cover image Let's Get Real About Money!: Profits from the Habits of the Best Personal Finance Managers

Let's Get Real About Money!: Profits from the Habits of the Best Personal Finance Managers

Eric Tyson, . . FT Press, $19.99 (332pp) ISBN 978-0-13-234161-5

Tyson, syndicated columnist and bestselling author of Dummies guides to personal finance, investing and mutual funds, provides a solid guide to breaking counterproductive money habits and adopting a healthy approach to personal finance. His first suggestion—assess your money knowledge—is simple for readers to implement, thanks to several handy quizzes that identify the gaps that lead to common mistakes. Tyson offers tips for dealing with procrastination, money avoidance and disorganization, as well as assessing money beliefs and practices. The book's gem is a personal financial action plan that allows easy assessment of current assets and retirement goals. Common sense advice on budgeting strategies, reducing expenditures and taxes, and borrowing and debt management adds up to an effective, if familiar, plan for achieving control over and maximizing financial assets. Chapters on investing, managing risk, insurance and hiring financial help round out this comprehensive approach. This book demystifies the many obstacles—from the logistical to the conceptual—to smart financial planning. (Dec.)