Personal Finance for Dummies, Fourth Edition (Paperback)

by Eric Tyson (Author) "We're barely acquainted, but I do know that you're not dumb..." (more)
Key Phrases: check your local phone directory, dwelling coverage, tracking your spending, United States, Rowe Price, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Personal Finance for Dummies offers sound and practical advice for those who want to get control over their personal financial lives. Author Eric Tyson points out the most common mistakes that we all make in our approach to money and prescribes ways to save and invest for a secure future. Using worksheets, the book helps you to measure your own financial health by looking at factors such as how much debt you carry, your savings rate, as well as investment and insurance checkups. The book looks at how you should invest your retirement account, approach taxes, and provides a good overview on how to buy real estate. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
...by far the best book I have read on financial planning. -- Althea Thomson, PBS Nightly Business Report --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 490 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 4 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764525905
• ISBN-13: 978-0764525902
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,852 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

346 of 348 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, June 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Personal Finance for Dummies (Paperback)

When I bought the first edition of this book, I was a poor post-graduate loaded with bad debt. At the time, I knew nothing about CD's, funds, stocks, bonds, insurance, 401(k)'s, home-buying, budgeting, saving, debt-reduction, taxes, or any other basic issues of personal finance. All I knew is that I never could seem to "get ahead" financially. Tyson's book led me from this sorry state through four years of self-education and growing self-confidence about controlling my own financial future. Even now, debt-free and market-positioned, I still reference this book when I encounter a new facet of my financial life.

No "get-rich-quick" scheme, Tyson lays out a solid framework for anyone interested in getting and maintaining control of their own financial situation throughout a lifetime. The ideas he lays out help a person not only educate him/herself concerning money, but also instill confidence that a financial situation can be corrected or controlled personally.

Although this book would serve as a valuable reference to ANYONE interested in their own financial future, it would especially be useful to a young person just "starting out" or to any person who feels overwhelmed by their own financial situation.

183 of 185 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most informative book on the subject I have ever read!, July 30, 2003

By	R. G. May "Bibliophile" (Scholar at large) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I work as a financial professional, counseling individuals regarding the options in their employer-sponsored retirement plans. Although the counsel I can give is limited to their retirement plan, several have asked me for advice in other areas of their financial lives. I do not hesitate to recommend this book. Whether you are starting from square one in getting your financial house in order, or your checkbook is balanced to the penny every week, there is information in this book that will benefit you. The "For Dummies" format is perfect for this subject, and Eric Tyson does an excellent job of breaking into layman's terms the most complex of finance and investing concepts. Also, an excellent section on selecting a financial planner is provided. I have often seen the devastating effects that the wrong financial advice has wrought in people's lives. The list of criteria to apply when seeking a financial advisor is one of the most valuable tools I have seen on the subject. This book is one of the most valuable resources I have ever seen in helping the average person get control of their financial lives. Applying its principles will pay immediate as well as long-lasting rewards.

90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, October 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Personal Finance for Dummies (Paperback)

Personal Finance for Dummies is one of the better Personal Finance Books written post 1995. Although there is a wealth of information, there are also a lot of holes. Nevertheless, a great book for anyone interested in Personal Finance. I also strongly recommend "More Wealth without Risk" and "Financial Self Defense" by Charles Givens and "The Truth about Money" to help fill in some of the holes that Mr Tyson missed.