The 6 Best Places to Learn About Money as Newlyweds
Building a solid financial foundation with your spouse means working together. Check out this list of the best places where you can learn about money as a couple.
Marriage is a wonderful journey and commitment that joins two people together. It means not only sharing living space, time, emotions, and holidays, but your finances as well. It is important for you as newlyweds to start the financial journey together in an informed way.
Money is one major topic that many couples fight and disagree on, be it budgeting, buying a house, credit card use, or saving. To avoid making some of the common mistakes made by many married couples, make learning about finances a priority. The best way for newlyweds to have healthy financial practices is by taking proactive and determined steps to learn about personal finances and get on the same page.
Where to Learn About Money
1. Books
Books hold a wealth of financial knowledge for married couples who want to get their finances right from the get-go. Of course, because there are so many books, you need to have a way of selecting the best personal finance books from well-known authors with the expertise and experience in dealing with personal finances.
If you want to get the most out of your financial book purchases, you have to do your homework. Together, as a couple, you can identify the most critical topics on personal finances that you want to learn about to help you narrow down your search. Search for bestselling authors in the areas you are most interested in learning about. Some helpful topics are: how to handle debt, best investments for families, and how to budget.
Some popular picks are “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas Stanley, “The Simple Path to Wealth” by J L Collins, “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason, and “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey. Many of these books are personal life stories of the author’s own journey in getting a handle on their personal finances, how they got out of debt, how they built wealth, and basic financial principles they used to in their marriages. Investing in these books is investing in the future you want.
2. Podcasts
Podcasts are another way to learn more about how to start your money journey right. There are so many good quality podcasts that run as series covering different areas of personal finances. Money can’t buy happiness, but learning and talking about how money works can surely save you unnecessary stress and frustration as you build your life together.
What’s awesome about podcasts is that you don’t have to sit down to listen to them. You can play them while you are on the go. A good time to play your podcasts is when you are commuting to and from work. You can even keep a couple’s journal of the key messages on money that you both would like to implement in your new home.
Start a joint financial plan based on your agreed vision. You can get discussion points from the podcasts on how best to approach different financial decisions. You can discuss issues like buying a house, what to do with credit cards, budgeting, or keeping track of your spending.
? Read this: The Best Wedding Planning Podcasts to Follow
3. Websites and Blogs
There are thousands of financial websites and blogs covering so many money-related topics like investing, saving money, how to get rich, making an extra income, taxes, and mortgage rates. Some financial matters can really affect your lifestyle and your peace, so it’s best to learn about these quickly. To discover all about taxes for married couples, you can go onto the IRS website and learn how to stay abreast of your taxes.
You can choose from several blogs or website themes that can be inspirational, motivational, funny, personal, academic, or trendsetting. When you are done searching through the internet for the blog(s) or website(s) that hits home, you can subscribe to one or two to get regular updates on new material.
Another area that newlyweds can work on to improve their finances is to develop different types of income. Many blogs and websites give step by step tutorials on how to get started increasing your revenue streams.
Read this: 10 Tips for Managing Money in Your Marriage
4. Newspapers
You can learn a lot about financial matters from the newspapers, and you’ll only need to figure out how to get quarters to pay for them. These are trusted sources of information regarding changes in the economic client, laws related to financial issues, and how to run a business, big or small. Don’t feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that is out there. Just remain focused on the goal and sort through a select few newspaper financial pages and find the most relevant information.
Some of the articles may be too technical if you are not a finance guru. Peruse through the ones that stick out for you. You can also gradually learn some of the financial terms. There are so many newspapers that are now online, like The New York Times and The Washington Post. They give daily and up-to-date information on the best homes to buy, the stock markets, and taxes. You can even streamline your search to get hits that are not too generalized, like the best healthcare plan for couples or tips for buying your first home.
The financial section of a newspaper is normally written by a financial expert who is required to write objective, verified, and well-researched pieces. You can turn to these pages for important and current financial updates.
5. Online Courses on Personal Finances
Enroll you and your spouse in an online course on personal finances. There are numerous online courses on personal finances that are affordable and sometimes even free. Such an enrollment requires some focus and commitment because you are probably still in the honeymoon phase. However, building a strong financial understanding as a couple is one major building block to a healthier relationship.
Doing a course together can definitely kick start your financial understanding and help you get on the same page. Courses are usually designed to be comprehensive and cover a wide selection of topics. If you fail to plan your finances well together, you can wake up one day hearing the words, “I need money,” playing over and over in your head.
To help you decide on which courses offer the best material for you, go through the course outlines and look for reviews if they are available. Online education providers like Udemy, edX, Khan Academy, MasterClass, CreativeLive, and Coursera all offer different online courses on personal finances. Completing an online course can open you and your spouse up to new ideas and thinking. Another incentive is getting a certificate after you have completed the course.
Read This: The Best Financial Tips for Newlyweds
6. Radio Talk Shows
Many great radio talk shows discuss personal finances in a fascinating and gripping way. They usually have listeners who call in and ask questions that may resonate with you. This is another convenient way of learning about money because you can tune in while doing chores or taking a drive.
Learn About Money Early In Your Marriage
Learning how to manage your personal finances earlier on in a marriage is one of the major backbones to building a stronger, more harmonious life together. You don’t have to learn through trial and error. There are so many great resources available on money matters that you can use to help you organize and set your financial goals and plans.
