Amazon.com
Personal Finance for Dummies offers sound and practical advice for those who want to get control over their personal financial lives. Author Eric Tyson points out the most common mistakes that we all make in our approach to money and prescribes ways to save and invest for a secure future. Using worksheets, the book helps you to measure your own financial health by looking at factors such as how much debt you carry, your savings rate, as well as investment and insurance checkups. The book looks at how you should invest your retirement account, approach taxes, and provides a good overview on how to buy real estate.Book Description
Too many personal finance consultants offer financial advice that ignores the big picture and instead focuses on investing. You need much more than that to plan your future. You need a broader understanding of personal finance that includes all areas of your financial life in order to become financially sound.

Personal Finance for Dummies, 5^th Edition is full of detailed, action-oriented financial advice that will show you how to lower expenses and tame debts as well as invest wisely to achieve your financial goals! Now in its 5^th edition, this up-to-date guide covers all the latest trends to ensure your financial stability. Just some of the updates and revisions include:

• Reviews of the new and revised tax laws and how to take advantage of them
• The latest scoop on Medicare and Social Security and what it means for you
• Updated investment advice on mutual funds and other managed investments
• Enhanced smart spending tips
• Coverage of new bankruptcy laws and how to eliminate consumer debt
• Smart ways to use credit and improve credit scores
• Expanded coverage on educational savings options

This hands-on, straightforward guide features ways to survive life changes such as starting your first job, getting married, having children, and retiring, as well as helpful tactics for preventing identity theft and fraud. With Personal Finance for Dummies, 5^th Edition, you’ll be able to achieve financial strength and start concentrating on the more important things in life! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (113)

Wonderfully Practical
What a wonderful book. I'm 28. When I was younger I received little financial advice from my parents beyond: you should save. But no advice as to how to do that, especially when circumstances in life require you to take on a certain amount of debt. At that point, what I never knew was, when there are ten pots I'm supposed to be putting money into, which one comes first? What do I do with bad financial karma I created as an idiot in college? And to top it off, what about the pipe dreams of a home ownership and retirement?

Tyson's book answered my questions and more. The book starts by having you take stock of where you're at and how to deal with your present circumstances, moves on to creating goals, and then goes about the task of fulfilling them. Through it all he helps lay the basic groundwork for a fundamental education in financial principles and terminology which should be required course for any high schooler and yet...isn't.

This book will probably become annual reading for me every tax season as I examine what I did and where I'm going. If you're like me and suffer a lot of confusion and doubt as to your own financial situation or how to set and fulfill goals for your money, this is the book you want.

Great book.Lots of suggestions.
I've had this for a while now and have loaned it to a few people.A very well written book.I hate books where the author thinks you know a ton of stuff going in, even though they are 'beginner' books.This one is written in easy to understand language, yet in a smart way.I'm not sure if there is a newer release, but the one I have is very good.As with most advice, though, you have to use what you can.If more people read this and used some of the advice, there would be a lot less credit problems now a days.The best advice is don't buy with credit--if you don't need it today, save up and buy it.If you can afford the payments, you can afford the savings even more.

Very basic info
This book offers really basic info. I suppose the title should be a dead give away. If you are not in debt, and are trying to figure out better ways to manage your money and make it work harder for you then this is really not the book for you.

Possibly the most helpful book I've ever read.
This book was definitely not what I expected, I wanted a book to teach me how to manage my finances better, what I actually got was a book which reinforced the concept that some things are far more important than money. Seriously - this book is full of advice which puts money square in its place, that is to say way down the list on what is important in life.

I found it very helpful and I related to the authors sense of values, this book teaches the all important lesson that your worth as a person or how "successful" you are has nothing to do with how much money you make, you physical appearance or quality of clothing. The paragraph entitled `Teaching what kind of values?' on page 394 is worth the price of the book alone.

It has good common sense advice on many things that I wouldn't have expected, for example there is a paragraph called Eliminating Costly Addictions, which advocates giving smoking, drinking and gambling the kick...

"Don't gamble. The house always comes out ahead in the long run. Why do you think so many governments run lotteries? Because governments make money on people who gamble, that's why."

Wealth really is more than how much money you have... money and your career are just means to an ends, working doesn't make anybody happy, spend as much time as you can doing what you love with those you love instead of turning into a workaholic.

