I'm torn between giving this a 4 and a 5, but I'll round up because I think EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS.

Get A Financial Life is literally the textbook-that-reads-more-like-spark-notes to getting your finances in order as a young adult. Firstly, this book was released years ago, but just released an updated 2017 version so everything is 100% accurate (tho technically you can put $18500 into your 401k for 2018, up $500 from last year when this was released, but that's easily forgivable).

The first chapter is pretty much "I Need Help and I Need It Now" and it gives you a brief summary of everything in the book. Both so you can understand some of the steps this book can help you with and also get information to those people who don't have time to read, quickly.

I'll admit, this book can be a bit dry, but it's finance, it's hard to make it super interesting, especially if you aren't in the best place financially and would rather make minimum payments and call it a day. BUT this book doesn't use extra words or try to make this more complicated than it needs to be. It breaks down common vocabulary words, the steps you need to take, how to take those steps, and it's unbiased in all the options it provides. The sections are clearly marked and you can skim or just head to the portions that apply to where you are at. There are tons of graphs and charts with examples so you can see how some of the topics covered would actually play out. Every chapter closes with an FAQ section (that's actually helpful) and a "financial cramming" page that sums up what was in the chapter. At the end of the book there is a ton of resources for "additional reading" if any of the chapters really grabbed ahold of your interest.

Some of the major topics it covers is Debt (student loans, car loans, credit card debt, etc), Renting vs Buying - and how to do both (there's a ton of stuff on mortgages too, which I wish I read sooner), Insurance (car, life, health), and Investing (401k, IRAs, Bonds/Mutual Funds/Index Funds, etc etc). There's a few other chapters in there that are also helpful (even one on Military Benefits which doesn't apply to me, but I've literally never seen that in a general finance book before), but these are the big dogs that people in their 20-30s probably are dealing with.

I'm already past a few of these milestones, but I wish I read this 5 or 6 years ago, because I was a little late to the personal finance game. GIFT THIS TO ALL YOUR COLLEGE GRADUATES. But also maybe include some money, cause they read a lot in college already - give them some incentive, but also this book.

It would be a good book to keep on your shelf for reference, but the reading was dry. It might've been better for me to handle If I hadn't read 3 finance books already this year. (Note: Even though the edition I read was published in 2017, the info on tax forms is already out of date. Kobliner refers to forms that no longer exist, so if you're relying on advice to pay taxes, check online for a better guide to which forms you need to use)

This is a pretty good read for recent college grads. They do a good job of making things simple so you can feel comfortable getting started. If you follow their advice you will likely out grow it within 5 years, but that is a good thing.

This is an excellent book to read to get your head wrapped around finances. It’s easy to follow writing and simple explanations allow the reader to follow along without feeling overwhelmed.

Though the only caveat with this is book is that it’s not up to date. What I mean by that is now there is clearly a ton of resources online to do research on things like getting the best mortgage rates or filing taxes yourself than what’s in the book. (A lot of recs to buy magazines or contact banks directly). Also some of the rates are off now as they change frequently such as tax brackets and average interest rates. HOWEVER, it is a great place to start. If there is something you’re super interested in - like investing, starting a retirement fund, etc - start HERE. Get your grasp on the terminology and the basics then move on from there. If you already know the basics this isn’t for you.

I’d recommend this book even to teenagers just getting their first jobs and figuring out how to tackle the adult world. Wish I had read it 15 years ago.

Practical knowledge explained in a simple, but not annoyingly simple, way. Helpful chapters on insurance and taxes, which other finance books I've read haven't covered.

This is the book I would recommend if you're interested in learning anything about personal finance. My only complaint is that I had read this book five years ago.

It's not a book that you can just sit down and finish. I took awhile reading this partly because it's not the most invigorating topic, but also because there is SO MUCH information. Kobliner touches on everything.

I also love that she gives an amazing list of what to read after. I'm planning to add many of those to my Want To Read shelf. I also love how this is updated as of like last year. It's way more helpful than some of the other books I've read that is a bit dated. I plan on buying myself a copy and my siblings that are graduating high school, too.

I first gave this a rating of 4 stars, but I have recently re-read portions of it, and decided to raise this to 5 stars. Actually, I feel very fortunate that I read this when I did, which was just dumb luck (I think I bought it at an airport bookstore when I was traveling once shortly after college, and bought it on a whim).

It's not that it's the best personal finance book ever written; there may be others that are as good or better. It's not that it is incredibly detailed; it just covers basic topics. However, it is comprehensive, and after reading this in my early twenties, it has enabled me to make smart financial decisions ever since.

Here are some of the important points that it covers:
* Which documents to throw away, and which to keep (and for how long).
* Why you should save, and why you should pay off high interest rate debt.
* What's the difference between stocks, bonds, and money markets.
* Why you should start saving for retirement as soon as you can.
* Why you should invest in mutual funds with the lowest fees (hint: compounding interest).
* Why index mutual funds outperform most actively managed funds (hint: low fees).
* What types of insurance you need, and what you don't.
* What to look for when getting a mortgage for a first house.

None of that is unique, but it's something every 20-something needs to know.

I've read a lot of personal finance books and this one put me to sleep the fastest. There are much better options out there that will keep you engaged and present the information in a much, MUCH more digestible way. Just simply not laid out in a reader friendly format in my opinion. I would recommend Simple Path to Wealth or Safe Half, Retire Fast over this book.

I appreciated this book for its tone, informativeness, and practical advice. As an avid fan and reader of Suze Orman books in the past, I did feel like there was less “new” information presented here. That said, it is also updated with useful modern references and resources. If there is someone in their 20s or 30s who is in possession of any sort of debt and/or does not have much by way of understanding the basics of personal finance, I would 100% recommend this to them.

What I ended up doing is skimming the book and focusing on the areas or sections that would be relevant for me. I wish there were an updated book like this for folks in their 30s/40s who are (hopefully!) out of the financial “crisis” period of drowning in credit card/student loan debt and looking for guidance on how to balance longer term financial and lifestyle goals.

Great introductory personal finance book. It covers a wide array of basics to get people started in the right direction. Definitely not a book for anyone looking for the next level of detail and knowledge. I think it would be a good reference book to provide for a college-age person just entering the world beyond school.

This was full of great info but was not a page turner. This might be better as a shelf reference guide, or maybe for someone who needs such a specific and detailed overview. But I prefer books that are more readable and not ones that feel the need to type out dozens of URLs that become obsolete instantly.

Read per the recommendation of several friends. Somehow missed the existence of a newer version and got the 1996 edition from the library. I doubt the actual advice has changed much, however. The specifics of taxes, interest rates, etc have always been in flux. There would just be websites instead of 800-numbers. I really liked how this covered a wider range of financial advice than a lot of these books do, like a whole chapter on insurance. It wasn't just savings and credit and investing. There were no rants about the evils of taxation (although she still tells you to maximize your deductions) and you're told that sometimes it's actually better to rent. I already know a lot of this, but I'm almost 40. It's solid advice for younger people. Although somehow the book did keep making me drowsy, so it took many sessions to finish. And this subject matter usually doesn't do that to me. Maybe she did need to rant a little more.