Description:
Compared with sex and the end-of-season clearance rack, perhaps stocks and debt instruments are "boring abstractions," as Susannah Goodman acknowledges. But the former consumer advocate and daughter of Jerry Goodman, the host of TV's Adam Smith's Money World, is able to draw a clear connection between these boring abstractions and that "awesome house with plenty of windows, three dogs, three children, and one husband." Girls Just Want to Have Funds is her sassy but sensible, Oprah-style primer on financial planning for females. The book, it must be said, may set off alarm bells in women who don't need their finance feminized. But if you're not allergic to makeup metaphors and a strong dose of we-dumb-gals clichés, Goodman will prove money matters are understandable and help you formulate a simple plan for getting your financial house in order. Goodman starts off with the three things everyone must do to start building a "personal financial empire": save early, get a retirement plan, and open a Roth IRA. By the end, Goodman has explained how inflation shrinks money sitting in a checking account, where stocks and mutual funds come from, and how bonds work (and what those ratings mean). Also covered are how to think about immediate vs. long-term financial goals, how to cope with tax-time travails, what to do if you're interested in socially responsible investing (for those sporting ovaries and a concern about the environment), and why the stock market has mood swings. Clear examples, multiple-choice questions, and a lot of cheerleading make these concepts go down easily. You won't be investing like Warren Buffett after reading this book, despite what the author says, but if you're starting out as a Little Miss Muffet about money matters, you'll exit this book with your fear of finance tamed and under control. --Nina Mehta
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