Rating: 
Summary: Professionals Only
Review: This is such a good book about every aspect of our money. Ric is truly a master money manager and gives sound steps on how to handle it well. However, as a community financial counselor who deals with "Middle Class America" on a regular basis, this is not a consumer friendly book. For a more practical approach to finances that hit Americans where we live, I'd recommend "How to Save Money Every Day" and "Shop, Save and Share" by Ellie Kay. These books don't deal much with higher finance, but they help with personal budgets, daily life and they do it with readable humor.
Rating: 
Summary: Like a Dummies Book, But Much Better!
Review: I recently had to do some cramming for an estate planning session with our family attorney and this book was my reference for understanding wills, trusts, insurance, and IRA plans. Even though I have a degree in Finance, it helps to have this subject explained and diagrammed in an easy to understand formula. I think Mr. Edelman did a great job with this work. The charts and diagrams are outstanding. If you're going to do any estate planning, start by reading this gem.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book to use as a reference.
Review: I have read this book from cover-to-cover. It is wonderful! I use it often as a reference book, and give it away as gifts to my clients.
Rating: 
Summary: Or The Way It Is
Review: I found this book to be very helpful, in that it explains basic facts about money in a simple easy to read manner. The examples are funny, observant, and terms that many find confusing are explained. For example, what are bonds, cds, IRAs, Roths, etc. Also what is important if you want to build up your Savings. I found it to be eye opening and relevant. If you want to get out of debt, the real answers to how it works. Each section is short, and can be read within a few minutes. Each chapter isn't just a long tome, but is divided into subsections that can be read in a few minutes each. I recommend this as a good beginning book regarding money.
Rating: 
Summary: some good facts surrounded by sillyness
Review: There are some good facts in this book that you can find in just about every other personal finance book. However, there are some statements that are made in this book that are either half truthes or inaccurate. For example, he states that not investing in the stock market is riskier than being in the stock market which is BS. Secondly, he tries to make an argument that CD's are actually volatile by showing a chart of average returns over the past 30 years. This is a half truth...just about every kind of account's return will change but CD's only change once in a long while but you will always get a positive return. Comparing CD's volitility to equities is silly. His other books are rediculous self promotion, rehashed articles and statements from this book...don't bother. If you want a real good pers. finance book, read The Richest Man in Babylon, you won't need to read another after that. Personal finance is a subject that after reading one good book, you will know all you need to know. All the other books are repititious and often inaccurate and filled with biased information like this one. Writing a personal finance book is easy money for these people so beware. There are even personal finance books for pregnant women! Personal finance is personal finance...money doesn't care about your gender or whether your pregnant. Once you are well educated about this subject, you will know how to handle your personal finances in any situation, woman or man, pregnant or not.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and Comprehensive
Review: As someone about to graduate from college and assume responsibility for my own finances, I found this book to be an extremely helpful introduction to money! A particularly useful aspect of this book is the LARGE amount of variety (in topics, that is). Having minimal knowledge of finances, I am now much more confident knowing that there is easy-to-understand information in this book on savings, staying debt-free, retirement, investing, buying/selling a home. . .
Rating: 
Summary: Sarcastic and self promoting
Review: A little good information lost is a sea of self promotion.Save your money and look at the clean, less dogmatic books put out by the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Edelman's style is to make you feel stupid for being human, but then try to sweet talk you into buying his other books (which have pretty much the same information in them). Also, question any book written by someone who makes his living earning commissions selling insurance and invesment funds - how unbiased can he be?
Rating:
Summary: One of 5 fi books you'll ever need.
Review: This tome has vast knowledge about nearly every financial topic you can think of. Get it, you won't be sorry. Ranks right up there with Rich Dad, Poor Dad, but this is a reference.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I reccommend this to anyone who is interested in investing. It give you a starting point in choosing your investments wisely. My only gripe with the book is the lack of information about online investing. Edelman pretty much ignores the subject. It is extremely easy to read for those of us who get tired of reading the drawn out boring financial books out there. Definitely a must read!
Rating:
Summary: The truth about Money
Review: I found this book lacking in honesty. Edelmans nonsense about how awful index funds are compared to managed funds is utter silliness. He fails to mention all of the costs associated with managed funds when comparing to indexed funds.
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