Amazon.com

Bestselling author Jane Bryant Quinn has revised and updated her classic 1991 primer on finance, Making the Most of Your Money, to prepare readers for the challenging fiscal atmosphere that she sees in the coming century. Written in her familiar, easily understood style, it starts out by helping you determine exactly where you stand on money matters and explaining basic money management techniques. Next, Quinn offers comprehensive discussions about insurance needs, home ownership, college funding, investment planning, and retirement. A useful series of appendices provides additional information on insurance, college, bonds, pensions, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (176)

BORROW IT--DON'T BUY IT!
I gave this book a 3 only for people
who don't know beans about personal
finance and like to read as a hobby.
The information is way too basic and
some is misleading i.e. her comments
on stock splits. Quinn makes it
sound like when a stock splits say
2 for 1, you now have two five's in
place of one ten. The truth is when
a stock splits a tremendous amount
of momentum and excitement is
created --- it goes beyond a stock
splitting,it's the amount of money
that can be made during all phases
of the split that makes investing in
stocks that are splitting exciting. I saw similiar errors
with insurance. home buying, mutual
funds, credit etc, etc.etc. If you
are curous, like was, you may want
to read this. But don't take the in-
formation too seriously and you'll
definitely want to read some other
financial books to get some real
meaty financial techniques. My best
advice---save your money and your
time---READ SOMETHINGELSE.

Mostly 1970's advice
The bulk of this book is just regurgitated information from a book that Quinn wrote back in 1979. The newest piece of information that I found were the new (ha-ha) Roth IRA's

This book is really 180 pages of information fluffed out to 1,000 pages of mostly useless trash. The most useful stuff can be found on the internet for FREE. If you really want to read this book you can borrow it from your library for FREE. It will be there. This is not a hot book with a huge waiting list.

I also found it amusing to see this book listed with Suze Orman's great book The Road To Wealth here at Amazon. No doubt this is just an attempt by Quinn to jump on Suze Ormans coat tails (just like she did with Venita Van Caspel in late 70's and early 80's)

The Road To Wealth is an excellent book that has content which is also current by the way and Suze Orman has the credentials to boot. What credentials does Quinn have? I rest my case!

Skip this book and buy The Road To Wealth, The Automatic Millionaire or something useful. You may also want to buy the original version of this book; Making The Most of Your Money by Ray Linder. JEESH QUIIN: You can't even come up with an original title for Gods sake!

Almost as Imporant
As a companion book to "How to Make the Most of Yourself," this anthology can begin to reveal the other decisions of life that are important for everyone, and place in perspective the priorities we have, and those we make, and how. Usually leads to a comfortable life, if not always a happy one. Highly recommended for those who consider the deprivations of life as related to their finances and the power they possess rather than the satisfactions of life from other more elusive sources that cannot be spent but may be longer lasting and self fulfilling. Usually a help in making money!

This book has been valuable to me for eleven years.
I originally bought this book called "Making the Most of Your Money" back in 1992 in order to help me with estate planning and general financial advice: I was only 24 years-old. That being said I don't know how Quinn could have stolen the title from Ray Linder's book since Quinn's original book was published before Ray Linder's book (1995).

For the record, we have followed the advice of Quinn's original book. Overall our net worth increased substantially during the period 1999-2004 because we were diversified and we continued to invest throughout. We also saved around 15-20% per year: not as good as the 30% per year that another reviewer from Japan recommends, but still a decent amount considering we live in one of the most expensive areas in the U.S.

I totally disagree with those who say that the 1991 version of the book pushes annuities and cash value insurance. My father-in-law who is a CFP and insurance agent always hated Quinn's advice because she recommended Term Insurance. We personally don't own any annuities, but our parents like them so maybe we'll invest in them in the future.

I do agree with those who say you shouldn't rely on the book for detailed investing, estate planning, college savings, and insurance purchases. For that you should find a detailed up-to-date book on the specific subject that interests you and then consult a good CFP, accountant, or estate-planning attorney. There are a lot of things that have changed since 1991; as a result the book is out of date in many respects.

