Personal Finance For Dummies

By Eric Tyson

Book Overview

Many Americans don't understand personal finance. If you're among them, it's probably not your fault. Personal Finance 101 is not offered in our schools - not in high school, not even in the best colleges and graduate schools. It should be. There are common financial problems and mistakes and different people keep making those same mistakes over and over again. Personal Finance For Dummies, 3rd Edition, like a good friend, can stop you from falling into those traps. This book is for anyone who wants a crash course in personal finance. It's basic enough for a novice to get his or her arms around thorny financial issues, but advanced readers will be challenged to think about their finances in a new way and identify areas for improvement. In a nutshell, this easy-to-understand guide is for anyone who wants to Get out of high-interest consumer dept Plan for major goals Start an investment program Minimize high piles of bills, receipts, and junk mail You'll explore what it takes to start an investment program as you diagnose your current financial health, set new goals, and reduce your spending. Personal Finance For Dummies, 3rd Edition, also covers: Figuring out where your dollars are going Solving debt and credit problems Reducing your tax burden Picking up wise investments Paying the right price for insurance Figuring out where to go for more financial information Best-selling personal finance writer Eric Tyson is a master at keeping it simple. And his third edition of Personal Finance For Dummies, can help you consider your higher life goals and non-financial priorities (your family, your friends, and your causes) and how you can best accomplish those with the financial resources you have.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764552317
• ISBN13: 9780764552311
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 504 Pages
• Weight: 1.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 1.1" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

If you make money, you need this book

They don't teach personal finance in schools. In this book, author Tyson teaches what every high school in the nation should teach anyone who plans to earn money. This book provides excellent advice on how to save your money and how to set your savings and spending priorities. In particular, Tyson takes into account the tax advantages and disadvantages of various approaches, and he gives an easy to implement way to maximize the tax benefits that the government provides to encourage wise financial decisions. It is true that the author likes Vanguard's mutual funds and his book clearly recommends them (along with some others). He's in good company: Consumer Reports also recommends some of Vanguard's mutual funds, and Vanguard consistently has the lowest costs in the mutual fund industry. Finally, a word of advice: Avoid, avoid, avoid any book that recommends dubious tax evasion schemes like starting your own fictitious business for the purpose of taking tax deductions on personal expenses. Instead, buy this book and follow Tyson's recommendations on taking advantage of legitimate tax benefits associated with wise saving and spending.

The most informative book on the subject I have ever read!

I work as a financial professional, counseling individuals regarding the options in their employer-sponsored retirement plans. Although the counsel I can give is limited to their retirement plan, several have asked me for advice in other areas of their financial lives. I do not hesitate to recommend this book. Whether you are starting from square one in getting your financial house in order, or your checkbook is balanced to the penny every week, there is information in this book that will benefit you. The "For Dummies" format is perfect for this subject, and Eric Tyson does an excellent job of breaking into layman's terms the most complex of finance and investing concepts. Also, an excellent section on selecting a financial planner is provided. I have often seen the devastating effects that the wrong financial advice has wrought in people's lives. The list of criteria to apply when seeking a financial advisor is one of the most valuable tools I have seen on the subject. This book is one of the most valuable resources I have ever seen in helping the average person get control of their financial lives. Applying its principles will pay immediate as well as long-lasting rewards.

Required Reading

When I bought the first edition of this book, I was a poor post-graduate loaded with bad debt. At the time, I knew nothing about CD's, funds, stocks, bonds, insurance, 401(k)'s, home-buying, budgeting, saving, debt-reduction, taxes, or any other basic issues of personal finance. All I knew is that I never could seem to "get ahead" financially. Tyson's book led me from this sorry state through four years of self-education and growing self-confidence about controlling my own financial future. Even now, debt-free and market-positioned, I still reference this book when I encounter a new facet of my financial life. No "get-rich-quick" scheme, Tyson lays out a solid framework for anyone interested in getting and maintaining control of their own financial situation throughout a lifetime. The ideas he lays out help a person not only educate him/herself concerning money, but also instill confidence that a financial situation can be corrected or controlled personally.Although this book would serve as a valuable reference to ANYONE interested in their own financial future, it would especially be useful to a young person just "starting out" or to any person who feels overwhelmed by their own financial situation.