Good for beginners
Some of the stuff is known info for people who have done some reading on the web but it's definitely a good guide for the beginners. I didn't really read other beginner personal finance books so it's hard for me to compare. ... Read more

Book Description
Kapoor/Dlabay/Hughes’ Personal Finance is the #1 market-leading Personal Finance text.It provides comprehensive coverage of personal financial planning in the areas of money management, career planning, taxes, consumer credit, housing and other consumer decisions, legal protection, insurance, investments, retirement planning, and estate planning.The goal of this text is to teach students the fundamentals of financial planning so they can make informed choices related to spending, saving, borrowing, and investing that lead to long-term financial security.Personal Finance, 8/e provides many financial planning tools using a step-by-step approach to help students identify and evaluate choices as well as understand the consequences of decisions in terms of opportunity costs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Service
This book was used but is in great condition. I saved a great deal of money bu purchasing it here. I will purchase furture books with no problem.

Personal Finance + Student CD
The book looks brand new and the cd was in a sealed package.I would highly recommend using Amazon for college books. ... Read more

Book Description
Focus on Personal Finance is a brief, 14-chapter book, covering the critical topics in Personal Finance courses. This 4-color, paperback text is designed and written to appeal to a range of ages, life situations, and levels of financial literacy.

A unique aspect of this text is its active approach.This text will not only get your students thinking about their current situation and financial goals, but also to put these in writing to use as a guide and revise over the course of their lives. The more a student involves themselves in the assessments, exercises and worksheets provided, the more they will discover about their current habits and how to improve them for greater financial freedom.

Students have many different financial goals, but none are more important than having a basic understanding of financial issues and peace of mind with regard to their decisions. The ultimate goal of Focus on Personal Finance is to get students to this point as a first step to achieving the many financial goals they have set for themselves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for the financially-challenged
This is a good book for those getting ready to move out on their own.There are chapters on checking, savings, insurances, investments, finding a home and/or apartment and many more.There is a continuous worksheet to help you in your financial planning.It is very helpful. ... Read more

Book Description
From America’s most authoritative source: the quintessential primer on understanding and managing your money

Money courses through just about every corner of our lives and has an impact on the way we live today and how we’ll be able to live in the future. Understanding your money, and getting it to work for you, has never been more important than it is today, as more and more of us are called upon to manage every aspect of our financial lives, from managing day-to-day living expenses to planning a college savings fund and, ultimately, retirement. From The Wall Street Journal, the most trusted name in financial and money matters, this indispensable book takes the mystery out of personal finance. Start with the basics, learn how they work, and you’ll become a better steward of your own money, today and in the future. Consider The Wall Street Journal Complete Personal Finance Guidebook your cheat sheet to the finances of your life. This book will help you:

• Understand the nuts and bolts of managing your money: banking, investing, borrowing, insurance, credit cards, taxes, and more

• Establish realistic budgets and savings plans

• Develop an investment strategy that makes sense for you

• Make the right financial decisions about real estate

• Plan for retirement intelligently


Also available—the companion to this guidebook: The Wall Street Journal Personal Finance Workbook, by Jeff D. Opdyke

Get your financial life in order with help from The Wall Street Journal. Look for:

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Identity Theft Guidebook

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Real Estate Investing Guidebook ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Easy to read and Helpful
One of my friend recommended this book. In a week I finished the book. As the book states, it does not come with some super ideas (hard or impossible to implement), instead it gives some helpful hints on many different subjects.
Especially after reading about "Debts" (bad debts), I reconsidered my credit cards and paid (not closed) 2 of them right away, I noticed I was paying huge amount of interest. The book paid itself in the first couple days.
And of course my 410K: I will try to invest more in that one, the facts about pre-tax issues were very helpful.

Elementary
This book is fairly entertaining to read, but too simple.The title should be changed to "Introduction to Personal Finance"This book would be helpful for a person puzzled by the choice between UTMA versus 529 college savings accounts and annuity versus term life insurance.It does not advise on how to evaluate stock and mutual fund investments.

Great Book - Good Overview of Personal Finance
This is a great book to get familiar with different financial terms, products, and processes.Probably not a great book for an MBA, but great for a laymen.Good practical advice on ways to save money or make the money you do have go a little further.
A good book to read for todays economy.

