Customer Reviews

Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know about Your Finances and Your Future

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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!

I found this book to be a pure joy. Jean Chatzky's writing style mirrors her effective presentation as a regular on the Today show. Sure, some of the information is old news, but only because the book is just so complete. Her writing style makes even typically dull subjects like mortgages and credit cards fun as well as clear. I'd recommend this book for anyone who is intimidated by personal finance, anyone who thinks they need financial advice, and, yes, even those who think they do not. Tons of info and a pleasure to peruse.

If this book is supposed to get us up to speed on important financial decisions then why does it spend so little time on very important topics (only 1 1/2 pages on bonds and less than 2 pages on mutual funds)?

We need to invest to have money as we get older or to send our kids to college but this book has no more substance than a thin pamphlet.

After reading almost half of this book I feel like I now know less than I knew when I bought it. This book had potential but it totally misses the mark because you walk away with almost no usable information.

What a waste.

I think this is a terrific book! I, too, have always enjoyed Jean's commentaries on the "Today Show" and in Money magazine. But you need this book so you can refer to her good advice again and again--I know I'm going to refer to it often! And there's a lot of great advice here that's totally new. Knowing how to talk to your aging parents about family financial issues, for example, is one of the issues this book handles really sensitively and well. To be honest, some investing topics can be just too complex or too blah if you don't have someone to explain them in plain English. That's what Jean does best on TV and I was thrilled when I opened this book and found out that she "translated" so well to print! Even subjects like insurance and real estate were totally understandable and even enjoyable, and it seems to be loaded with useful little ideas--minor things you can do to achieve big savings or make your money work more productively! Maybe all of this is a little too fundamental for people who do nothing but invest all day long, but for the rest of us I think Jean's book will be really helpful and a breath of fresh air. Also, she seems like "one of us"--not some talking head.

This is not only the best financial book ever written by a female financial author, it is the b est personal finance book period.

You will learn how to buy a home the right way...without getting stuck with a "fixer-upper" (RE: Junk)

You will find the money to fund your childrens college education.

You will find out to how invest for profit.

You will find unique ways to save money and then powerful ways to invest it.

The attacks on Chatsky and comparisons with JBQ are getting old and tiresome. Chatsky is a certified financial advisor. Quinn is a writer. Besides, Chatsky's books actually leave the book racks (RE: They sell)

Talking Money is a good read. Highly recommended.

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.

I have enjoyed watching Jean Chatzky on the Today Show for years. In fact, I worked with her on the show and have seen first hand how she prepares for her weekly segments. Believe me, it is not as easy as Jean makes it appear! This book deserves a spot on your bookshelf as it is a great daily reference guide to the world of personal finance. What I like best about the book is unlike other financial-oriented books, it is not boring and is loaded with Jean's witty personality. Jean has a knack for explaining complicated financial decisions simple to understand. My only question is: When is she releasing her next book? I am truly looking forward to it!

Even folks that deal with finance for a living tend to ignore their personal financial situation, (or at best concentrate on only one aspect of it). Reading the book sparked a couple of new ideas for me about how to organize ALL of my finances, (and not just pay attention to my portfolio)

Nowadays, Books on Personal Finance abound. This is just another book in the sea of Personal Finance books.

The book walks you through the different aspects of Personal Finance right from setting your personal finance goals to executing those. However, the coverage of the topics is very shallow. The author rarely provides good pros & cons as regards to different choices that are available. Hence it just leaves the reader wondering as to what is the better choice..

The only use of this book is to obtain the "Table of Content" for your Personal Finance pursuits. You can use this "Table of Content" to pursue further in depth discussion elsewhere.

Rather than this book, I would recommend the following books for folks who are just getting started on the Personal Finance front ...

=> The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton (my personal favorite)
=> Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson

-Sachin

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.