(Book Review) Personal Finance for Dummies, 9th Edition

Overview

Review Published: January, 2020.

From financial advisor, economist, and author Eric Tyson comes a in-depth examination of successful personal finance.

From the basics of conscious spending and saving, to building wealth through investment options, this book serves as a comprehensive primer for anyone looking to take control of their personal finances.

Rating:

4 / 5

(Great Content, Presentation is Clear)

What does this score mean?

Difficulty:

Intermediate (Author assumes no initial knowledge, but there is a learning curve from there).

Length:

468 pages.

Where to Buy It:

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What's Good

Very comprehensive & in-depth content; the author starts with the simplest aspects of personal finance (i.e. conscious spending & saving), and expands from there to include several advanced topics (i.e. investing, insurance, and seeking financial advice).
Backed by extensive experience; with over 3 decades of experience ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual consulting, the author uses those expertise to make virtually all aspects of personal finance as understandable as possible.
Extremely accessible & readable; the author takes the often complex topics around personal finance and spells them out as plainly as possible, making this a long but surprisingly understandable read.

What Can Be Improved

A few minor additions would round out the book; a bit more detail about the specific mechanisms for investing would have fleshed out some sections of this book for those looking for a one-stop source of information (however, for the curious these aspects are examined in detail in the author’s other books “Investing for Dummies”, “Mutual Funds for Dummies”, and “Home Buying Kit for Dummies”).

The Bottom Line

Essential for making the most of your hard work; the advice in this book will help you make the most of your hard-earned money, giving you more options in your personal and professional lives.
For anyone to become more proactive with personal finance; from students to seasoned professionals, there is something here to help everyone manage their money more effectively.
A great start for those looking to learn the detailed ins-and-outs of personal finance; for a very reasonable $30 (or a trip to the library), you will gain a deep and actionable understanding of how to save, manage, and grow your money (but if you’re looking for a less intense way to learn the fundamentals, take a look at “I Will Teach You to be Rich” ).