In conclusion, the book was very helpful to me as an introduction to personal finance, estate planning, and purchasing insurance. It was a very good book when it was published 12 years ago. However, a lot of things have changed making the book out of date in specifics. But, I still believe that the general advice in the book is good.

Incomplete, confusing and boring
From reading passagers of this huge tome by Quinn, it is all so obvious what she has copied from other financial authors...and what she has left out. In some areas Quinn rattles on and on buut never seems to get to the point. Somewhat like asking someone for the time and they try (incorrectly) to explain how a watch works and leaves you wondering; what the heck was that all about?

Another problem is that this book is now about 8 years old. A lot of changes have occurred in personal finance during the last 8 years.

Although the book looks intimadating by it's size, the real problem is how much is left out.

I recommend Suzes Orman's excellent book The Road To Wealth in place of, not in addition to this book. Other good books to get you up to speed include 10 Smart Money Moves For Women, Smart Women Finish Rich and 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. ... Read more

Book Description

The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Personal Finance gives you clear, simple explanations of the complexities you face every day in your financial life. This revised and updated edition also includes the information you'll need to make smart decisions about -- and avoid the pitfalls of -- banking, credit, home finance, financial planning, investing and taxes. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Limited introduction to finance...I expected more from WSJ
I've just graduated from college and wanted to learn how to not be poor anymore. I bought this book because I knew about Wall Street Journal's reputation for expertise and in-depth analysis of the economy etc. What I didn't expect was a book equivalent to a children's primer on personal finance. It's not bad, per se, it's just not what I expected from the Wall Street Journal.

The book covers a broad range of topics from paper money to mortgages to stocks and bonds. Unfortunately, the coverage is shallow, mostly giving definitions of what things are. The book consists of teen magazine-like layouts of pictures, graphs, and diagrams. Some of the information is helpful while some of it is interesting but trivial, and all of it is in colorful, bite-sized portions. While it's entertaining and easy-to-understand, it's also quite "fluff"-y at times.

It's a good introduction to personal finance for someone who doesn't know much about how money works beyond how to buy things. It may be ok for new high school or college grads, either as a reference or a first book on personal finance but it's not at the level for anyone who actually wants to start investing and already knows the basics. Ironically, it seems to be below the level of Wall Street Journal readers. I have since given my copy away. For someone who already knows the basics but wants a introduction to investing, I enjoyed "The First Book of Investing: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Safely" by Samuel Case. It's the only other book on investing I've read (I bought it on sale on a whim), but it was clear and informative, albeit a little optimistic.

a great introduction, but that's all
this book is a great introduction to personal finance, including banking, loans, investing, taxes, and retirement planning. it covers all of the basics, provides a nice, clear description of the processes and the structures of documents, and a glossary of important terms.

however, it's just an introduction. the book doesn't spend more than a few pages on any subtopic (ie the structure of a paycheck, the basics of a tax form). for details you'll have to go elsewhere, so keep that in mind.

as such, i'd reccomend this book to someone who is just learning the basics of money and the world of personal finance. it's a big world, you don't need to start with all of the details, so this is a good place to start. but very quickly you'll find you need more information, and you'll outgrow this book.

A desk reference.
I found this book, and the companion piece Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing, practically worthless. I have heard raves about this book's presentation. I think the presentation is far too simplistic. This book did not hold my attention one bit and I quickly put it down. If you are looking for a mature introduction to the Market and or Personal finance I recommend you keep looking past these two books.

Highly recommended as well as the other books from WS journa
I highly recommend thsi book, I live in Mexico, and altough some things are different in my country regarding to investing it works for me a lot (85%) I suppose that this is a great book to American people, it helps a lot understanding issues that you do no get, like calculating all kind of interests and yields.

