Sheryl Garrett Financial Quotations

For most of us, it took years to develop bad financial habits, and it will take at least the same amount of time to create the good habits we want. People spend more time planning their annual vacation than discussing their personal finances. That's not healthy, especially for newlyweds.

Bailing your kids out of a self-inflicted financial mistake is going backward. A credit card can teach a kid when to stop spending. The lesson will be lost if parents keep bailing the student out.

A good family-law attorney or a good certified divorce financial analyst or certified financial planner is going to help you measure the value of the asset you think you want to keep.

Parents seek to raise their children to be self-sufficient adults. If children can vote, drive, order a drink and go to war, why do parents feel obligated to carry the full financial burden of their college education?

This way, both spouses are kept in the loop, and there are no secrets. There's no blame, no shame. It's taking your financial pulse: Did we meet our goals? What can be done better? You don't want to beat each other up--you want to make the finances work better.

The concept of longevity could very likely be the most dangerous subject that financial planners and individuals project,

Secrecy can be a killer. Many couples get married in their late 20s or even early 30s and are used to being independent. Having separate accounts allows the couple to maintain some financial independence while being completely open about it.

Many young couples are so busy being romantic that they forget to talk about anything practical like personal finance. Money isn't a romantic subject, but marriage should be seen as entering into a financial as well as a romantic partnership.