Today I'm very pleased to welcome David Bach to the show. David is the author of several books on achieving your financial goals, and doing so while reducing stress along the way. With titles including Automatic Millionaire, Smart Women Finish Rich, and Smart Couples Finish Rich, David has become an absolute authority on choosing yourself first. Or as he says, "Pay yourself first." With financial troubles being the leading cause of friction and divorce amongst couples, David has found several key ways that families can manage their finances easier. Steps couples can take to improve their financial lives include: •Talking about small purchases more often. •Twice a year, work with your spouse or a financial advisor to monitor your personal financial statement. •Have a vision for your financial future. This clarifies every decision you make in your financial life. David is a big advocate of "The Latte Factor" and doing small things to save money every day. This helps people overcome the biggest obstacle to better financial behaviors: getting started. Whether you're an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, the thing you can do that will have the most effect on your financial path is to increase your income. For entrepreneurs, this means increasing your rates. If your services are indispensable to current customers, they will gladly pay a higher rate. If you're working within a company, getting a raise on a regular basis is the way to go. Be valuable to your employer and they will gladly reward you. The digital economy and the passing recession have given us a unique opportunity to reinvent ourselves. While many people are having to do this at an older age, David has a few key actions people can take to get on this road, even if it's later in life: •Spend Less. •Setup an automatic saving plan. Pay yourself first and allow compounding to do its magic. •Meditate regularly. •Journal immediately after you meditate. •Focus on what is making you unhappy, AND what you can do to help make you happier. Links and Resources Mentioned in the Show: •To access more of David's insights on how to be successful at managing your finances, head to Smart Couples Live- Enter coupon code "tour" •You can learn more about David and his works on FinishRich. com •Follow David on Twitter at @AuthorDavidBach If you're looking for a financial planner, David and his team at Edelman Financial Planning can help you reach your goals