How to turn your dough into bread.
An excellent first step to understanding your financial activities. It really does start at the beginning: your local bank and its services, checks, ATMs, savings, monthly statements etc. In the other five chapters (Credit, Home finance, Financial planning, Investing, Taxes) most of the other money matters that you'll encounter are explained.

Finance seems to be a mystery to a lot of folk so the writer's and designer's of this book have done their best to make it as straightforward as possible and rather than have page after page of what could be very dry text each spread has lots of smart graphics, colored panels and jargon-free text that flows between these visual elements. It is all very controlled and as a publication designer I can appreciate the creative input that has gone into these pages. (I liked it so much I included it in my Listmania 'Ten of my favorite well designed books').

If you think you know all about your money this is not the book for you but if you don't then get this book and find out about your finances in these very user friendly pages. The same editorial folk have done another excellent book, 'Guide to Understanding Money and Investing', using the same straightforward language and graphic techniques and although the subject is a lot more complex it is still easy to understand. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (58)

Financial Freedom
I read this book several times in the early 1980s. I read it until it fell apart. Since then I've been through dozens (more like hundreds) of other investment books, but this is the one that taught me first principles and taught them the best. Basically this guy is a really fine writer who happens to write about investments and personal finance. He's witty, entertaining, and right on target.

As for the content, the basics of investing and frugality are covered. When you get right down to it the basics are all you need, and you can fit them on a 3 by 5 card. Almost all of my investing mistakes in the past 20 years have been a result of trying to make things too complicated. Tobias keeps his message simple, and that's one of this book's strengths.

Like other reviewers, I've given this book as a gift over the years. However, there's another good writer out there in recent years -- Jason Kelly, author of "The Neatest Little Guide..." series.

The Best One-Stop-Shop for Investment and Financial Informat
Not only does Andrew Tobias suggest that readers save and invest, but also shows real ways that people can spend less (through conservation, stocking up on essentials at warehouse prices, saving money on insurance (auto, life, etc), paying yourself first, etc). Additionally, he explains investment vehicles in simple layman terms while divulging his personal opinions. All of this is done in a humorous, witty and quick read...a pleasant surprise to those of us picking up Investment Guides. Tobias truly covers it all, from savings accounts, to options and everything in between such as treasuries and annuities. He also discusses the merits of self-directed investing. It is telling that he dedicated the book "To my broker -- even if he has, from time to time, made me just that." This is a must read for those seeking entry-level knowledge of the ins and outs of investing or simply a witty read on the topic.

Good book, but not the only guide needed.
Although in my opinion this isn't the only investment guide you need, it is a great book that really sheds light on some of the more boring aspects of personal finance.

This entertaining book gives you a good understanding of personal finance, saving, investing, and various strategies to boost your net worth.

I highly recommend getting a copy of this book for yourself and one for a friend, believe me if they follow the tips they'll be thanking you later.

Here's what different national publications have to say about the author:

"Andrew Tobias is one of the financial community's pithily perceptive observers." Forbs

"So full of tips and angles that only a booby or a billionaire could not benefit." The New York Times

"The only investment guide many will indeed ever need." Barron's

Reed Floren

Great book to learn more about finance
It is really the only investment book you will ever need. It covers lots of basic materials. When I first read the book, I thought it lacked details. However, it gave you enough information so that you can dive deeper into other topics on your own. If you are a beginner to investment, that is the best book you will find. Another comparable book would be "The Motley Fool Investment Guide : How The Fool Beats Wall Streets Wise Men And How You Can Too"

Not the Only Investment Book You'll Need, But a Good Start
I read this book more than ten years ago, when I saved enough money from my first job to start dabbling in the stock market. The new edition also has information on Roth IRA's and still offers good advice. For example, selling life insurance to a single person is like selling ice to an eskimo is a mantra that is still ingrained in my mind. Another is that discount brokers are better than full brokers. The book is easy to read and understand. It complements, Engel and Hecht's "How to Buy Stocks." ... Read more