Our summer reading list is for folks seeking ideas on managing money and the home as a team. The suggestions are for the casual reader looking for practical advice to apply to their lives. The ideas shared in each book are based on research or tried and tested best practices.
I am a voracious reader of these topics, so I often find myself reading books that are a bit more wonky. If that’s what you want, please email me for ideas at brian@modernhusbands.com.
All five of the book’s authors are also contributors to our Marriage Toolkit, the go-to resource for couples who want to start, strengthen, or rebuild their marriages.
Fair Play
Women historically have done more than their fair share of work at home, shouldering the second-shift burden. Such a burden leads to resentment and isolation within the relationship.
Often, husbands unknowingly do not recognize these burdens, which can lead to confusion about their spouses' resentment.
Fair Play unpacks these feelings, particularly from a working woman's perspective. By creating solutions, couples can divide household labor more productively and fairly.
As the book explains, Eve devised a card game to divide household labor fairly. Fair Play is the perfect book for any spouse who wants to manage their home more smoothly so they can live in a happier marriage and have more time for each other.
Eve Rodsky, the book's author, contributes to our Marriage Toolkit and has been a past guest on the Modern Husbands Podcast.
The Opposite of Spoiled
We all want to raise good values in our children—children who are the opposite of spoiled—but sometimes, we overlook the importance of discussing money with them. With tips on allowances, chores, and charity, The Opposite of Spoiled teaches parents how to teach their values using money lessons to their children.
Children have countless questions about money. However, not all parents have the answers or feel comfortable talking about money, meaning kids miss many of life's essential lessons. The Opposite of Spoiled is the solution to this problem.
The book's author, Ron Lieber, contributes to our Marriage Toolkit and has been a guest on the Modern Husbands Podcast.
Tightwads and Spendthrifts
Couples are often at opposite ends of the financial spectrum. Managing finances can be challenging and tense when one partner is a saver, and the other is a spender.
However, the financial spectrum extends beyond savers and spenders on opposite ends; tightwads and spendthrifts are most distant from each other.
A tightwad hates to spend, unlike a frugal person who loves to save. Spendthrifts, on the other hand, spend money extravagantly and irresponsibly. The two types of people are clearly at odds with each other.
It quickly became apparent after reading Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships that the book's author, Dr. Scott Rick, has a knack for simplifying complicated research into simple messages that are fun to read and easy to comprehend.
The book's author, Dr. Scott Rick, contributes to our Marriage Toolkit and has been a guest on the Modern Husbands Podcast.
F.I.R.E. For Dummies
The Financial Independence, Retire Early (F.I.R.E.) movement has inspired many to optimize their finances and become financially free early in life.
F.I.R.E. For Dummies shows you how to make financial freedom a reality in your life. With the easy-to-follow steps in this guide, you can live your life how you dream, giving yourself the only thing you can never get back, your time.
The book's author and Modern Husbands Advisory Board Member, Jackie Cummings Koski, reached financial freedom at 49.
F.I.R.E. For Dummies is the perfect guide for anyone looking to move from the basics of their finances to reaching F.I.R.E. and enjoying the time freedom it creates.
The book’s author, Jackie Cummings Koski, is a contributor to our Marriage Toolkit and a past guest on the Modern Husbands Podcast.
Money Zen
An NPR "Best Books of 2023" pick, Money Zen breaks down the personal, cultural, and societal forces that have led us to falsely believe we can never have, do, or be enough. The book’s author shows us a fresh new path toward “MoneyZen”— a joy-based approach to living a life rich in financial health and emotional wealth.
For anyone who has ever felt that they can never measure up, MoneyZen is your cure.
Thakor interviews a wide range of interdisciplinary experts to show how personal traumas, cultural influences, societal pressures, and even our own biology have led us to believe that "more" is the answer to our problems. Using a formula that's ultimately rooted in less, you'll discover a unique way to reclaim your life: Financial Health + Emotional Wealth = MoneyZen.
Using this framework, you can get off the hamster wheel of 24/7 striving and start to live a life of joy, connection, and meaning.
The book’s author, Manisha Thakor, is a contributor to our Marriage Toolkit and a past guest on the Modern Husbands Podcast.
Blinkist
Not everyone has time to read as much as they like and needs ideas to listen to while driving or working out. Blinkist is the perfect solution.
Blinkist is a subscription-based service that offers summaries of nonfiction books in a condensed format. Each summary, known as a "blink," distills a book's main ideas and concepts into a concise, easy-to-read format that typically takes about 15 minutes. Blinkist is for busy people who want to stay informed and expand their knowledge without reading entire books.
We are a proud Blinkist partner. Click here to learn more and claim your free trial.
What I’m Reading Next
Happier Hour
Written by UCLA Professor Cassie Holmes
Based on her wildly popular MBA class at UCLA, Professor Cassie Holmes demonstrates how to immediately improve our lives by changing how we perceive and invest our time.
Couples That Work
Written by Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD, Jennifer Petriglieri
INSEAD professor Jennifer Petriglieri rejects conventional one-size-fits-all solutions and instead focuses on how dual-career couples can tackle and resolve the challenges they face throughout their lives - together.
The Secret Language of Money
Written by David Krueger and John David Mann
The Secret Language of Money is a guided tour to the subconscious meanings we spend and save money in conflicted ways and why we tend to make the same money mistakes repeatedly, how you can change.
The All or Nothing Marriage
Written by Northwestern Professor Dr. Eli Finkel
The All-or-Nothing Marriage reverse engineers fulfilling marriages—from the “traditional” to the utterly nontraditional—and shows how any marriage can be better. Finkel combines cutting-edge scientific research with practical advice.
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