Personal Finance

Reviewed by Christina Wooten, Business Technology Faculty, Rogue Community College on 11/15/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text is, in general, comprehensive. It is divided into six sections that cover basic (beginning) personal finance, purchasing, protection, wealth building, and career planning.
There is no glossary or index with the text.
There are also not "lists of terms" in each chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I did not find any glaring errors in my review.
Overall, the text is unbiased.
There are some parts of the text that will quickly become outdated (for example, figure 1.1 Median Salary Comparison) seems to be out of date in 2023.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

I do not feel that this text is up-to-date.
There are many references to the early 2000's in the text.
The text could be supplemented with current examples.
There are opportunities (with links) to access current information (example- the link under the tax bracket in chapter six takes students to a calculator).
The images of the tax forms (chapter 6) do not include links for updated information.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is clearly written and does provide context for students.
The level to which the text is written seems appropriate for beginning community college students.

Consistency rating: 4

The images and the terminology are consistent throughout the text.
The chapters are easy to follow.
Consistency is lacking with links to updated information, as mentioned previously.

Modularity rating: 3

The topics are easily divisible into smaller modules; however, there are some areas of this text where the blocks are lengthy. The text is not self-referential.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics are presented in a manner that makes logical sense.
If I were to make a change, I would move the final section, career planning, to earlier in the text.

Interface rating: 4

There are no interface issues. The links provided within the text are working links.
The charts are small, but can be zoomed in on to read.
The other images are mostly the same green chart which could be quite boring for students. There is not much variety in the visual images used.
Navigation in this text (online) is fairly easy. The PDF version, however, requires the user to either search for a term, or scroll through the text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors.
This text is well written.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I did not find any culturally insensitive areas of this text. Nor did I find anything offensive in the text.

Comments

While this book is a good basis, I am not sure I would use it as a sole source of information for a Personal Finance class. There are too many examples that are almost twenty years old. Some of the topics can stand the test of time. GDP will always be GDP by definition; however, a current example or a link to find current information would be a good upgrade to this text.
There is also a lack of images that show people in this text.
There is a wide variety of user-friendly exercises and activities in this text.

Reviewed by Kevin Flint, Instructor, James Madison University on 10/17/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 2 see less

The book does not provide a comprehensive index of glossary, a list of key terms at the beginning of each chapter, etc. In looking at the contents, the text most of the appropriate areas of personal finance. The depth into some of the topics was relatively shallow.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I did not find any major errors in my review of the text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

In my opinion, the text will retain relevance for a longer-than-average period of time because there is very little incorporation of current events into the text. However, there is some material that does change annually (such as tax information) where the text could be updated.

Clarity rating: 3

Finance is a difficult topic to write about and teach. It is often aided by visuals and this text is very limited on visual aids and I think it would be helpful to include more in many of the chapters. There are a lot of tables but I’m thinking other visuals such as arrows, flow charts, maps, etc. would be helpful. Some readers, especially those who are unfamiliar with finance, may benefit from a more visual experience.

Consistency rating: 3

Many of the pages of the text feature an overwhelming amount of words. Given that this appears to be a “Principles” level text, I am assuming that the class would be intended for folks who may be taking finance for the first time and may be more susceptible to being lost on a page with so many words. As I mentioned in the last section, I would work to incorporate more non-spreadsheet visuals into the text.

Modularity rating: 4

The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course (i.e., enormous blocks of text without subheadings should be avoided).

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The information is presented in a sensible flow. However, I would consider in future editions moving up the “investments” chapter to earlier in the text.

Interface rating: 4

The text is free of significant usability issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader. This was true in both the PDF and online versions I reviewed.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any material grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

Reviewed by Samira Hussein, Professor, Business Administration, Johnson County Community College on 5/30/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

I did not see an index or glossary, but in terms of a comprehensive structure, the book is well structured. I liked the "themes" in each of the 5 sections of the book. Some of the chapters were very brief. Instead of the details provided in each section, the authors could have provided relevant content with the chapter. Additionally, in an introductory personal finance course it may not be necessary to give theoretical details. I teach this course from a practical, skill building approach. I appreciated the interconnectedness of the content through the "key takeaways" and "exercises" that were given after each sub topic within the chapter. However, the links within the chapter were broken and the references to the articles and other content was obsolete.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate. I did not observe any errors.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

The examples given are relevant but the references are woefully obsolete. The content needs to be updated to make it relevant.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is lucid, and is written in a reader friendly prose. However, given that my students prefer short content in each section, the pedagogy can be revised to have less content in each section, but more topical coverage in each chapter.

