Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties

By Beth Kobliner

Book Overview

The New York Times bestselling money guide for people in their twenties and thirties--it's all-new, and just in time This completely revised and updated 5th edition will help Gen Z and millennials get a financial life.

If you're in your twenties or thirties, you probably think you'll never live as well as your parents. And who can blame you?

Rents are higher than they've been in years, and the concept of buying a home of your own seems like a pipe dream. You're carrying more student debt than any previous generation, while confronting an extremely tough job market in incredibly uncertain times. It's not surprising that many of you have turned to credit cards--or your parents--to help you get by. Even if you are fortunate enough to have a job and a 401(k), the uncertainty of the economy, surging prices, and the volatility of the market make you worry if you're investing in the right way.

For three decades and counting, Beth Kobliner's bestseller Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties has been the leading financial guide for young people. Whether you're trying to climb the corporate ladder or doing your own thing, whether you're single or partnered up, whether you're financially inclined or fiscally challenged, this book offers advice that has stood the test of time--as well as fresh information to make smart decisions today.

In this new edition, Kobliner teaches you how to pay down debt, get a good return on your savings, and plan for your future. Straight from the latest research, learn how to choose the right bank, avoid excessive fees, and rein in spending. You'll get unbiased advice on the latest trends in personal finance--from neobanks and finfluencers to online fraud and cryptocurrency. And you'll get answers to important questions: When is it smart to rent rather than buy (and vice versa)? How can I really improve my credit score? When is the right time to invest in the stock market--and how? How do I save money on my taxes?

Get a Financial Life has already helped half a million people get a handle on their money, no matter how much or little they have. No wonder it's remained the young money bible for more than thirty years.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1668095351
• ISBN13: 9781668095355
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Just what the doctor ordered

My father bought this book for me and it's been absolutely great to read and take notes from. It isn't deep, it isn't complicated, but it does have some very good information in it. I'm 21, about to graduate from college, and admittedly don't exactly have the best financial practices in the world. This book has already helped me get more organized and on-the-ball with my finances, though, and I think it's something I'll keep around as reference for some time. A previous reviewer complained that the book is shortsighted and only targeted at people in their 20s and 30s. Well, so what? If you want more in-depth, there are more than enough books out there to cover all the things you could possibly want to know. This isn't meant to be a guiding light for your personal finance from now until you die. it is meant for younger people and it serves them quite well, I think. It's not a limitless resource or something for people already well-versed in good personal finance management. If you're looking for a handy book with practical, real-world advice, though, then this should serve you quite well.

Finances made easier

Finally, a book that doesn't assume your money woes are allowing your heirs to intherit their trust funds with as little tax as possible, finding the best long term care insurance, or how to save money by clipping coupons and doing every house project yourself. (I even read a book on frugality once that suggested getting a goat, because you won't have to mow your lawn anymore and you can have fresh milk everyday)How about a book for someone who knows that the best time to invest is when you are young, but is intimidated by the purposefully complicated langauge of the financial world? That would be this book. It is written very comprehensively, occasionally so much so that it feels a little "dumbed down", but that is okay.Get a financial life starts with the basics of the basics. Setting up a checking account and an emergency savings fund, and avoiding bank fees while you do it. I couldn't help but to think, if you are in your thirties and don't have a checking account yet, you need more help than this book could provide...but anyway, this book then goes on to cover credit cards, auto insurance, health insurance, 401k plans vs. IRAs and Roth IRA's, mutual funds. It does it in a way which is not so dry to read that you feel like falling asleep, and not so demanding that you know you will never be able to accomplish your finacial goals without spending your life huddled over a calculator.I would gladly loan this book to anyone who is going to be on their own for the first time. You HAVE TO know this stuff if you are going to make it in the real world.

An easy-to-use reference guide

I bought the original edition of this book after seeing Ms. Kobliner on a morning news program. I was rather uninformed about my finances at that point. I had several thousands of dollars of credit card debt, was about to finish grad school and get married, and didn't have a job waiting. Worried about merging my bad financial life with my future husband's relatively well-organized one, I bought this book.Together, my husband and I read it and developed a road map for what we thought we needed to accomplish. It gave us the basics to get our financial life on track, including paying off all the credit card debt (we carry none at all), getting a mortgage, buying a new car, and starting retirement plans. Now that we arethinking about insurance, starting a family, planning for college funds, etc., this was the first place I thought to turn for well-seasoned advice. This book covers a lot of topics in an accessible format, but I acknowledge that for someone who is already aware of their finances and has some knowledge, it may be repetitive. But I always find myself wanting to go back to it when I have questions--so today I'm buying the updated edition, and letting a financially challeneged friend keep the other one.

An excellent introduction to managing your finances

I bought an earlier version of this book way back in 1996. I had just gotten my first job and I was looking for information on how to manage money and to find out how much I could "afford" when buying a car and/or other expensive stuff. This book helped with all of that. It helped me understand the basics of personal finance, loans, insurance, 401(k), etc. There's lots of good advice in there, so I'd certainly recommend buying this book. The information is this book is beautifully organized and very easy to digest.Unfortunately, I haven't learnt a whole lot about personal finance since reading this book. I've read numerous books on personal finance after this one. All of them tend to say more or less the same things as this book, but they haven't said it as well. Bottomline, if you understand the basics of personal finance (such as the principles of compounding, the importance of investing early in a 401(k), why it's bad to have credit card debt, etc.), you can probably afford to skip this book. Otherwise, it's a must have.

Excellent gift for those in their early 20s!

It is a very easy read - and can either be read cover-to-cover, or you can read which chapters you think will help you most. I have had a hard time trying to read Rich Dad, Poor Dad (as it is rather boring), but this book was a great read. It really helps you understand different financial terms and how it effects you. Also, (not to be a dork, but...) it kinda empowers you by showing you how you can control your finanical situation - no matter if you make $10,000 a year or $100,000 a year. I really, really recommend this book - it completely helped my husband & I figure out how to manage finances post-college and how to better our situation. Which also helps our relationship, because we don't have to argue about money - we developed a sound financial strategy which we both understand. I am not going to pretend it didn't take 7 months of mistakes to realize how important some things are :) Some things you just have to learn on your own!