With exhaustive information on everything from money-saving tips (buy in bulk, don’t use credit cards) to how to purchase a house and invest in the bond market, this handbook explains all the basics of dollars and cents. Using simple descriptions and occasional blurbs from financial experts around the U.S., it goes on to more daunting topics like IRA withdrawals, disability insurance and the difference between good and bad debt.

One of the highlights: a series of useful appendices that demonstrate, for example, model personal budgets and methods for financial calculations like figuring compound interest.

There’s nothing really new about the information presented in this book, but if you need help with the basics—how to establish a budget, how to determine the best places to put your money, how to protect your investments, how to start planning for retirement—this is a solid guide that will get you up to speed quickly. Definitely recommended.

By Robin C. Springer
January 15, 2008

Have you ever wanted someone to wade through the mountains of financial information that’s available “out there” and just tell you what to do to handle your money well? If that describes you, then this Personal Finance Handbook might be exactly what you are looking for. This is a comprehensive guide to handling every major aspect of your personal finances. Beginning with a discussion of budgeting and its benefits, it then clearly instructs the reader, step by step, on exactly how to create and live within a budget.
From there, a lesson on banks and banking procedures introduce the reader to the “larger picture” and how their own finances are affected by banks. It is a very enlightening chapter, and one that anyone who deals with banks ought to read and understand.
The strongest message contained within the book is the importance of creating and growing savings. This topic is very well covered, from the first “Why Save?” question to how compounding interest can work for you, to very practical chapters on specific practices and opportunities, depending on one’s circumstances.
Also well-covered are topics such as insurance, financial advisors, the wise use of credit, debt correction and avoidance, real estate and its role as an investment tool, stock market investing methods, and even taxes and their impact on your wealth. There is a very helpful appendix at the end of the book with worksheets, tables and graphs to help with specific tasks, all designed to help you along the road to financial well-being.
I would highly, highly recommend this book to anyone whose knowledge of the world of money might not be complete. The author is very clear, concise, and sensible about his instructions to the reader. It is truly a hands-on, tell-me-what-to-do guidebook to building one’s wealth.
Five Stars
-30-

Another useful chapter is the one on debt and divorce. Considering the 50% divorce rate in this country, this is good information to have on hand when stress and emotions can overtake common financial sense.

Overall, this book is a reference guide on most every topic having to do with financial stability that college students, working professionals and retirees will find beneficial.

From trimming down spending habits to tackling important tax issues, Ms. Clark walks the reader through sixteen time-friendly chapters of finance management. Written for the diverse reader, whether blooming into new financial responsibility or someone looking to reevaluate their monetary situation, this book is an essential tool for everyone seeking to take control of their money and financial future.

Each clearly defined chapter begins with a poignant thought and ends in an informative summary of the chapter’s ideas. Topics of interest that can be found within this book include, debt management, achieving a higher income, what to report on tax returns, basic to more professional investing, how to find lower mortgage rates, putting your child through college and retirement planning. In addition to well written chapters, the reader can find clever tools in the appendices, where practical worksheets and tips make financial management as easy as reading this book!

This step-by-step guide is a rare asset amongst the commonplace “money guides” of our time. Ms. Clark has found a way to organize a dense amount of valuable information in a way that isn’t overwhelming to the reader. Buying this guide may be a small step in the everyday rush, but taking control of your financial future is the biggest step toward peace of mind that an individual can take.

Buying in bulk, using coupons and examining your daily habits to see how much you spend each year on those daily cups of coffee are covered in this book which also outlines how to go about preparing a budget.

Readers at every stage of their financial life and in any income bracket would find this book helpful. Anyone facing a financial crisis will find some ideas, and hope, for how to begin to take steps that will bring relief. First-person case studies are highlighted in gray. They show how some people have taken steps needed to get themselves out of near financial disasters. It’s always inspring for readers in similar situations to know that others have been there and have survived, even flourished.

It’s clear the author takes the topic of financial planning serioulsy. The book warns against services that offer work that you could do yourself without having to pay a hefty fee, such as credit cleaning services. It also outlines common investment scams.

To illustrate various concepts, such as showing how compound interest can make your savings grow, the book uses graphs and charts. It also provides basic definitions for a variety of terms that anyone interested in become more financially astute should know, such as what is a bond and what is the Financial Deposit Insurance Corporation and what does it do? I think this book is one that readers would refer to time and time again as they go through their financial lives and prepare for a variety of phases, such as buying a first home or planning for retirement.

The Complete Personal Finance Handbook
Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future
by
Teri B. Clark with Foreword by Juan Ciscomani

“So many consumers believe that financial management is about denying themselves life’s pleasures. They do not see that financial management is simply managing their money in a way that leaves them in control; it is about tempering ‘wants’ with reality.”

~ Teri B. Clark

At last, a consummate “point and shoot” handbook that prepares you for any money-related boon or boo-boo! In plain, conversational and informational style, Teri B. Clark takes the reader through fourteen short chapters; each devoted to a specific topic on managing one’s finances, how to stay ahead of looming debt and wisely plan for the future.

Ms. Clark begins with a chapter on budgeting, signaling it as the “first step toward financial success” and ends this little gem of a handbook with actual worksheets. (A companion workbook on CD-ROM is also included, featuring charts and quizzes, as well.) Next up are easily readable chapters on Elder Care (Estate Planning, Power of Attorney), consulting with a Financial Planner or Advisor or, perhaps, using a software program to do the figuring, yourself. Simple to more complex banking skills are explained (savings, checking and Money Market accounts), along with a brief discussion on the importance of the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) and what it actually does. Ms. Clark defines us as a “spend and throw away” society, and offers tips to tighten up spending habits. Starting to save, save, save early on in one’s life is stressed; for example, taking advantage of employer- matching savings plans, namely 401ks, stock options or direct deposit options.

Ms. Clark reminds us that the biggest expense a person experiences in life, are taxes. The pros and cons of choosing CPAs (Certified Public Accountants), attorneys or other personnel to help you decide how to make the most out of reported earnings and, quite simply, how and what to report, comprise extremely valuable information. Such topics as establishing credit, buying a home, investment basics, avoiding investment scams, building a portfolio, identity theft, purchasing stocks, bonds and or CDs (certificates of deposit) are laid out in simple language. At the end of each chapter, a recap (“Now You Know”) is provided; as are actual case studies and links to professionals who offer their expertise in specific areas of finance. The Complete Personal Finance Handbook is a fresh, direct look at modern money management.

Chapters include examples and comparisons throughout to illustrate the points, such as the example in Chapter 15, “Creating Fixed Income,” charting and comparing CD laddering techniques in a way any reader can replicate. The appendices include worksheets for you to complete, sample forms, and additional resources. For example, “Appendix C: Insurance” includes a simple worksheet for tackling the often confusing task of figuring out exactly how much life insurance you need. Case studies include personal stories of financial troubles and advice from finance professionals, both of which highlight the need to take control of one’s finances instead of being controlled. In essence, The Complete Personal Finance Handbook is more than a typical handbook; it is a financial companion that I will be consulting for a long time to come.