Financially Ever After: The Couples’ Guide to Managing Money – Book review

On your next date, try these conversation starters: “Honey, how do you view debt?” Or “Tell me, sexy, all about your financial liabilities.” Jeff D. Opdyke, Baton Rouge native, veteran writer and Wall Street Journal columnist offers a plethora of financial discussion points—better used well into a relationship than as pick up lines—in his new book Financially Ever After: The Couples’ Guide to Managing Money.

While topics such as prenuptial agreements, budgeting and insurance don’t necessarily contribute to a page-turning beach read, Opdyke’s light tone and readable style do remove some of the drudgery from reading financial advice.

Opdyke manages to pack a lot into a relatively short book, from broad concepts like marriage creates wealth, to more specific and practical advice like a car lease being a potential sign for a financially indulgent personality.

According to Opdyke, it isn’t money itself that causes strife in a marriage, but rather the inability to communicate effectively about it. He offers 10 questions every couple should ask themselves, and ideally, well before “I do.” But even years into a marriage, Opdyke’s book would make an effective conversation starter.