful. This audiobook was an easy listen that summarized a lot of what he talks about frequently on his podcast.