The 5 Money Personalities by Scott & Bethany Palmer

If I were to describe The 5 Money Personalities: Speaking the Same Love and Money Language in one word, I would have to use the word "eye-opening."

I was a bit surprised at how much the book focuses on the clashes many couples have in regards to money.  When I requested this book, I didn't really expect that but, in the introduction, the authors state that "this book is not a guide to managing your money" (p.xiv), saying that there are many other books out there to help you set a budget and manage your finances.  This book was written to help couples who just can't seem to meet in the middle when it comes to finances.

This book works off the basis of 5 money personalities, which are outlined in the book.  It is designed to be worked through as a couple, each chapter having a practical "to do" segment at the end.  If you just don't understand where your partner is coming from in terms of financial decisions that are made, the chapter explaining how the different personalities relate to each other would be helpful to you.

I would highly recommend this book to any couple who is having any sort of financial trouble at all, whether that be mountains of debt or not being able to understand each others' spending (or penny-pinching) habits.  It really opens your eyes to see that everyone is created differently and everyone deals with money differently.  No personality is "wrong"...each has their upside and downside, and the key is learning to work together as a team, despite having differing opinions on finances.

If you don't feel like money is a huge issue in your relationship, then you probably don't need this book.  While it WAS an interesting read, if you're looking for a book to help you become more efficient in saving or to help you set (and stick to!) a budget, there are other resources out there that could be more helpful to you.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blog reviewers program.  I am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

The MoneySmart Family System by Steve and Annette Economides

I was very excited to get this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program!  I snatch up every money/budgeting/financial book that I can because these pique my interested and it's always interesting to read about a new angle of financial stewardship.

This book was inspiring from the start.  This book's goal is to teach parents about "Teaching financial independence to children of every age." The first few chapters outline how the authors raised their kids and various ideas behind why they chose to do things the way they did when it came to parenting.  I found the first couple chapters quite inspiring and also found that they encouraged me to think twice about parenting decisions (in the financial realm) that we're making already, even though our son is still under 2.

As the book progressed, it started to get a bit more into parenting choices and ideas.  While other areas of parenting do relate to raising financially independent children (responsible children will tend to be more financially independent, self-motivated children will tend to be more financially independent, etc), I did find that I didn't agree with some of the ideas presented.  I found myself wishing that this book had more to do directly with family finances and less to do with parenting.  I realize that these are closely related and perhaps that's just what this book is. 

This book is well-written and gives some good ideas for teaching children of all ages about being financially responsible.  Each chapter gives practical suggestions for each age group, making it easy to come up with ideas that will work within your family and also making it possible to start the "training" at any stage in parenting, whether your children are infants or nearing the end of high school.

If you are looking for a book devoted solely to family financial matters, this probably isn't THE book to pick up, but if you are open to sifting through another family's parenting techniques and coming up with a way to teach your children to be financially independent, this book has great ideas and values.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program and am under no obligation to give a positive review.

Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship and Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll

You'll either love it or hate it.  That's how I feel about this book after spending an evening with it.  Where do I come out?  Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out.
I was warned about this book and it didn't take me long to find out why.  By page 29, I was banging my head on a metaphorical wall, trying to figure out how I was going to make it through the rest of the book with an open mind.

Driscoll is fairly opinionated about specific gender roles and makes these opinions very clear.  In his chapter written to men, Driscoll tells men not to be "dumb" and to act like men.  Ok, fair enough.  Men should be men.  I agree.  But he also says that it is the man's job to provide enough income so that the woman does not have to work, but rather has everything she needs to stay at home with the children.  I quote, "A wife who finds a way to make money from home or without neglecting her first God-given responsibilities of Christian, wife, and mother is acceptable.  But men, you should make money.  You should feed your family."  He also tells men that if they want other men, their wives, and their children to respect them, they need to pay the bills.  Simple as that.  Well, life isn't always as simple as that.  This chapter is full of this and other "wake-up calls" to men that yes, are worth considering, but perhaps would do more harm than good to read.

Throughout the book, Driscoll includes Scripture references.  Wonderful!  I love when authors, pastors, TEACHERS back what they're saying with the Bible.  I took the time to look up many of the references on my trusty iPhone Bible app and was blown away by the interpretation of some of the passages.  Some of the verses were taken completely out of context and seemed to be stretched and twisted to somehow fit what Driscoll was trying to say.  I urge you to do your own research into the passages used and study the context surrounding them to understand what they are really saying.  Find a good commentary...

I noticed a few instances where something Driscoll writes contradicts with something earlier in the book.  For instance, Driscoll says that a marriage is about being mutually loving and then later in the book he says that a wife should submit to her husband because the husband is the head of the household (not SHOULD be the head, IS the head).  This gets quite concerning in sexual matters, as it isn't quite clear what this would mean when the husband and wife have different opinions on such topics.

I was cringing when I reached the "Sex" portion of the book, not really knowing what I would find inside.  I was pleasantly surprised, for the most part.  Driscoll's ideas about sex seemed fair and worth consideration.  At times he seemed to go a bit far, such as when he suggests that one should have sex with their spouse, despite not wanting to.  At the end of the book, there is a section that goes through various sexual acts and Driscoll lays out his thoughts (and "biblical" groundwork) on each.  I won't go into detail, but please, PLEASE read these with a grain of salt and talk to someone you trust such as a pastor or spiritual director if you are unclear or uncertain about anything that you see here.

Overall, I wouldn't say that this book was a COMPLETE waste of my evening, but I wouldn't say that it was the best use of my time either.  I found myself frustrated, annoyed, and disappointed that this book is getting all the press that it is.  With all of its contradictions, poor biblical interpretation, and unfair gender stereotypes, I find that even the good and helpful parts of this book get lost in the harmful and distinctly wrong ideas, leaving it doing more harm than good.  There are better options out there in terms of books on marriage (ask your pastor for suggesions), but if you want to read this book and see the "car crash" for yourself, by all means... 


"Advanced Reader's Copy of the book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".