Excellent General Guide
This book is an excellent source of information about everything related to managing your personal finance. Without getting in too many details, the author covers whatever is required to know in order to build a foundation about personal finance: debit, credit, investing, planning, insurance and taxes.
Recommended to people who never thought about their financial future.

comprehensive but not condescending
I was originally looking at the "Personal Finance for Dummies" book, but I felt that it would be embarrasing to have on my home bookshelf. The Wall Street book has been fantastic in helping me make a financial plan for my future. It's comprehensive but not condescending language greatly enlightnened me. ... Read more

Book Description
Teaching the readers how to manage their personal finances, this book concentrates on the fundamentals and underlying principles of personal finance, rather than focusing on equations and specific tools that are more easily forgotten. Building on 15 fundamental principles of personal finance, the book helps the readers develop an intuitive understanding not only of the process of financial planning, but also the logic that drives it. This book starts with the basics of financial planning and goes on to such topics as managing your money, protecting yourself, managing your investments, and handling life changes. For financial planners and analysts, or those interested in personal finance management. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Textbook
I boutht this book as required text book for my personal finance class.The book is very informative, and is written in a way that even a beginner in the relm of finance would understand.

A Winner
Professor Keown has written an excellent overview of the personal finance issues and topics that impact our lives.This is a thoroughly readable text covering a wide range of topics including financial planning, cash and money management, insurance, investments and tax-related subjects.The author skillfully combines theory and practical application to educate the reader in a meaningful way.Highly recommended as a resource to increase your financial literacy quotient. ... Read more

Book Description
This personal finance book introduces readers to the concepts, tools, and applications of personal finance and investments. It builds on the 15 Axioms of Personal Finance, and helps individuals develop an intuitive understanding not only of the financial planning process, but also the logic that drives it. In order to leave a lasting impression, this book concentrates on the fundamentals and underlying principles of personal finance, rather than focusing on equations and specific tools which are more easily forgotten.Chapter coverage includes how to prepare for the financial future and highlights some of the important decisions to be faced. The book covers pertinent topics that relate to getting a job and turning that job into a successful career. It also provides easy to follow advice from an expert CPA that can be used as a learning tool in such areas as purchasing a car, getting insurance, investing in mutual funds, etc.For anyone looking for a guide to personal finance and financial planning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great service
This book was sent in a timely manner and was in excellent condition as stated.

Superb text on a vital topic- basics everyone should know
Personally, I think that we would all be better off if we spent more time in our education process teaching people about the realities of their economic lives.This is especially true of their choice of careers, managing those resources, and preparing for their "golden years".I could nominate a few topics I think we could cease teaching in order to have room for the necessary classes to provide people with real life financial management skills that can have a direct impact on the improvement of all aspects of their lives.

This book, "Personal Finance - Turning Money into Wealth" is a fantastic tool for students and ANY interested reader.I wish everyone would work through this book (or one very much like it).While it is never too late to develop these skills, the younger a person gets a plan for their economic life in place, the more power it has and the better off they will be long term.

I like the way Prof. Keown emphasizes basic principles (he has 15 of them) and planning.He begins the book by providing the foundation of financial planning, teaching the student how to measure their financial health and using that to inform their plan, understanding the Time Value of Money (a topic so vital that no one should graduate high school without knowing, in my opinion), and the basics of tax planning.

The author then provides some great information on managing money by understanding the realities of cash and liquid assets, credit cards (open credit) and the traps it represents, using consumer loans in PLANNED BORROWING (another important topic that is almost unknown to most consumers because of the misuse of open credit), and buying homes and automobiles.

I really enjoyed his next discussion on insurance.He talks about the various kinds of insurance, the kinds of protection they provide at what costs, and especially the situations in which buying insurance makes sense and when it does not.

The section on managing investments is good, solid, but BASIC information.Anyone doing anything beyond a few basic retirement plans will need to study other materials.This section is the one where I have a tiny quibble with the author.He differentiates investing and speculation by saying that investing involves putting money in assets that provide returns - stocks, bonds, etc - but that speculating is putting money in things like baseball cards that only have a price based on what others are willing to pay.I sort of understand what I think he is trying to say.

However, all investing is in some sense speculating.The buyer and seller have different views of the future (speculating about the future) and so they make opposite choices at a certain price.Either of them would change their view, presumably, at some other price.Stocks do not have a built in return and many do not pay dividends and too often nowadays their residual value is zero.Too often people buy stocks simply because they are going up (the greater fool theory) and get badly burned as we saw in the Internet Bubble collapse in early 2000.In any case, the caution the author advocates is sufficient and sound.I am just concerned that others use the terms "investment" and "speculation" differently than the author and might confuse those trying to enter the fray for the first time.

