The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook (The Wall Street Journal Guidebooks)
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
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Review by Chad T. Thompson for The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook (The Wall Street Journal Guidebooks)
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Waiting for a flight I picked up this book and simply never put it down until I was done with it. I am probably a little more interested in understanding my personal finance and opimtizing my personal finance than most but I think this book should be read by everyone over 20. As a husband and father in his mid 30′s the best insights this book gave me was to think and re-think about elements of my personal financial situation and choices. After finishing the book I immediately started to dig into areas such as:
-re-thinking credit card rewards programs vs. using my debit card
-insurance policies
-re-thinking my monthly mortgage
-evaluating our college savings approach
I have read many books on personal finance in the past but none that had this balance of depth and breadth to it. This enabled me to get a handle on topics that I have never really wrapped my mind around like ROTH IRA’s and annuities.
I highly recommend this book if you’re at all interested in better understanding the options avaliable to you and how to control and better manage your personal finances.
Review by 31u3b1rd for The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook (The Wall Street Journal Guidebooks)
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I read this entire book in two sittings. I found it fascinating and easy to comprehend. My husband only recently aquired a 401(k) and we were lost. Neither of us has parents in the “investor class” (financial vocabulary is not something we grew up with). It would have taken me years to figure out all this information on my own. Logically, I realized that we needed to be strategic about the early investments that would generate the capital we will continue to invest as we age, but I didn’t know exactly how to do this. The book clarified almost everything for me. The book justified with evidence a lot of things I held uneducated hunches about. I now understand what a P/E ratio is! How cool is that?! In addition to clarifying most of the 401(k) issues, there were also good tips on personal finance. One reviewer said these are obvious. They are not obvious to a lot of people because they go against how most people use their money. My parents were anxious about carrying debt, and I am too as a consequence. But many people are not raised that way. This book does more than say “have a budget, don’t carry credit card debt, buy inexpensive cars, etc.” It explains the consequences of not doing this in financial terms that are eye-opening. If you want to learn the logic behind common financial advice this is a great place to start. It isn’t a “do this, do that” kind of book. Rather, it gives you the overall picture, and the knowledge you need to take control of your own finances. Each person’s financial situation is unique. Be wary of one-size-fits-all financial advice, and don’t be at the mercy of others’ advice because they are mostly out to make their money with your money! Not that you need to be paranoid, but knowing some basics will help you avoid putting your money in places that may look good but are really all wrong for you.
Review by Steve Burns for The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook (The Wall Street Journal Guidebooks)
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This book distilled a lot of knowledge about how to apply different financial vehicles to your own finances. This book is like condensing basic wall street journal personal finance information into a book.(Which it is )so you do not have to try to wade through it for months or years trying to figure out basics when you are getting started in the world of investments.This book touches on stocks,bonds,futures,options,dividends, money supply flow chart, historical stock market performance, and much more. Highly recommended for beginners, the more experienced might find it to basic in things they already know,great education for the rest of us.
Review by Avid Reader for The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook (The Wall Street Journal Guidebooks)
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The beginning of the book (probably limited to first chapter) contains too-basic concepts which made me wonder if I’d bought the right book. But reading further on it proved to be quite useful. To a newbie in this area, it provides a very good introduction to various financial aspects of one’s life like buying a home, retirement, savings, etc. If you need to know the ABCs of these things, then this is the book for you. After reading it you’ll feel armed before buying a house or investing in mutual funds. Of course, it is not the know-all book only a “beginner’s course” and thats reason I gave it 4 stars not 5. It also enumerates good pointers to related websites. Overall, I would recommend this book.
Review by E. Powley for The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook (The Wall Street Journal Guidebooks)
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For someone just getting their feet wet with personal finance, this book is an excellent introduction. It is a concise and engaging read that all high school students ought to read, as well as those wanting a refresher on money matters.