Consistency rating: 5

The text maintains the thematic consistency throughout. This was the best feature of this book.

Modularity rating: 5

This book gets a high grade on assigning an individual chapter like Taxes without having linkage/reference to other chapters. I could easily reassign the chapters. However, given that the chapters are grouped under a theme, this could pose a challenge for some.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

As mentioned earlier, I liked the thematic organization of the text. I am not sure in a 15 week semester, I would be able to cover the last section.

Interface rating: 4

There were no interface issues observed. If anything, more of these features can be added.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical mistakes were observed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive. When revising the text perhaps, names popular with certain minorities can be added to make the text relatable.

Comments

This is a well written book, but needs to be updated. The links and the references are outdated. I would have to do go through every link and reference to make sure that they are functional, and relevant. Also, not sure if there are any ancillary materials available with the text.

Reviewed by Lisa Parrott, Assistant Professor Business Administration, Johnson County Community College on 5/16/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book provides an extensive overview of personal finance topics. Chapters range from two to six segments and include learning objectives, key takeaways, and exercises for each segment. This makes some chapters feel rather long, but the writing style makes it easy to digest the material. The investment section is broken down across five chapters which includes interesting topics like market behavior which is interesting because it touches on the pattern of a financial crisis and just misses explaining The Great Recession from 2008/2009. There are a number of macro and micro economic factors discussed in the book in a manner that explains the relationship how they can impact personal finance decisions. I could not find an index or glossary and had difficulty navigating some of the links as they have broken over time or pose a risk for users to access.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No obvious bias or errors were observed.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

The book includes a number of practical examples that are relatable and also timeless. The tax section is obsolete (2008) and needs to be updated. Links and sources are more than a decade old and needs to be updated. Sections like accounting software (3.3) are painfully obsolete due to the pace of change in technology and software.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is very easy to read. It is written using a lot of examples and situations that provide context for the terminology used.

Consistency rating: 4

The book has a consistent framework. Terms are bolded and commonly explained through examples as opposed to definitions. Definitions are missing from the book which can present challenges for difficult concepts.

Modularity rating: 5

This is the best feature of the book! Sections are broken down nicely into easy to read chunks that can be read in 5-30 minutes. These sections are subsets of the chapters and include learning objectives, key takeaways, and exercises. Many sections include exercises with external links make it easy for users to connect with content external to the book as well.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The introduction of the text starts off with a story of two people and the major life changes they are facing. It presents a number of financial considerations the couple needs to take as they graduate from college, start new careers, and plan for a life together. From there the book introduces concepts in a logical manner that makes it easy to follow and apply personal relevance to each section.

Interface rating: 1

Links referencing other chapters appear to be broken resulting in 404 (file not found) errors. Most websites referenced are more than a decade old and may not work. Could not enlarge the charts which made some impossible to read (e.g. Figure 5.5 and 5.8).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No obvious grammatical errors

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text did not appear to be culturally insensitive or offense. Examples appeared neutral and without bias.

Comments

Initially this books has great potential as an OER resource for personal finance. Links desperately need to be updated and sections refreshed to reflect technological changes and advancements. Teachers resources would be a great addition to the book as well as exercises and examples using Excel.

Reviewed by Ana Claudia Sant'Anna, Assistant Professor, West Virginia University on 4/25/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Very comprehensive. Topics range from how economic factors affect financial decisions to financial statements and investment decisions to job search and career paths. If you plan on using this textbook for a more senior level undergraduate class, you may need to incorporate more exercises and examples from other textbooks.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Instructors and readers should be weary that some parts of the book need to be updated. Apart from that, this book seems accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

There are specific details related to personal finance which change over time. Instructors using this textbook should always check whether any updates have occurred. Nevertheless, the fundamental principles can be taught over the years. The chapter on taxes is not up-to-date. Median salaries will probably need updating.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is an easy read. It is easy to follow for any level.

Consistency rating: 5

The book has a consistent structure, each chapter has the learning outcomes and ends with main takeaways and a couple of exercises. Figures and tables are used to illustrate.

Modularity rating: 4

Authors suggest how to use the book in five sections. The book has short sections that can be quickly read by the student. Authors identify the learning outcomes for each section. However, at times they seem a little too small. For instance, it would have been interesting to have some statistics on the credit score section.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is nicely organized. Chapters build up on the knowledge given in past chapters while applying it to real life situations. For instructors wanting to use the chapters separately, that is also possible as long as the base knowledge is there.

