Three Kid Circus Auditions is today's stop on the Mother Talk blog tour for Sharon Epperson's The Big Payoff. This book, subtitled "8 steps couples can take to make the most of their money - and live richly ever after" is exactly what I needed to read.

My husband and I came from two different backgrounds, and communicating about money isn't our strong suit. It isn't that we want to avoid discussing it, but we aren't clear on our goals, and we're never sure how to leap in. Apparently we're not alone:

Each of the chapters in this book is designed to get you and your partner talking and thinking together about your financial life.

Epperson soothes fears and stimulates discussion throughout, bringing confusing or frustrating topics out into the open. Everything is explained in lay terms, and illustrates her points with real-world stories that resonated with me.

Starting with smart, easily-digested information, Epperson saves the lectures, and gets straight into the how-tos of budgeting, savings, debt management, investing for wealth, college and retirement, insurance and estate planning. Each chapter tackles a facet of financial wellness building onto the information already given.

With plenty of examples and helpful charts scattered throughout, The Big Payoff demystifies the steps that are necessary to create and maintain a healthy financial picture, leading to a well-funded retirement.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and came away eager to put Epperson's plans into action.

Click here for more from the Mother-Talk tour.