This fine text ends with a discussion of life cycle issues such as retirement planning, estate planning, and how all the pieces studied fit together into the grand plan.

The author also provides online helps such as problems, quizzes, and especially many useful spreadsheets that the student can not only use, but study to help them build their own that will be tailored to the student's specific situation.There is also a workbook with the basics of using a financial calculator and the worksheets called for in the text.

This is a superb text on a vital topic.Strongly Recommended for general readers as well as students in a class on this subject (which EVERY college student should be REQUIRED to take - or pass out of by test). ... Read more

Book Description

What would it be like to know that you were making the very best decision for every dollar you spent or saved? Can you imagine balancing your budget by the beginning of next month? Wouldn't it be great to know whether a pro's advice is right for your situation? How valuable would it be to have a customized financial plan that would serve you for life?

What you hold in your hands is the first step to achieving all of the above. Whatever your income, lifestyle, or financial concerns may be, The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook will help you put more power into every dollar. Like a financial global positioning system, The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook will show you exactly where you stand right now and the most direct path to where you want to be.

With easy-to-follow, quick-witted exercises, you'll discover all the ways that money touches your life -- from saving and spending to insurance to retirement. The Motley Fool's legendary smarts and math-made-easy will show you:

• How to create a workable budget that gives you money and a life

• The smartest (and fastest) way out of debt

• How to set priorities to guide your financial decisions

• The savviest ways to finance big purchases like a home or an education

• Tactics for eliminating stress when saving for retirement

And much more...

Hip, funny, and immediately useful, The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook is an indispensable hands-on guide for anyone looking to make the most of his or her money.

Download Description
"Pencil your way to financial security!What would it be like to know that you were making the very best decision for every dollar you spent or saved? Can you imagine balancing your budget by the beginning of next month? Wouldn't it be great to know whether a pro's advice is right for your situation? How valuable would it be to have a customized financial plan that would serve you for life? What you hold in your hands is the first step to achieving all of the above. Whatever your income, lifestyle, or financial concerns may be, The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook will help you put more power into every dollar. Like a financial global positioning system, The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook will show you exactly where you stand right now and the most direct path to where you want to be. With easy-to-follow, quick-witted exercises, you'll discover all the ways that money touches your life -- from saving and spending to insurance to retirement. The Motley Fool's legendary smarts and math-made-easy will show you:How to create a workable budget that gives you money and a lifeThe smartest (and fastest) way out of debt How to set priorities to guide your financial decisionsThe savviest ways to finance big purchases like a home or an educationTactics for eliminating stress when saving for retirement And much more... Hip, funny, and immediately useful, The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook is an indispensable hands-on guide for anyone looking to make the most of his or her money." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent money workboook!
Terrific workbook...great to buy along with their other book, "You Have More Money Than You Think". Can't go wrong with these guys.

Motley Fool Review
I bought 3 copies of this workbook - one for each of my kids. I love that it provides the basics for them to learn budgeting, etc. and how to support themselves!

Easy to understand and useful
I got this book a few weeks ago to get a feel for personal finance (I just turned 23 and i figured it was time) and it was oen of the best book purchases I ever made! It was laid out very simply with helpful charts and graphs so the math doesn't seem so abstract. Highly recommended!

Put this Workbook to Work
David and Tom Gardner have once again succeeded at making something difficult seem easy. As an estate planner, I know that many people avoid financial matters out of fear . . . fear that they're not smart enough to understand them. The Personal Finance Workbook puts valuable financial planning information at your fingertips and the forms to keep track of your finances are right in the book. If you are just starting out after college, or a Baby Boomer beginning to think about retirement, or someone retired, this workbook will be immediately useful. On a more personal level, as a dad, I am glad that a personal finance book like The Workbook exists. Young people who take early action on managing their finances and developing good savings habits will be infinitely better off in the long run.

