About the Author

I am a firm believer that to maintain balance in life, one must take responsibility for one's temporal well-being—and this would most definitely include proactively managing personal finances. Whether due to intimidation, ignorance or laziness, unfortunately many shy away from this vital aspect in each of our lives. Therefore, I was inspired to write this guide specifically for newlyweds to help get them focused right from the start on this ever important topic that will play a crucial role in their marriage and throughout their lives.

Prior to hanging up my full-time career hat to be a stay-at-home mom, I had the opportunity to work for various financial services firms. My absolute favorite was working for my father and his estate-planning firm. In addition to the time I spent with him, I have also worked at Merrill Lynch and Hartford Japan. I have an MBA from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. I specialized in Finance and graduated with Honors.

Yet, aside from scholastic and professional credentials, I believe the true test of credibility is the school of hard knocks. The principles, ideas and tools I utilize throughout my book are based on my own tried and proven theories. I have discovered many ways to unsuccessfully manage one's finances and as the reader will be happy to discover, these were not included in the guide. Yet, each of these mishaps led to new discoveries, better ideas and more efficient tools to manage my own finances. It is these successful discoveries that I have written about and outlined in my guide for newlyweds. And, as the book will illustrate, the success of each of these money management principles is determinant upon a couple's ability to actually openly and honestly communicate with each other regarding their financial life. If you can do this, you will have success.

Bonnie currently resides in Tokyo, Japan with her husband, Brett, and two boys, Sage and Joseph, who bring more happiness and meaning to her life than she could have ever imagined.