“Money may not be able to buy you love, but conflicts about it can certainly bankrupt your relationship.” –Michelle Singletary
Here at last is the lowdown on how to manage your finances with the man in your life. Money is the #1 problem couples fight about, says beloved Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary. Acknowledging that most fights about money are usually about something else–like feelings of fear or resentment–Singletary stresses the value of open dialogue. In her trademark no-holds-barred style, she shows us how to handle the entire range of financial issues couples face–from splitting the dinner bill when dating to planning for retirement together after years of marriage. Singletary speaks to the hearts of women as they try to successfully merge their money and future security with those of their man. Acknowledging the emotional weight of shared investments, she brings her own experience as a wife and mother to the table and doles out advice in a voice that, while encouraging and rational, is never less than frank on tough topics. From sizing up a potential mate’s financial responsibility (or lack thereof) to figuring out how best to share bank accounts and expenses once you’ve made the leap, to determining how to teach your children about money, Your Money and Your Man focuses on the undeniable role that finance plays in every stage of a long-term relationship. Including typical questions from readers of her syndicated column and advice from one of the savviest financial experts she has ever known–her grandmother–Singletary shows women that they can live happily ever after with Prince Charming, even if he doesn’t have a royal bank account!
Michelle Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. Her column, "The Color of Money" is an award-winning column, which is now carried in more than 100 newspapers across the country including the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, Tampa Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer.
In 2003, she published her first book, "7 Money Mantras For A Richer Life: How To Live Well With The Money You Have (Random House). The paperback was retitled "Spend Well, Live Rich."
Her second book, "Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich" was released in January 2006, also published by Random House. The paperback was released in February 2007. Her third book, "The Power to Prosper: 21 Days to Financial Freedom," was released in January 2010 by Zondervan, a HarperCollins company.
In January 2006, Singletary launched her first national television program "Singletary Says" on TV One, owned Radio One and Comcast. "Singletary Says" is a half hour personal finance reality show in which Singletary visits people in their homes to help resolve various financial issues. The second Season of Singletary Says debuted in November 2006. Following her second season, she hosted a personal finance special for TV One, "Real Estate Realties: When the Boom Goes Bust." The special, which aired in 2008, focused on how the real estate crisis impacted the African-American community.
Singletary was a regular personal finance contributor for National Public Radio's afternoon program "Day To Day." Although NPR eliminated the program for budgetary reasons, you can still hear Singletary on various NPR shows including "All Things Considered," "Talk of the Nation," and "Tell Me More." She is an AOL money coach having produced a series of workshops on love and money.
She is frequently asked to appear on local and national radio programs including the "Diane Rehm Show" and the "Yolanda Adams Morning Show." She has appeared on all three major networks, NBC, ABC and CBS. She has prepared personal finance segments for local and national news programs, and for a number of network and nationally syndicated programs, including "Oprah," "NBC's Today Show," "The Early Show on CBS," "Nightline," CNN, "The View," and "Tavis Smiley" on PBS. She has appeared on "Meet The Press" and other national news programs, including CNN. In 2000, she was recruited as a regular contributor to do live financial segments for MSNBC.
For nearly a decade Singletary was also a regular contributor on Howard University's evening news radio program, "Insight." During the 1997-1998 television season, Singletary was a regular correspondent on BET's "Real Business." She has filled in for nationally syndicated radio host Clark Howard on his local program on the top-rated News-Talk 750 WSB in Atlanta.
Singletary also hosted her own radio call-in program on XM 169 The Power in 2007. Radio One programmed the African-American news/talk channel. Her personal finance program along with several others was cancelled after Radio One ended its relationship with XM Satellite Radio for business reasons.
Singletary has written for the flagship "O, The Oprah Magazine." For a brief stint she was the personal finance columnist for "O at Home magazine replacing Suze Orman." The quarterly magazine was a spinoff of the monthly "O, The Oprah Magazine." Due to the recession, the Hearst Company shut down the magazine in late 2008.
In July 2008, she began writing a weekly Q&A column for radio and television host Tavis Smiley on his popular PBS Website, which currently is averaging 780,000 visitors each month.
Singletary is currently the host of a live online chat on the Post's Web site, washingtonpost.com. She also has a widely read electronic newsletter with more than 145,000 subscribers distributed by The Washington Post. Her e-letter is one of the more popular newsletters distributed by The Washington Post. In her column, chats, newsletter, television show and books Singletary delivers advice on personal finance issues that range from lending your honey money (don't do it), to raising money smart kids to the importance of saving and investing.
Singletary is frequently requested to be a keynote speaker. She has given workshops or presentations for Georgetown University, Essence, and Simmons College School of Management in Boston. She has also conducted personal finance workshops for the National Football League's annual Rookie Symposium for incoming freshman players. In the religious community, she has been invited to speak numerous times at her home church, First Baptist Church of Glenarden under the leadership of Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.