James Lange, CPA/Attorney and author of Retire Secure! Pay Taxes Later: The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do

Great book...
I bought this book about a year after college, when I wanted to come up with a plan to get rid of some credit card debt and begin saving money.This guide is fun and interesting, yet informative.It guides you step-by-step through good personal finance habits, and allows you to prioritize what goals you have for the future.The most insightful to me was when it asks you to name the things you spend that LEAST contribute to your happiness and MOST contribute to your happiness.I.E. - it's not wasteful if the spending improves your quality of life - versus you're just spending to spend!The workbook section asks you to guess how much you spend on things each month and then actually track your spending for 6 months to help you develop a realistic budget & see how you did.It's definitely a wake-up call to people like me, who seemed to piddle their money away without realizing exactly where it's going.This exercise helps you find the answer to that question! ... Read more

Book Description
From spending and saving to investing wisely, get on the road to financial fitness

Need to get a handle on your personal finances? No problem — this practical, hands-on workbook shows you how to assess your situation and manage your money, walking you through a private financial counseling session. From budgeting and using credit wisely to planning for large expenses and determining your insurance needs, you'll discover how to make smarter financial decisions. Plus, the featured worksheets and checklists help you manage your day-to-day spending and plan for a robust financial future.

Discover how to:

• Take stock of your financial history and determine your net worth
• Build a personal financial plan that meets your saving and investing goals
• Develop good spending habits — and get out of debt
• Grow your wealth and protect your assets

Customer Reviews (1)

Some good pointers
This book gives you some good pointers not all of them financial. I wish I had read this book when I was in my 20s
... Read more

Book Description

The goal of this book is two-fold. The first is to have readers appreciate the importance of planning and have a basic understanding of planning techniques. The second is to develop readers' abilities to think critically and to make effective decisions. This book covers financial planning including the time value of money, cash management, buying now and paying later, investment basics, stock and bonds, mutual funds, and protecting your income and wealth. For financial advisors/planners and any individual seeking a sound financial plan.

Book Description

Drowning in a pile of bills, receipts and bank statements and don't know how to swim to the top? Organize Your Personal Finances In No Time will be your lifesaver. Written by a professional organizer and coach for the chronically disorganized, this do-it-yourself guide will show you how to create a fool-proof, easy-to-maintain financial system in a single day. Written in a unique step-by-step, to-do list approach, you will master skills such as tracking income and expenses, bill paying, creating a file system and shopping with efficiency. Then, learn to take all of your new skills and apply them to creating a savings plan, a budget and graphs to illustrate spending habits and debt details. When it comes to your finances, if the choice becomes sink or swim, let Organize Your Personal Finances In No Time help you swim.

Customer Reviews (8)

Getting finances in order used to be a struggle
This book was very helpful.If you take it step by step as in the book you will be organized in no time at all.I love how it is written step by step.Worked great for me.Now I am ready to face 2007 financially organized.

Here is the help you need in getting your finances organized.
Whether you have been managing your personal finances for years, or you have just left home and have no idea where to start when it comes to managing your finances, you will benefit from this book.Stanley's approach to teaching the reader how to manage their finances is fun, exciting and motivating.The ideas in this book are practical and easy to implement.They are easy-to-follow and are adaptable to various situations and varous personalities.

Great step-by-step guidance!
Because the books contains consise "To-Do lists" as well as flagged reminders of key organizing principles, it is easy to take the information from the book and apply it to each reader's own situation. Working as a professional organizer, I was able to utilize the information from the book to help my clients become less overwhelmed with all of their papers and stick to an organized bill paying system that works for them.

Organize Your Finances and Keep Them That Way!
This is an excellent guide that offers practical solutions to get your finances organized and keep them that way.Debbie Stanley's shining personality stands by the reader throughout the entire book as she offers a myriad of solutions to today's financial challenges.Her focus is on creating an organized, efficient financial system that works for you rather than you working for your system.The author emphasizes that even financial items need homes in order to manage financial clutter.Debbie offers recommendations for setting up financial files, automatic bill payment, financial software, daily mail, paper flow systems, and yes, even shopping excursions! The concept of being "organized enough" is stressed throughout as a pleasant reminder to keep it simple.This book is loaded with helpful tips, visuals and resources to help you save money, time, and frustration by creating a customized, efficient personal finance system.It's a "must have" book if you are ready to organize your personal finances and keep them that way!

