this book is very well-written. Very accessible by the layman or laywoman. I have read a few financial texts in my life and have invested in mutual funds and 401Ks for a while, so I am not a complete novice, but this was a good refresher on the differences between investing in stocks and bonds, the difference between taxable and non-taxable securities, what you should/should not invest in through a 401K compared to what you should/should not invest in through a directly purchased investment such as a mutual stock fond or mutual bond fond. He promotes purchasing funds rather than stocks or bonds directly because you get experienced management with your investment.

His approach is very sensible. He tells you what kind of insurance you need and what not to waste your money. He distinguishes between catastrophic insurance and insuring for possibilities that would not be catastrophic. For example, losing your ability to earn money when you have dependents is catastrophic. Having a fender bender that costs $500 is not. YOu can probably afford a deductible of $500 for your car insurance and you will spend a lot less every year in insurance (plus look at how much decreasing that deductiblew to $250 every year will cost you -- you might be amazed at how little sense it makes for you to carry that each year).

There are several chapters I did not read because they do not apply to me, so I cannot speak to them. These are chapters on saving for a child's education, buying life insurance (we have always had life insurance from our employers), and buying real estate.

I give this book only 2 stars because most of it doesn't apply to be. I'm not a homeowner and so don't need advice on mortgages, I'm in no financial position to play the stock market, etc. For a mid-twenty-something, the useful information I gleaned from this book could just as easily come from Wikipedia or better yet, my dad! Not to mention making any sort of investment right now (CD, bond, long term savings plan) has such little pay off it's almost not worth it to think about. Maybe when I'm ready to settle down this book will be useful, but as someone just scraping by, there's only so much you can do.

This book provided a relatively comprehensive overview of personal finance in terms that were easy to understand. It solidly fulfilled the promises inherent in its title—what more can I ask for?

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).

Very helpful if you are completely missing the basic for personal finance, otherwise there are few interesting takeaways. Unfortunately the US market has some differences compared to the EU one, therefore some points won't be interesting.

Basic but a good read

Very informative book with useful tips.

A solid book with a lot of good information.

Entertaining and incredibly informational. Easy to read. Gave me some confidence in personal finance and ideas for how to approach “adulting” after finally getting my first professional job. This book is a bit dated occasionally like when referring to a time when everyone one may have computers (paraphrasing) but the content and the ideas are still very applicable and pertinent to me. I expect they remain that way for most people. Extremely helpful and easy to read. Will start implementing these ideas now :)

A lot of useful tips and information.

Book was good to get a good foundation on financial independence. However I wish it talked more on retirement accounts.

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