This book is structured to educate in three primary areas: saving and managing money, investing & insurance. It also provides basic instruction on key financial concepts and concerns for individuals. Also provided are recommendations of decent companies to explore and guidance on protecting your assets and further educating yourself.

Having read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and other financial guidebooks, I feel that this book is a sound and less dramatic guide. Ramsey has a very focused and defined message; Tyson in this book keeps the conversation open and discusses options. I like that Tyson's approach is not as condemning of certain choices (credit cards - which he doesn't condone - are still discussed in a way applicable those who appreciate the benefits).

Overall, this was a good book with a lot broader discussion than most financial advice books. The parts on investment and insurance are especially educational. I appreciate the way these sections discuss topics that most books and people think should already be known by the reader. It is clear that the point of the book is education; and Tyson does a good job with that.

If you are reading this in terms of tax factors and other time specific elements, I do recommend getting access to the most recent edition. Tyson has kept information and Tables updated to give the most accurate numbers available.

I have read this book several times since my late twenties. I am now 50 and the book is still very useful to me. It is not a get rich quick scheme and the advice may seem boring to young people, but the basic message is that you must live within your means, save for the future, and avoid people who are selling you bad financial products. Is it a sexy message for a 20 something? No, of course it isn't. But it is an important message that they really need to hear.

Like I said, I got a lot out of this book at many different stages of my life. Now on the 7th edition, and it is still rock solid. Even a financially savvy person like me needs this info.

Inspiring. Helpful. Comprehensive approach with not just dealing with money but with lifestyle of living within one’s means.

Awesome book to learn to manage your finances!

This is a comprehensive and powerful book for an overview for personal finance. This was the first book I have read from the "for Dummies" series and was intrigued by this book based on my interest in personal finance. As a disclaimer, this book is much like a textbook and I think that it is more for referencing various topics, rather than reading through like I did. This book begins with basics, such as budgeting and credit cards before delving into more complex subjects such as investing within tax-deferred accounts, college planning, and insurance. In my opinion, the second half of this book is far more challenging to understand for a finance neophyte such as myself. While I have done considerable self-education, I still think that many of the concepts in the second half were more difficult to understand. I will say that the most valuable portion of this book was likely insurance and speaking about the various types and necessity. However, that was also the most dry portion of the book. Most personal finance may cover insurance, but I think that most people, including myself, glaze over at the concept, leading it to be under-appreciated and under-learned. I think any of the more complex topics (eg. real estate investing, college payments, insurance) could have been a whole book or course within itself, so I do think that the author did a strong job for these very large subjects. Smaller and simpler topics such as budgeting and credit cards were covered adequately. The one criticism or critique I would have when it comes to this book would be when it comes to career planning, as this book does not mention that. Of course, that could be interpreted and spoken about at length, but I think prudent career planning is a driver to be able to use all of these concepts and that one's income is likely the most valuable asset over a working lifetime. Therefore, there should be some talk about it. Last notes are that Tyson is very objective, which is wonderful in an industry that is fraught with misinformation and salesman and honest about certain situations (eg. avoiding a consumer lifestyle, etc.) Overall, a strong book and a good recommendation for all ages.

Educating myself on personal finances has been a big goal of mine these past 6 or so months. The good news, is that I know more than I think I do and already have some pretty good practices in place. There was definitely some new solid advice that I will be following, but even the stuff I already know about was just good to read for my own confidence. You don’t have to be a genius or devote hours and hours of research to be in good financial standing.

I wish I had read this book at least 10 years earlier, but really it’s never too late for this kind of stuff. I think the other surprising thing through all of this is that just educating myself alone has made me more exited about saving and investing money. I am so much better about thinking on it before I make an impulse purchase that I don’t really need. A year ago I would have bought a designer handbag with my work bonus, now it goes towards retirement savings!

I know it’s kind of easy to make fun of these “For Dummies” books, but Tyson did a really good job of simplifying the content and recommending good next steps. If you don’t want to read it (I don’t necessarily blame you), I’d love to share some of the things I learned. Financial independence is so important.

A valuable, BS-free reference for someone getting their first real job and entering the workforce. I would recommend this time and time again.

Full of good, helpful advice. Chapters are helpfully titled; some of them will be useful to you, others probably less so. You can definitely skim the sections that don't apply to you.

A few drawbacks:
- I think economists assume people have hours a day to tend to their finances, and this book is no exception. The first guide that provides "here's how to manage your finances effectively in one hour per week" is going to make a lot of money.
- I was fine with the occasional philosophical aside, but the political asides were irritating. Maybe I would feel differently if I had agreed with his positions, but economists' political takes are so often uninformed by any context outside of economics. Anyway, this is a self-help book. I picked it up to understand how to fund a 401(k), not to read about the author's opinion on universal health care (spoiler: he's not a fan).

I absolutely loved this easy-to-read informative book about personal finances. When I first opened it I was almost a blank slate, knowing only the very basics of what benefits I need and how to bank money. Now I understand investments, retirement, strategies to save, how to protect my assets after death, and how to be properly insured. I took notes along the way and am actually excited about creating my personalized plan and following through to provide my family with financial health. Everyone should read this book.

This is a good financial planning read with specific tips and resources throughout. I appreciate Eric Tyson’s balanced tone throughout, no hyping one thing or fear-mongering about another; though, it can be a somewhat boring read too - which is probably why I half read, half skimmed this book.

I’ve been wanting to make sure we’re on a good path financially and this helped me evaluate what I’ve done so far and whether I need to correct or anticipate something new I hadn’t thought about. Recommended as a map to what comes with financial planning in the States.

Pretty generic, not enough worksheets to actually help calculate personal situation

A lot of useful tips and information.