Finally, an easy to follow book to organize your finanaces!
This book is great!I would have never guessed that a book on organizing finances would be fun to read, but this one is!It is easy to follow and is presented in a way that makes it quite simple to customize your own systems.In addition to all the wonderful financial advice (some which I did not even realize that I needed to know!), there is plenty of advice on organizing other area's of your life.For example, dealing with non-financial paper and clutter like magazine articles and catalogs.My favorite is the "room-by-room" files.They work awesome!
Every young person or couple just starting out should have this book!I'll be giving it for bridal shower gifts from now on! ... Read more

Book Description
This #1 market-leading Personal Finance text provides comprehensive coverage of personal financial planning in the areas of money management, career planning, taxes, consumer credit, housing and other consumer decisions, legal protection, insurance, investments, retirement planning, and estate planning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great reference in Personal Finance
To make the long story short, when I started to work as a CSR in a bank, I kept this book as a reference on my desk. Before that I tried to ask the branch manager - he didn't have a clue. In the end, I put it in bank's "Better Practices Manual" binder and used it it explain products to the customers.

Very interesting
I used this book for an online course that I took from BYU.It was veryinformative and interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

Personal Finance teaches students how to save and invest, manage student loans, decrease credit card debt, find reliable financial online and much more. Throughout the text, students receive advice from personal finance experts, and encounter a variety of real-life scenarios featuring people facing a wide range of financial challenges. The Eighth Edition also includes an easy-to-use guide to recent changes in tax laws, updated graphics and a more sophisticated color scheme, and coverage of the latest trends and topics.

• "Golden Rules of Personal Finance" boxes appear on the second page of every chapter. Each list provides concise advice on making good personal finance decisions early in life to avoid financial hardships later.
• "Advice from an Expert" boxes are co-authored by some of the nation's most renowned personal finance authorities.Topics include Money Mantras for a Richer Life, How Inflation Affects Borrowing, and Buy Your Retirement on the Layaway Plan.
• Group discussion issues appear as end-of-chapter activities, offering students an opportunity to share some of their personal finance experiences with others in the classroom.
• Chapter 19 has been rewritten to cover the basics of estate planning and focuses on actions newly employed college graduates should take to secure their assets.

Customer Reviews (1)

Should be required reading
(As the Amazon listing for this book has an incorrect spelling for the author-Should be GARMAN not GARNAB- I am reposting here.)
While this book is framed as a college-level textbook (and I am currently reading it as a certification requirement), it is a lot less daunting than many college textbooks. The chapters are short and manageable, and cover a wide variety of topics, from budgeting to taxes to credit cards to mortgages to retirement plans. The concepts are presented in a straightforward manner and the chapters are peppered with supplementary blurbs and side articles. At the end of each chapter, there is a wide variety of review exercises, and throughout the book you follow the ongoing financial journeys of several theoretical families.
This book should be used as a primer to real life. One warning, some of the material quickly becomes outdated (for example, the tax chapter), so be mindful of this if you don't have the latest edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

GREAT FINANCE/MONEY BOOK for GRADUATES
AFTER all the high tech, modernistic, ideolistic education kids receive in school, there is not much DOWN-to-EARTH education given to managing the financial basics...Assets & Debt, Credit Cards, Loans, Insurance, IRAs & 401Ks, Mortgages, Pensions, et al.

This book, although a bit dated (Note to Debby Fowles: We need an updated version), gives some of the best life style guidelines for financial issues.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it for High School and College graduates because it gives the basics about choices and risks concerning everyday financial issues.

The book lacks some of the latest issues, like Roth 401Ks, but that doesn't mean a person should not buy this book.

Worth every cent 'cause it makes good sense!Good book...JAS

Great for 20-somethings Just Starting Out
I bought this book for a younger sibling who has just set out on her own.I read through it at the bookstore and thought it'd be great for someone just starting out in the world - it covers a lot of the basics in an easy-to-read manner.Not great for someone who wants to learn some new personal finance tricks, as this covers most that some of us have heard over and over and over.But a great, and affordable book, for new high school/college grads trying to find their footing financially.

Personal Finance - nothing new to learn here
This book did not help at all.I thought it was kind of worthless.

Best $11 Bucks I've Ever Spent!
Finally! A book on personal finance for the average person. This book is filled with easy-to-understand advice about managing your money. You can read it from cover to cover or just browse through it and pick the topics you're interested in right now. The budgeting and credit card debt chapters are great. Even though it's geared towards those of us in our 20s and 30s, most of it is good advice for anyone trying to get ahead financially. Best $11 bucks I've ever spent. ... Read more

Book Description
Madura’s hands-on, practical approach and financial plan-based organization–its six-part structure mirrors the six steps of financial planning–ensures students learn to make sound financial decisions and leave the course with their own ready-to-implement financial plans. The Third Edition’s enhanced interactive format features integrated Internet resources and a new in-text financial planning workbook to make sure students get more for their money. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Book and Software
Personal Finance is a valuable tool for anyone looking to take better control of their finances. This book is approriate both for absolute beginners and for people looking for a more in depth explanation of finance. It covers many topics, including calculating your net worth, creating a budget, mortgages, insurance, and taxes.

