I Can't Afford to Marry You! - A Book Review

“I Can’t Afford to Marry You!” by Marilyn Logan
copyright©2006 Salo Publishing, Houston, Texas.


With financial problems cited as the top reason for divorce, it’s surprising that more couples don’t pay serious attention to addressing their financial compatibility before they marry. Financial habits have far more potential to cause marital friction than other habits.

Still, when I read that this author’s fiancé called off their wedding on account of her financial history, I thought he was being rather heartless to put his financial status above his love life. Ok, so she did have liberal spending habits, a less-than-shining credit report, staggering debt at a young age, and 15 credit cards. Which did he love more: intelligent, witty, loving, drop-dead gorgeous Marilyn Logan or his bank account?

Lucky for him, he didn’t have to make a choice. His newly humbled, nearly dumped bride-to-be took it as a combination of tough love and an intervention, and she toed the line by handing over her stack of cards for him to cut up. But gone with her shredded credit cards was her self respect, and suddenly she was imbued with a desire to prove her financial worth. A string of valuable realizations helped her tame her once-wild habits and she not only learned to respect herself once again but she learned how to respect money.

Each short chapter is followed by Logan's simple money lessons that are easy for you to apply in your life. None may sound particularly new if you've read financial advice before; in fact, most are all-too familiar. But they were breakthroughs for her. And if you've heard them before, now you know that they really do work when you follow these financial guidelines as she did. If you are new to financial advice, you'd do well to heed her collected gems.

Her financial infidelity

As it happens with most addicts, Logan had a relapse. Any woman with a penchant for a great little dress and a 10% discount upon opening a store account can empathize with Marilyn’s temptation and, in my mind, quite rational thinking. Unfortunately, when the card arrived in the mail, her husband considered this an act of infidelity and again threatened divorce.

This book unfolds like a story so I don’t want to give away any spoilers. And this was only the beginning. Suffice it to say, she makes it an interesting read, dishing out her personal life as though she were sitting across a café table, with one particularly heart-stopping tragedy along the way. However, I will give away the ending: Today, Marilyn is a financial guru, investment broker, financial planner and real estate investor. She appears on television shows, including Dr. Phil, and many radio shows and financial seminars. Talk about turning weakness into strength!

What can we married folks learn from her book? For one thing, it is possible to stop the financial nonsense, which causes so many marital problems, at any time during a marriage. Also, Marilyn’s spouse clearly identified what that nonsense is so you can identify it in your own life.

Whether or not you follow her exact footsteps to financial wealth, you can benefit from knowing her road map because the obstacles along the way are the same for all. This book inspired me to stop the nonsense and get to work to build a better financial life. If my husband had read this book before we married, he would have done well to deliver the same ultimatum, “I can’t afford to marry you!” He’s reading it now, and it’s a good thing I read it first.