Personal Finance Simplified: The Step-by-Step Guide for Smart Money Management

Every individual who is starting their career must go through the book personal finance simplified. As the title suggest this book explains the ins and outs of the finances in a simple, easy to understand language with practical examples. The book clearly explains the importance of saving, budgeting, investing, making purchases and managing debts. It tells you want to do and what not to do to build wealth like going for good insurance, why not to invest in mutual funds and differentiating between wants and needs. There is a lot of information that one can benefit from this book. Definitely a must read for every beginner.

This book has some great information. It is simply written and uses easy to understand terms. It can be helpful for people at all different stages of their life. Whether you are just starting out, trying to retire, or like me somewhere in-between this book has some helpful financial tips in it. Right off, the Ten Simple Ways to Trim your spending is a winner. I already do several of those things on a regular basis, so I know they really save you money!! I am an avid couponer, it works. I will never use a non-bank atm, pay my bank $3.00 and that bank $3.00 to get my own money, No way!! I learned something important from this book. I thought I was using or keeping a Budget! I often mentioned to people who don't use one, I didn't know how they managed without one! This showed me how much information my budget was missing. There is actually a segment in the book called 7 Budget Categories People Tend to forget! I will be adding a couple important things to my budget. Including a line for my kids, to cover things not covered in their allowance, school supplies, or clothes. What might that be you ask? Kids needing money for some donation project in class. This varies from class to class, science teacher is collecting a one time $5.00 donation and going to save/adopt a Lost Brazilian tree slug. Or a last minute get together of the honor society to celebrate Academic awards at a Pizza Parlor, $15 per student. I never knew were that stuff went, so it went nowhere! (Does that make me bad? Lol) I really liked the Snowball effect in helping to pay off your bills faster. I wonder how many families out there really have an Emergency fund? Does your family have one? I know we don't. :( Something to think about. There is even some basic information about buying a home, investing spare income, 401k's and choosing life insurance. All great help when you are at those stages. (I received this book at no charge.)

"Money doesn't make you happy but it quiets the nerves" ~ Sean O'Casey This is a three part book that sets out systematic plans for managing one's personal finances, distinguishing between money managers and money users, claiming that there is a big difference between the two, with money managers being in the naturally thrifty corner. I personally don't think it has to be a polar opposite claim; Everyone must learn to be both money managers and money users.The first part of the book focuses on money as a tool, one that all people must strive to use well. From a mental health perspective, this philosophy could be a guide for everyone throughout their financial lives as a source of wisdom, and a foundation of one's financial philosophy. Part one outlines strategies for managing one's personal income by creating a budget that encompasses a person's expenses and their income. This would be something that is helpful to everyone, regardless of where they are in life. Part two creates a financial plan of making and following a budget. Part three is a "how to" of investing, buying a home and retirement planning. I think this book would be especially helpful for individuals just starting out in their careers; A good primer for developing good financial habits and especially for planning ahead. Setting goals as outlined in chapter one would be invaluable for people just starting out, financially speaking, or for those who have gotten themselves into a tough spot with their money and need a plan to help them get out of it and avoid trouble in the future. Although the strategies and suggestions are quite good, there was one thought that kept coming to mind as I read it - life is what happens while making other plans. In other words, not everything can be planned out and budgeted for from the beginning of career life to retirement.

I found this book really enjoyable to read. Most personal finance books preach financial guidelines, making me feel like a dummy for not picking up the "rules" of personal finance sooner. Trying to make sense of mutual funds, which ones to pick, creating and maintaining a diversified portfolio. The information was so "dry" and boring I never finished personal finance books. This book gives you practical advice and choices. It presents their information in a simple fashion with multiple examples of choices that can be made. The author doesn't make you feel stupid for your past choices but you feel that you have choices that you can make now that can greatly impact your financial future. You really stop and think about what the author is saying. and how you can apply it to your future financial decision. i realized many little "dumb" money mistakes that I have made. I used to spend $5-$10 on lunch 5 days a week. Total for the month is $100-$200 just on lunch alone. By making my lunch like I do now I am saving money, time, and frustration at lunch. I also can save $50-$100 that can be used in a more useful way...like savings that I never seemed to have at the end of the month. I mean i meant well but my savings account balance always stayed the same, and my investment account didnt exist