The included software is very useful, allowing you to record your financial situation in printable spreadsheets. ... Read more

Book Description
A hands-on, interactive guide to managing your monday and building your financial future

Many of the worksheets in this book are available online and can be saved, printed, and recalculated at any time. Go to: WSJ.com/BookTools

Understanding your money, and getting it to work for you, is more important today than it ever was, because you alone are responsible for every aspect of your financial life, from managing your day-to-day living expenses to planning a college savings fund and, ultimately, retirement. The sooner you start taking control of your financial life the better, and there’s no greater authority on financial matters than The Wall Street Journal. This workbook takes the mystery out of personal finance and addresses every topic you’ll need to master, from building a solid financial base to growing your financial assets. Worksheets, charts, and step-by-step instructions throughout help you do the math and work through the basics, making it quick and easy to organize your cash and eventually build wealth. Learn how to:

• Create a spending plan and budget

• Balance a checkbook

• Make decisions about what types of— and how much—insurance you need

• Manage credit and debt

• Finance big expenses like real estate and education

• Understand and properly assess your own appetite for risk

• Formulate the right asset allocation

• Start building an investment portfolio

• Make real estate decisions like purchasing vs. renting

• Refinance a mortgage

• Manage your 401(k)

• Deal with taxes

• Plan for college expenses


Also available—the companion to this workbook: The Wall Street Journal Complete Personal Finance Guidebook, by Jeff D. Opdyke

Get your financial life in order with help from The Wall Street Journal. Look for:

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Identity Theft Guidebook

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Real Estate Investing Guidebook ... Read more

Book Description

Streamlined, straightforward, and simple to read guides from Standard & Poor's and Lightbulb Press.

The easiest way to get a grip on personal finance, investing, and retirement

From the world's leading financial analysts and investor education specialists comes an invaluable foundation of knowledge for every kind of investment you want to make. These guides, a collaboration between Standard & Poor's and Lightbulb Press, use clear language and informative graphics to demystify financial topics. The books make it easy for you to navigate the financial markets and understand the basics of investing and personal finance.

This guide provides the essential information you need to manage money and make key financial decisions. From saving for college to planning for retirement, the guide provides a concise look at saving, investing,credit, home ownership, insurance, and more.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book to learn the basics of personal finance
i read this books and its great. plain and simple. if you want to learn the basics on how to invest your money, buy this book ... Read more

Book Description
Start-today strategies for a better financial tomorrow.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide‚ to Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s, Third Edition, clearly explains everything members of this age group need to know to get a handle on their pocketbook and their portfolio, from planning their personal finances to enhancing their current financial plan to getting better returns on their investments. This revised and updated third edition includes completely new material on:
• Internet banking
• Debit and prepaid credit cards
• Online car shopping
• The latest in effective job hunting
• Online college degrees and what they can get you
• Investment strategies for the next decade
• Home-based employment opportunities
• New financial impact of marriage and children
• Home ownership options from building your own to townhouses and condos
• Online mortgage brokers
• All-new websites and resources
Download Description
You're no idiot, of course. You're financially independent: You pay rent, utilities, and loans all out of your own paycheck. You realize that your parents had to cut the cord sooner or later, and you're proud of how well you've adjusted. But when it comes to saving money for the long haul, you feel like an astronaut whose oxygen cord has been cut. Don't drift into a financial black hole yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s gives you an edge so you can get through financial hardships now, invest for the future, and even afford a luxury item once in a while. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Lack of respect for both readers of the authors themselves.
This book truly stands to the series name "Idiot's guides" by being full of extremely basic advice. These authors inform the readers that there exits publics transportation services such as subways and buses as good options to save money. Actually, this advice is not for an idiot but for someone who's been isolated from the world forever. Besides, the advice is only applicable to big cities, and even in those cities there are limitations. USA is basically made for car owners.

