Piggybanking

When couples are planning their financial lives together, few questions are as significant as how to afford a family. The average middle-income family will spend somewhere between $185k and $270k raising a child through the first seventeen years of life, according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. And now, in this difficult financial climate, tension levels are running even higher over how to cover these costs. To help couples meet this challenge, veteran Wall Street Journal personal finance writer Jeff Opdyke has laid out everything they need to do. From preparing financially for a baby's arrival to the financial lessons kids need to learn so that they have a solid grasp on money by they time they leave home, the chapters are split into natural divisions that track money's major categories: earning, saving, spending, investing, and giving. Finally, there's a section on the all-important basics of what parents should know to save for and ultimately afford college costs. Opdyke, who for six years was the "Love & Money" columnist for the Journal, provides a smart, accessible blueprint for parents that will help reduce the stress of building a family and enhance parents' skills for raising money-savvy kids. With Opdyke's advice in hand, parents will be well-equipped to create a sound financial life for their family.