Interface rating: 3

In the pdf version, font in tables could be bigger. Figures could be bigger. Some figures are blurred (e.g. Figure 3.7).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I could not identify any issues. It would be interesting if the book discussed credit access to borrowers of different races and ethnicities.

Comments

It would be nice if the book had an instructor manual and maybe offered some labs in excel for students to practice.

Reviewed by Ben Cuellar, Instructor of Business, Dodge City Community College on 1/29/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text does provide a comprehensive and in-depth description of all the major topics relating to personal finance which are normally discussed in a typical textbook about the subject. The authors do a great job of providing definitions within the chapters; however, there is no dedicated glossary or index for vocabulary terms.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The academic content as it relates to personal finance is all correct as far as I can tell. I did not come across any conceptual inaccuracies.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The authors acknowledge in the preface that the specific details of personal finance are subject to change as technologies, customs, and laws evolve over time. With that in mind they also point out that the underlying framework used to make financial decisions mostly remains the same. So, in regards to the fundamental principles which guide financial planning and decision making I think the concepts in this textbook are highly relevant. My only major criticism is that the authors did include a high quantity of links to various websites, and unfortunately, the majority of those links are now outdated and/or broken. Some of the links, originally from 2009, now lead to domains which aren't even registered anymore. Another possible suggestion would be updating some of the information related to software recommendations and taxes. For example, the 1040EZ form has been discontinued and several of the accounting software recommendations are out of date. Granted, changes in tax legislation and computer software are inevitable over the course of more than a decade.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is clear and easy to understand. The authors do not assume that the reader has an in-depth understanding of financial concepts and because of this they thoroughly define and explain all concepts in a way which would be easy to comprehend even by readers completely new to the subject. This makes the text very accessible.

Consistency rating: 5

The writing is consistent from chapter to chapter. The same format /structure is used in each chapter and the writing style is consistent from one topic to the next. Each section begins with learning objectives, followed by the actual text of the chapter. Then, in conclusion the authors provide a summary of key takeaways in addition to a list of exercises to help the reader apply the topics from the chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided into sections of appropriate length. Each area is short enough that a reader could absorb the information without losing interest but it is simultaneously long enough to include all of the pertinent information about the topic.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The chapters are organized in a logical sequence beginning with basic financial concepts. After the foundational information is covered the authors move on to the "meat and potatoes" of personal finance; accumulating assets, risk management, and investment planning. Then, they conclude the textbook with an interesting chapter on career planning. I appreciate that the authors include the chapter on career planning because it is sometimes an overlooked aspect of the personal financial planning process despite earned income being such an integral part of wealth creation for so many individuals. While the topics are organized in a way which naturally transitions from one topic to the next, the chapters could very easily be read independently from one another. That is to say, each chapter can function as a stand alone reading without relying on information from prior chapters.

Interface rating: 5

The table of contents made navigation quite easy. I will mention again that there are several broken hyperlinks to external websites, but the actual navigation inside the textbook itself is intuitive and convenient. There are some charts and tables with relatively small text, but I was able to read all of the information clearly by zooming in.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not come across any grammatical or spelling errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I felt the authors did a good job of making the text inclusive. The examples and analogies used throughout appeal to readers from several different financial stages in life and help make the content relatable.

Comments

After reviewing this text I am strongly considering using it in my personal finance course next semester. While it is not quite as lengthy as textbooks published by Cengage, Pearson, or McGraw Hill, Personal Finance by Siegel and Yacht adequately explores the basic concepts in personal financial planning. My only concern is the quantity of broken links and outdated concepts from 2009. With that being said, I feel the core concepts covered are actually explained more effectively and would provide a better value for students than materials from traditional publishers, especially when considering cost!

Reviewed by Fang Lin, Associate Professor of Finance, Pittsburg State University on 12/15/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book covers a wide range of topics related to personal finance.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Some information in the book is outdated. This is one of the issues with writing a textbook - the authors will have to keep up the content.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Once again, content needs to be updated.

Clarity rating: 5

jargons/terms are defined in the text.

Consistency rating: 5

the framework and the terms used in the text seem to be consistent throughout.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided into chapters based on topics.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

each chapter follows a similar structure. they all begin with an introduction and learning objectives, and end with key takeaways and exercise problems.

Interface rating: 3

some figures are too small to read (at least the online version) and it doesn't offer easy ways to magnify the font.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I don't see any grammatical issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I don't see any cultural issues.

Reviewed by Barbara Bliss, Associate Professor of Finance, University of San Diego on 3/17/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The book could be updated to reflect new changes in the tax law. Some of the descriptions are very short, like the section on closing costs of a home, or how to calculate your monthly payment.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Some information is outdated now

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Chapters almost seem too short. Some content could be updated due to changes in the tax code, etc.

