Rating: 
Summary: Solid Introduction To Personal Finance
Review: If you're looking for a highly readable, yet relatively complete, book about personal finance, look no further than "Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Your Future" by Jean Chatzky. Chatzky, a columnist for Money Magazine, provides solid financial advice.According to Chatzky, learning to talk about money is comparable to learning a foreign language, which seems a bit of a stretch. Learning to talk money is much easier! Chatzky says that while sex is a relatively comfortable topic for casual conversation, that talking money is taboo (What crowd's she hanging out with?). As you learn to talk about money, Chatzky says you'll make more intelligent personal financial decisions. The first chapter of "Talking Money" discusses personal financial goals. Chatzky poses five questions to ask yourself about your personal financial goals. First, what do you want to achieve this year with your personal finances? Second, what do you want your money to achieve for you in ten years? Third, what do you want to accomplish with your money far into the future? Fourth, are you willing to begin achieving your financial plans? Fifth, do you know enough to get started with your financial dreams? Chatzky compares setting financial goals to exercise. She says that attending a full class in cardio kickboxing will tire you out the first day, but if you keep at it, you will get stronger. Similarly, getting started tracking your expenses or saving might at first seem tiring. But, as you learn to do it, you will become financially stronger. "Talking Money" gives solid advice about choosing the right credit card for you. And, Chatzky provides good questions to ask about any credit card you consider acquiring. She also discusses credit ratings. "Talking Money" also notes that anyone who claims to be able to improve your credit rating probably isn't legitimate. The second chapter, "Talking Savings," was highly readable. Chatzky says we probably want to know where our money goes. So, she recommends personal financial programs, such as Quicken or Microsoft Money, for tracking your finances. She notes that some people become highly addicted to tracking their expenses to the penny using such computer programs. They join the "Cult of Quicken." If you don't want to use a computer to track your expenses, Chatzky gives a short list of personal expense categories that will probably suffice for basic budgeting. The chapter "Talking Investing for Safety" does a solid job of introducing money market accounts, treasuries, money market mutual funds, short-term bond funds, and tax-free funds. Chatzky tells us that Treasury Bills are 3-12 months in maturity, Treasury Notes are 2-10 years in maturity, and Treasury Bonds are up to 30 years in maturity (I'd just lump them all together and call them Treasuries, but then too, my French sucks). Chatzky suggests that if you plan to buy Treasuries and hold them until maturity, you should buy them directly from the government (publicdebt.treas.gov) to avoid paying commissions. "Talking Money" points out that the difference in yield between various money market mutual funds is due to the differing expense ratios that the funds charge investors. Chatzky mentions ibcdata.com as one source to track money market fund rates. (But, unless you have a lot in a money market fund, you might want to stick with your usual broker.) Chatzky also makes the important distinction between money market funds which have only temporarily lowered their expense fees to draw in business and money market funds (such as Vanguard) which tend to keep expense ratios low on a consistent basis. (Chatzky also notes that credit card companies are notorious for offering teaser rates which shoot up.) The book does a very good job of explaining why we shouldn't invest in stocks for short-term savings goals. My favorite chapter was "Talking Spending" where Chatzky gives great tips for saving money on your purchases. She notes we must be informed consumers. For example, when buying a car, it's best to know the dealer price. Then, we can work from that and see how much mark-up the dealer is trying to get. Chatzky suggests edmunds.com as one source of dealer prices on cars. Also, when ordering mail-order or over the internet, Chatzky says don't forget shipping charges. I wish I had given this some thought before I ordered my 17" PC monitor from across the country! I would have saved $40 by buying one locally. That's money effectively thrown away. Chatzky tells us that buying a used car is often the best deal when purchasing an automobile. She tells us two-year-old cars have depreciated in price by about 60%, yet, typically, a two-year-old car has only expended one-third of its useful life. Other chapters discuss talking real estate, talking insurance, talking investing for retirement and college, talking with your aging parents about money, and talking with your spouse about money. Overall, "Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Your Future" by Jean Chatzky is very readable and provides good financial advice. Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor"
Rating:
Summary: The ABC's of Personal Finance
Review: Jean Chatzky's Talking Money is a must-have for anyone who holds a career in financial services. I say this because, if you're like me, friends and relatives constantly pester you with basic financial questions that require more patience than expertise to explain to the uninitiated. Talking Money is a fine solution. Jean breaks down complex issues into fundamentals that are useful explanations for the beginner and helpful reminders for a more advanced financial planner. Her chapter on insurance is particularly strong. It was refreshing to read what I consider to be the true lowdown on insurance; typically, one gets nothing more than an inflated sales pitch from most insurance brokers. This book should be on your shelf, especially if you deal with financial novices.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Resource
Review: Jean's book is terrific. It is both comprehensive and easy to understand. It has tons of practical advice to help the average person deal with the mysterious world of investing and finance. I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about planning their financial future.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing and Dull
Review: Poorly written book by a marginally knowledgable person. Miss Chatzky doesn't uncover anything original or even interesting.
Instead she just repeats old money sayings and tries to pass them off as helpful. They aren't.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and Dull
Review: Poorly written book by a marginally knowledgable person. Miss Chatzky doesn't uncover anything original or even interesting.
Instead she just repeats old money sayings and tries to pass them off as helpful. They aren't.
Rating:
Summary: Great Financial Advice
Review: Read it through, then use it as a reference. The questions at the end of each chapter provide a good summary and review. Jean Chatzky teaches us all we need to know to handle our personal finances. Good advice from her mother, too.
Rating:
Summary: Great...Martha Stewart Writes a Book...
Review: So, she's an Editor at Money Magazine, she writes for USA Today, I see her on the Today Show, I watch her on MSNBC, I've heard her on the radio. I really wanted to hate this book by the little Martha Stewart of Finance. Unfortunately, I can't. The book is fun and chock full of useful guidance. She's a bit too cute to be this good at what she does. If she makes a movie, I give up.
Rating:
Summary: Good solid advice from a money expert
Review: Talking Money will teach you everything you need to know about all aspects of Personal Finance. From credit cards to buying bonds. After reading Talking Money, you will know what you are talking about and best of all you have the best information to suit your own personal needs. Great book. Great advice.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks, Jean
Review: This book is terrific. Witty, folksy, an easy read. Who knew personal finance could be this interesting? Jean Sherman Chatzky provides all the facts you need with just enough fluff to keep you awake. If you're looking for something boring, there are plenty of other choices.
Rating:
Summary: Finally! An excellent, clear, take-charge guide!
Review: This is an excellent, fundamental guide to taking control of your finances! As a 20-something with everything from looming graduate loans, to wanting to save to buy a home, Jean's advice is exactly the clear, basic, and never-boring information-guide I was looking for. After watching her for a couple years on the Today show, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book encompasses most every topic she has covered in interviews, and then some - and so well!! I was especially grateful for the sections on aging parents and family finances - which tend not to be in other, more 'fluffy' personal finance books.. There is so much must-have information here. I highly recommend it!
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