Let’s get naked! Easy there hot shot. I mean financially naked *insert shriveling sound*. Nobody wants to talk about money especially when you don’t have enough. But that’s where you need to start say financial planners Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar authors of the book Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money With Your Honey. The book outlines strategies for discussing money including revealing all your assets, debts, and credit scores–ouch. The authors also include a series of exercises that help you and your partner identify your own money backgrounds, how you both spend, who taught you about finances, what your feelings are about money and the importance of setting financial goals.

I spoke with Thakor about the book and about some of the issues that couples face including whether you should stay with a partner if they’re not honest about their finances. “The glue that keeps [relationships] together is trust,” and if you’re mate isn’t willing to be open about all of their finances–the assets, the debt, the spending, “that’s a gigantic red flag.”

While we’ll gladly peel off our pants for a perfect stranger with a nice smile and perfect pecs, women are especially shy about money. Lots of us fall into two categories: we have bad spending habits, debt and abuse credit cards or naively believe that if he drives a good car, has a house and nice clothes he has good credit. WRONG! How many of us can point to a friend or family member who’s been burned by bad credit or left a relationship bankrupt with just the shirt on their back? Maybe it was your sisters fault for outspending her pay checks or that idiot she married for sucking their joint account dry and walking out on her. Either way, money matters. It’s important for all of us to Get Financially Naked and this book is just the kind of easy, fun and effective approach you need to take with a subject so many of us have a hard time discussing. Check out their site including free worksheets to download and start your own discussion.