Teen Guide to Personal Financial Management - by Marjolijn Bijlefeld & Sharon K Zoumbaris (Paperback)

About the Book

Why should young people even think about saving for retirement? Why not run credit card debt up to the max if the bank is willing to lend it? Answers to these questions and others can be found in this basic guide to the fundamentals of personal finance written specifically for young adults. A wide range of financial matters on how to manage your money are discussed in a progressive fashion from the very basics of opening a bank account to budgeting, paying for college, financing a car, and tax-deferred retirement accounts so that readers with varying levels of knowledge are provided with all the information they need to stay out of debt and to plan for their futures.

Touching on a wide range of financial matters, from the use of credit cards to planning for college and retirement, the volume logically walks readers through the process of handling their personal finances. Examples throughout the book as well as advice from financial and family counselors clarify specific points for students to help them learn how to save and budget, how to avoid the pressures of consumerism and escalating debt and how to manage all aspects of their money wisely. Sample lesson plans, an extensive glossary, resource lists and further reading lists provide students who wish to study specific concepts in greater detail with all the tools they need to do so.

Book Synopsis

Why should young people even think about saving for retirement? Why not run credit card debt up to the max if the bank is willing to lend it? Answers to these questions and others can be found in this basic guide to the fundamentals of personal finance written specifically for young adults. A wide range of financial matters on how to manage your money are discussed in a progressive fashion from the very basics of opening a bank account to budgeting, paying for college, financing a car, and tax-deferred retirement accounts so that readers with varying levels of knowledge are provided with all the information they need to stay out of debt and to plan for their futures.

Touching on a wide range of financial matters, from the use of credit cards to planning for college and retirement, the volume logically walks readers through the process of handling their personal finances. Examples throughout the book as well as advice from financial and family counselors clarify specific points for students to help them learn how to save and budget, how to avoid the pressures of consumerism and escalating debt and how to manage all aspects of their money wisely. Sample lesson plans, an extensive glossary, resource lists and further reading lists provide students who wish to study specific concepts in greater detail with all the tools they need to do so.

Review Quotes

"This book belongs in the classroom or on the professional or nonfiction shelves where a parent or educator might use it for valuable life lessons." --VOYA

"With frightening anecdotes and ample documentation, the authors present a convincing thesis that debt is rampant among teens, college students, and recent grads. They then go on to provide facts on budgeting, saving, investing, dealing with debt, understanding mortgages and loans, and even planning for retirement." --Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

"Anyone doubting the importance of guiding teens in the area of personal financial management need only read the first five pages of the introduction to become a believer....The highlight of the book is the 18-page resource guide of education resources, Web sites, and brief annotations of financial management services. Highly Recommended." --The Book Report

"This book is a fast read. It culls essential information on financial management into one source....this book is an invaluable resource on this matter....Bijlefeld and Zoumbaris do an acceptable job of providing advice for teens on personal financial management." --Melissa McShea

About the Author

MARJOLIJN BIJLEFELD is an author and editor./e She is the author of The Gun Control Debate: A Documentary History (Greenwood Press, 1997) and People For and Against Gun Control (Greenwood Press, 1999).

SHARON ZOUMBARIS is a professional librarian, freelance writer, and storyteller.