Want to compare pros and cons of buying vs building a house? You'd need to get much advice on whom to approach, how to tell good house builders from bad ones, what to do in case of scams, builder's associations to approach, and several more facts. Yet, these authors will only tell you in a long whole page that building a house has the advantage of being made as you want it, while a used one was made according to the previous owner's tastes. They say that "hopefully" (in their own words) you'll get a good builder team. And so it's the rest of the book. "Hopefully" you'll find a good book on personal finance.

But as for this book, you won't learn almost anything about personal finance. All you'll get is a chit-chat talk that you can get from any neighbor, relative, friend, co-worker, etc. I well know that many people have serious communication problems and these simple talks are not so simple for them. If this is your case don't let these authors take advantage of you and seek a good book. The Dummie's series on personal finance is a good alternative. If you also want some charismatic and inspirational reading, my recommendation is Andrew Mathews' books.

There are many scammers out there, self-proclaimed financial advisers. This book's authors are some of them. I think the most famous of all is Suze Orman. They'll tell you ton of very interesting stories, but that's no way to learn about finances. You'd never finish hearing personal stories, yet you'd still need to learn much more. These writers normally focus too much in making their reading fun, actually using a rather juvenile language and these authors' style is particularly juvenile since they wanted to identify with rather young people; they did it too well. These kind of sloppy authors also spent too much time on encouraging readers to save. The topic on saving is quite simple and lets them fill their books. As important as saving is, it must only take a few pages in book. If you do have a problem with saving, you'd better get a full book on the topic.

The big problem with more effective books on finance is that you'll have to deal with more math and less entertaining readings, and judging from the many reviews giving 5 and 4 stars here, I realize that this is a big problem for many people who actually prefer to fool around (or areactually terribly ignorant).

The book has several annoying commentaries that I could put off with if it really were useful, but since it isn't the commentaries just add insult to injury. The authors say, for example, that only like 10% of people around 30 have reached the 5 qualities of adulthood: being financially independent, leaving off their parent's, being married, having children and a 5th one I don't remember. The world is full of people with severely unattended children. And the fact that you are wealthy and with a stable job doesn't imply that you are ready to have children either. I can even say that most middle class and rich parents spend most of their time shopping, watching TV and more personal fun than spending time with their children. And the same applies to being married if you don't work your relationships. Being realistic by being aware that marriage and children is not for you is more mature that making a conventional family, and being able to deal with the loneliness that come with that is definitively mature.

It's a shame that two people, supposedly certified in finance, couldn't make a barely comparable work that what the Dummie's writer did on personal finance.

Basic Guide a Good Start for the Young Adult
Like all "Idiot" books I have read, this one has excellent organization. Technical jargon is kept to a minimum, and the conversational writing style moves along at a good pace. The level of user-friendliness makes the information instantly accessible and useful to young people who are concerned about their financial futures. The strategies are indeed suited to the age group in the title - 20s and 30s - because the strategies outlined are quite conservative.These will have limited use for people in their 40s or 50s who have suffered a devastating financial loss (such as foreclosure and bankruptcy)and are having to start over building for retirement. This book is just what it says. It provides a wealth of simple but crucial information, all for about the price of a movie ticket, with extra large popcorn and soda. Thumbs up!

So-so book. Get Suze Orman's instead.
I bought this book and The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous&Broke. Skip this one and get Suze Orman's book instead. Both books are for people in their 20's or 30's, but Suze Orman's book covers much more material and many more options. The Idiot's Guide tells the same old story: budget, budget, budget, and is very light on details.

Too juvenile
I found this to be ridiculously juvenile.I skipped the first ten or so chapters because it provided absolutely no information that any person over the age of ten should know.I did however find the chapters on stock and mutual funds, etc to be very helpful.Not for someone over the age of fourteen.

Great Book Excellent Transaction
This seller is fabulous and items are as promised and delivered lightning quick. ... Read more

Book Description
While focusing on the student's role as a citizen, student, family member, consumer, and active participant in the business world, MANAGING YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES informs students of their various financial responsibilities, and provides opportunities for self-awareness, expression, and satisfaction in a highly technical and competitive society. Students discover new ways to maximize their earning potential, develop strategies for managing their resources, explore skills for the wise use of credit, and gain insight into the different ways of investing money. Written specifically for high school students, special sections in each chapter hold student interest by focusing on current trends and issues consumers face in the marketplace. ... Read more