At First Baptist, she has led a major Bible Study session, been the keynote speaker at several Women's Conferences and a frequent workshop presenter. She has given keynote presentations at World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church in Memphis, Tennessee under the leadership of Apostle R. Williams, Senior Pastor and at The Saint Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond, VA., which is under the leadership of Rev. Lance Watson. Saint Paul is one of the largest African American churches in Central Virginia with more than 10,000 members. Other churches she has delivered biblically based personal finance presentations include Christ is King Worship Center in Baltimore, Md. under the leadership of Pastor Lois Bethea Thompson, and Bethel Christian Center in Upper Marlboro, Md. under the leadership of Co-Pastors Jerome and Katina Holmes
In her spare time, Singletary is the director of "Prosperity Partners Ministry," a program she founded at her church, First Baptist Church of Glenarden, in which women and men, who handle their money well, volunteer to mentor others who are having financial challenges. Once a month, Singletary conducts a workshop for the ministry group on topics that range from tithing, to developing a budget to getting out of debt.
In 2009, she was selected to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from The Johns Hopkins University. She also received the 2009 Matrix Award for Professional Achievements from The Association for Women in Communications.
Singletary's book, "Your Money and Your Man" was a finalist in 2006 for "Books for a Better Life," which honors the best self-improvement books. This highly regarded award promotes the importance of one of the largest and fastest-growing segments in the book publishing business.
Just a year after starting her column, The Washington Post nominated it for a Pulitzer Prize. Most recently, her column won a prestigious award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. She won Best in Business for a series of columns that ran in 2007. The judges wrote: "Michelle Singletary's work illustrates a range of writing that's both approachable and explanatory." "The Color of Money" has placed first in the major newspaper category of the ICI Education Foundation/American University awards for Excellence in Personal Finance Reporting. The column also earned a first place for business writing from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Prior to becoming a columnist for The Washington Post, Singletary covered local and national banking for the Post. She joined the paper in 1992 and was assigned to cover bankruptcy. In 1994, she was awarded a fellowship by NABJ to write about small women-owned businesses in West Africa. While in Africa, she helped cover the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela, and shared the lead story on Election Day with the Post's foreign correspondent, writing about a Soweto family's day at the polls.
Before going to the Post, Singletary was a business reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun, where she also covered police, religion, politics, and zoning. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, and The Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a master's degree in business and management. Singletary and her husband reside in Maryland with their three children.
This review is from: Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich (Paperback)
Michelle Singletary is a columnist for The Washington Post. She started "The Color of Money" column in March 1997. In 2003, she published her first book, 7 Money Mantras For A Richer Life: How To Live Well With The Money You Have. The paperback of the book was retitled, Spend Well, Live Rich. Her second book, Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich, was released Jan. 31, 2006, both published by Random House.
As always, I found Michelle Singletary's writing style pleasant to read and easy to understand. If the reader has little or no prior knowledge of finances, especially with regards to marriage, than this might be a good first start. However, if the reader already has a library of basic financial books, this one is a little redundant.
In this her third book, she divided her advice into sections that help at different stages: dating, marriage, when children arrive, divorce)--and learning to talk about money with someone you intend to marry--and finding your "money compatibility." Fighting over money is still the number one problem in most marriages.
I did find her decade-by-decade list of money milestones to be very interesting and useful. Be aware that this book is filled with Bible quotes and is very conservative. For instance, Singletary suggests that having separate bank accounts is leaving a way out of marriage--instead of simply stating the pros and cons of separate vs. combined incomes.
This is a wide-ranging book, covering everything from dating, planning the wedding, marriage, children, straight through to divorce or separation. Unfortunately, there was nothing in this book that I hadn't read in several other books, with the exception of the money milestones, which while not new, were put together in an interesting way.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a basic book of finances for those with a conservative, religious point-of-view who are considering or newly married, this book might be helpful. If, however, you have already read several basic finance books, this book might not have much that is new.
Armchair Interview says: If you've read no other book about money and relationships, this has good info for you.
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Oh my goodness did the reader posting on February 27, 2006 even read the book. Michelle doesn't just say put your money in a regular savings accounts. She in fact lists several options to put your 3 to 6 months living expenses. The truth is she lists savings accounts, money market accounts, money market mutual funds AND a very USEFUL CD laddering technique. Shame on that reader for misleading people who I think will find this book delightful. And I might add not all money market accounts pay any more than a regular savings accounts.Have you heard this advice before? Sure. Have you listened? Probably not. But like in her column for the Washington Post, Michelle delivers the advice in a way that will actually make you read this personal finance book. It's all in the style. I mean what on earth is new anyway? Michelle has style.
I think couples -- men and women -- at any stage of their relationship will find this book fun, useful and jammed full of great, loving wisdom. You Rock Michelle!!!
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This review is from: Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich (Paperback)
I sort of have a hobby of reading personal finance books and I have read plenty of them. There's even one out there on zen and personal finance. But Michelle's advice, while it is basic, is what a lot of people need. She is practical and aware of the financial missteps that all too many people make, especially those young and just starting out. No, this isn't Ben Graham's book or anything written by or about Warren Buffett. What it is is good, basic advice on money management so people can eventually have the funds to invest in the stock market and maybe then start reading Ben Graham. I gave this book to my daughter who is not very sensible yet about money, and Michelle's clear and down to earth way of speaking seemed to finally get through to her, where I had been unsuccessful.
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