Should be required reading
7/30/2007
(As the Amazon listing for this book has an incorrect spelling for the author- Should be GARMAN not GARNAB- I am reposting here.)
While this book is framed as a college-level textbook (and I am currently reading it as a certification requirement), it is a lot less daunting than many college textbooks. The chapters are short and manageable, and cover a wide variety of topics, from budgeting to taxes to credit cards to mortgages to retirement plans. The concepts are presented in a straightforward manner and the chapters are peppered with supplementary blurbs and side articles. At the end of each chapter, there is a wide variety of review exercises, and throughout the book you follow the ongoing financial journeys of several theoretical families.
This book should be used as a primer to real life. One warning, some of the material quickly becomes outdated (for example, the tax chapter), so be mindful of this if you don't have the latest edition.