That single step is changing the way you think about money, seeing it as a tool and not merely something to use. The illustration the author uses is simple—an examination of how a group of coworkers approach a $5 lunch bill—but the implications are profound. And the author keeps coming back to a single point that will resonate with anyone who finds their budgets stretched to the breaking point—“Money flows from those who do not know how to manage it to those who do.” Or to put it even more simply—the system is set up to “enrich money managers at the expense of money users.” I’ve never heard it put just that way but when I read those words, something clicked. As the title promises, this is a simple (but not condescending) step-by-step plan to change the way you interact with money. The writer dispenses a little tough love, reminding the reader that nothing changes if nothing changes, and then following up with concise and clear information that won’t make your head hurt. The writer has a light touch without getting whimsical—the chapter on bad debt is called “Borrowing Trouble”—but there are serious solutions here for serious problems. The good news is that the problems HAVE solutions and after finishing the book, the reader will feel heartened. “It’s never too late to start caring out a financial future,” is good news to people who are afraid that their financial future is working decades past retirement or housing their worldly goods in a shopping cart. You’ve got to start somewhere when it comes to managing your money, and reading this book is a great first step.

This book is a real-life view of the realities, good and bad, of getting serious about personal finance. We all have checkbooks, but it's understandable that we don't focus on planning until we are in crisis. That kind of thinking has to stop if you want to ever be able to retire. This book discusses everything from simple budgeting, to creating short and longer term plans, to building wealth. The writing is simple to understand and straightforward; it may even be considered heavy-handed at times. Sometimes I felt like I was being scolded. However, that's ok. Why? Because as the book points out, the topic is "personal finance," not general finance. It's my money. My future and my responsibility to plan wisely. This is a great guide toward success.

This is an excellent little book with a lot of tips that will save you from unnecessary spending. What I appreciated most about the book was how practical the advice was. For instance, it is suggested that you write down your three worst financial issues in detail. This speaks to a practice I’ve been following in other areas of my life for years—it’s easier to recognize your problems when you write them down. That’s how they become concrete issues that can actually be addressed. The book also forces you to ask yourself a lot of thought-provoking questions, such as, “Do I like the way I live?” and helps you take steps to rectify your lifestyle based on your answer. In short, this is a sensible book that anyone who wants to make more financially conservative changes in their life will find useful. Even those of us who are just money-conscious will appreciate it. (Full disclosure: I received this book for free, but the views I am expressing are my own)

Personal Finance Simplified is just like the title says: very simple. It is a crash course for anyone who wants to begin managing their financial life by keeping a simple budget of income and expenses. The methods introduced in the book are easy and can (and should) be implemented by anyone right away. The book also goes explains the various types of loans (good and bad), and gives some guidelines on how to invest in the future and make your money grow. Anyone who wants to begin to track and get a handle of their personal finances should read this book and follow its advice. This book is just the beginning, though, and further reading will be necessary. Lots of references are provided at the end of the book.

Nothing in this book is rocket science, but its no-nonsense approach to improving personal finances leaves the reader thinking yeah, I can do this. It starts with the absolute basics and walks you through the construction of a detailed budget. Showing you how to break down ALL expenses is especially helpful (versus the catch-all ‘miscellaneous’ column) in seeing exactly where you can cut. Clear examples really drive the point home, like the first one about the $5. I like the distinction made between money manager and money user. Budgeting, student loans, bank fees, buying a home, investing – it’s all there. A must gift for every new graduate and kid leaving home. And parents can read it before wrapping it up!

I wasn't sure if I'd like this book. I am an artist and money seemed boring to me. Well. This book makes it fun..enjoyable and engaging. I've even been inspired and motivated to up my art sales. I read in the FT newspaper a letter from a reader: a boy with 50p in a sweet shop will be a better manager with money than a boy with £10. I loved this simple wisdom and that's when I ordered this book. It doesn't disappoint. Thank you Tycho press for making personal finance simple to inderstand.

If money scares you but you want to get a hold of your situation...read this in less than a day and take action...you will see a difference in months

Had a very basic understanding of personal finance. This book is a fantastic introduction to how to deal with financial ambiguity, and advises the best methods to improve your current situation.

Ok