Common money myths and how they affect your relationship

Excerpted from Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach (Random House). Copyright 2002 by David Bach.

Myth No. 1 If we love each other, we won't fight about money.

Fact No. 1 Money has very little to do with love... and a lot to do with how much you fight.

Repeat after me: love has nothing to do with money. It doesn't matter if you love your spouse or partner more than anything in the world. If the two of you have conflicting values about money and make financial decisions that fail to accommodate each other's feelings about the subject, you are going to have serious relationship problems.

Love does not conquer all. If it did, then one out of every two marriages would not end in divorce. Love usually gets you to the altar and creates passion for a few years, but a solid, long-lasting marriage takes more than just love. So please stop for a second and consider these basic facts:

1. How you spend money has nothing to do with how much you love each other.

2. The two of you were probably raised differently when it came to money.

3. The two of you probably value money differently.

4. The two of you probably spend money differently.

That's a lot of differences. So if the two of you happen to be fighting about money right now, I've got news for you: you're normal. And here's some even better news: you don't have to change who you are or what you value in order to finish rich. Nor do you need to become financial geniuses. As you will learn in this book, the things you need to do in order to become wealthy are basically quite simple. They don't require a lot of brains or education. They don't require positive-thinking exercises or memorizing mantras. All they require is what I call "positive action."

So if the two of you are fighting over money right now because your attitudes toward it are different, that's okay. Take a deep breath, exhale . . . and "let it go." By the time you're done with this book, you will see how quickly and easily you can transform both your lives and your relationship merely by following the nine simple steps I'm going to lay out for you. In the meantime, just remember -- love's got nothing to do with finishing rich . . . nothing!