Customer Reviews

Family Financial Workbook: A Family Budgeting Guide with CDROM

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It doesn't matter if you think you make a lot of money or hardly any - a buget is crucial. I can't stress enough how much this book has helped my wife and I to create and follow our budget. We hope to be out of debt in a number of years when before we saw no real way we could be out of debt.
Please - read this book! Give it a chance.

This is an easy read with good forms but is directed at individuals who have no experience with budgets or other financial planning. Very basic and a good tool for college age or young just married.

This book is probably the best and most practical book I've ever read on budgeting. It doesn't just tell you what to do, it actually guides you step by step and even gives you all the tools you need to make a budget work. It's very easy to read and the ideas are easy to apply. Buying this book will be one of the best decisions you've ever made.

I still have "The Financial Planning Workbook" from when I took a class at church in 1985. Thinking of leading a similar class today, I purchased this updated version and started working through it.

The book has some good financial principles regarding debt management, impulse buying, budgeting, etc. Unfortunately, in the Percentage Guide (p. 45), the Tax category is woefully inaccurate. At the lowest income level, he allows only 5.1% for taxes, which (based on the Monthly Income form) is supposed to include FICA (7.65%). The 1979 version of the book allocated a probably more accurate 12% for taxes at the lowest income level.

More troubling, though, are the assumptions the book makes about the reader. It doesn't take long to realize that the book was written for young, married, straight couples with exactly two children. The "testimonies" twice mention how good budgeting allowed the women who stay at home to raise children. In a "Family Goals" exercise (p. 21), we read, "(Wife asks) What can I do to help you fulfill your responsibilities as spiritual leader of our family? (Husband asks) How can I better fulfill my responsibilities as spiritual leader?"

I realize that a budget book can't print tables for every possible family constellation. Unfortunately though, rather than simply saying "our tables are an example for one kind of family," Burkett seems to go out of his way to make his definition of family a matter of principle. If you're single, or someone who considers marriage an equal partnership, or a woman with a career, or childless, or have four children, or are self-employed, or are retired, you may find yourself feeling excluded by the assumptions in the book. If you can look past all of that, you may still get something out of the financial exercises.

This book has helped me organize my budget over and over. Some may say it is oversimplified, but why make things harder than they have to be? This gives several different ways to look at your budget and I love the worksheet format. I even made copies so I could continue to use over the years.

Guide to getting out of debt and staying out of debt - much needed advice!

This book is filled with great guidance and help in planning a budget. I have never been able to figure one out and make it work before this book. This is a must have book!!

This book is a wonderful tool for getting your finances in order. It is easy to read. Easy to understand. And extremely easy to use. By following easy steps, you develop a clear understanding of your finances, spending habits and ultimately what your budget needs to be. The ease of use make it more likely that you will follow the program and get control of your money.

My wife and I bought this years ago and it was well used. Bought the latest for our daughter and she found it helpful, too. Would recommend to anyone that needs help in controlling their finances.

This is a great book to read if you want to get your family finances in order. I bought 4 so that my friend an family could as so work on their finances. We are all better for reading and following the book.

Thanks,
Nikki