The 5 Money Personalities – Book Review

Why do couples fight? Why do spouses harbor feelings of angst and throw accusations at each other in what should be a harmonious marriage?  The 5 Money Personalities by Scott and Bethany Palmer explores the way people see and manage money as the root of many conflicts between husband and wife.  They point out that a couple can have a great income and an airtight budget and financial plan and yet still have regular fights over money.  The book explores five of what the authors refer to as “money personalities”, referring to the way a person views and manages money.  Everyone has a primary and secondary money personality, and the way those personalities interact within the person affects how they handle finances.  The authors stress that it isn’t usually a budget or income that couples fight over, but feelings stemming from the way each of them handles or thinks about money.  The book also explores what the authors call the “opposite dynamic”, which results from conflicting personalities within one person or between spouses.

After readers are guided to determine their own money personalities, they discuss how to come together as a couple and communicate in a way that fosters understanding and compromise rather than conflict and misunderstanding.

I picked up this book because my husband and I discuss money all the time, so I figured it would be helpful.  However, my husband and I don’t really fight over money, we just constantly talk about it!  It turns out that we have the same two money personalities, but my primary personality is his secondary, and vice versa.  I found it encouraging that it seems we are not likely to have money misunderstandings lurking somewhere in our relationship just waiting to cause problems.  Because of this, I didn’t get much “help” from the book, but we did gain clarification on each other’s positions and some tips to discussing money if things ever start to get heated between us.

I will also say we do have several friends and maybe even family members I will be recommending this book to!  It is a great eye-opener and staring point to repairing a conflicted money relationship, and although definitely not a substitute for counseling it is an excellent guide and supplement to a couple in need of it.  I also think it would be a great help to engaged couples who would like to become aware of their money dynamic and any problems they may be able to avoid before they combine finances and run into surprises!

I received this book for free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255