NEW YORK CITY — Financial educator Vivian Tu published her book Well Endowed in February 2026, offering guidance on how couples can discuss money at various stages of a relationship. Tu, who runs the media company Your Rich BFF, drew on her own experiences and outlined specific conversation strategies for partners navigating financial topics together.

The book addresses what she describes as a gap between romantic attachment and financial compatibility. "People think love is enough. It's not. You need to actually know you can build with this person," she said in an interview.

The book includes sample questions couples can pose to each other — from early dating through long-term commitment. "You can start talking about money on the very first date," Tu said. She suggested a question such as, "If I gave you $100,000 to plan a perfect two-week vacation, what would that look like?" as a way to learn about a partner's financial values without directly asking about income. She also recommended observing a partner's spending habits relative to their known income. "How do they spend their money? If you know they are in a job where they don't make that much money, but every weekend they're out blowing money on designer stuff — where is that money coming from? Do they just have crazy credit card debt?" she said.

For couples further along in a relationship, the book suggests more direct questions: "How much do you make?" "Do you want to buy a home?" "Do you want to live here forever?" "Are you planning on moving back to your hometown?" "How big do we want our family to be?" "What's that going to cost?" She also recommended asking, "Do you have any credit card debt? Are there any months coming up that you might be feeling tighter financially that we should keep in mind together?"

On managing household finances, she said, "I like a 'yours, mine and ours' strategy and getting those numbers out in the open." She described the approach: "You have your money, I have my money, and then we agree to put a percentage into a joint account consistently to fund our expenses together." The book also addresses financial infidelity — when a partner makes purchases and deliberately hides them.

Tu has spoken publicly about her own early financial struggles. While starting her career on Wall Street, she lived in a roach-infested apartment in New York City. She eventually used her savings to break her lease and asked her then-boyfriend whether she could temporarily stay at his place. "I have no money. I am broke. I have nothing," she recalled telling him at the time. She said that openness about her financial situation strengthened the relationship, and the couple eventually married.

The book also touches on practical financial disclosures that arise when couples take steps such as signing a lease together, a process that requires submitting bank statements, proof of employment, and proof of income as part of a rental application.