Clarity rating: 4

The calculations could be clarified for some students who have no background knowledge.

Consistency rating: 5

Seems consistent.

Modularity rating: 4

Sections almost seem too small.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Structured well.

Interface rating: 5

Pdf makes it easy to read all at once and skim.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Seems good.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Could be useful to describe how certain methods are used to create generational wealth.

Reviewed by Dr. Renee Dyer, Assistant Professor of Business Finance, Limestone University on 8/18/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers all necessary components of personal finance. The text flows in a cohesive manner that should make the student experience more fulfilling.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I did not view any errors in the text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The textbook is relevant to personal finance at this time. The text provides a good foundation to aid students in making sound financial decisions.

Clarity rating: 5

Any technical terminology used was defined and explained in the text.

Consistency rating: 5

This text is very comparable to the text I have used from Cengage. The chapters are in a different order, but I understand why it is written this way. The chapters build on themselves in a comprehendible order.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is broken into sections that aid in reading and assignments.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook is presented in a fashion that builds on financial information to provide a thorough knowledge of personal finance for the student.

Interface rating: 5

I printed the textbook. Everything is legible and flows well.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I did not find any of the text, problems, or examples to be insensitive or offensive.

Comments

This is a wonderful open access textbook for personal finance professors to solely use or use along with their current textbook for additional information, examples, problems, etc.

Reviewed by Kim Vierra, Instructor, Oregon State University on 8/4/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This book covers everything that I cover in my personal finance and financial planning courses, with one additional chapter related to careers, which is an interesting addition. I would have liked to see a section dedicated to paying for college. The topic of investing in education is sprinkled throughout the text but is not in its own section. Financing education is as important as buying a house or car, which each have their own sections, so it would have been good to see that as a stand-alone section. I don't see an index or a glossary for the full text.

Also, I'd like to see a section on FinTech and the use of online tools. Most of my students use apps like Acorns, Robin Hood, Square, and Venmo, etc. They want to better understand these offerings and the pros and cons associated with the various savings, money transferring and investment apps available today.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I didn't find any errors in the book in terms of calculations, etc.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 1

The basics of sound financial management don't change much over time, however, tools, tax tables, interest rates, and the stock market change rapidly. For example, this book does not address the fintech apps that students are using for investing, transferring money to friends and family, and saving money. This omission makes the book less applicable to certain populations, such as my college-aged students.

Also, the majority of the hyperlinks are broken.

Clarity rating: 4

The writing could be cleaned up to improve conciseness. It is wordy.

Definitions are given for technical concepts, which is a plus. A glossary of these terms would have been nice to have.

Consistency rating: 5

I like the layout, with learning objectives, key takeaways, and homework exercises provided for each chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

Yes, I can see how I could easily reorder this book to match up with my syllabi, and use separate sections of the book for each of my classes. Each section can stand on its own.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The order is fine. It makes sense to start with learning the basics of budgeting and financial planning (Chapters 1-6), followed by the chapters on getting what you want (Chapters 7-9). protecting what you have (Chapters 10-11) and building wealth (Chapters 12-17). The last chapter on career planning is an interesting addition to this book. It is the only chapter that I wouldn't typically cover in my personal finance classes.

Interface rating: 4

In general, the interface is fine. Some of the text on the included graphics is so small that it is unreadable, and when you click on the image, the image/text doesn't expand. It would be nice to have the ability to click on the figures in order to see them better. I can use the browser zoom, but it isn't as user friendly as I'd like it to be.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There are some commas missing, several tautologies that could be removed, and noun/verb agreement needs to be fixed in some sentences.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I didn't note any issues with the choice of scenarios or names of characters potentially making students feel uneasy. However, a wider variety of character names could make more students feel more included. For example, could Alice become Tanisha, and Mark become Jose for the next iteration of the book?

Comments

While this is a great book for understanding the fundamental concepts of personal finance, a reboot is necessary to clean up the broken links and to update the content to include advances in FinTech and recent updates in legislation.

Reviewed by Aaron Henrichsen, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Northern Colorado on 12/13/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 2 see less

The important areas of personal finance are covered, though in some cases they are covered more extensively than a beginning personal finance book maybe ought to. I saw no glossary or index.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

Accurate information but a large fraction of the hyperlinks are broken

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Most of the content is based on tried and true personal financial principles that will last. However, personal income tax is an area that needs updating rather frequently because of legislative changes to the tax code. This text has not been updated in almost a decade, and so will fall short in this area.

Clarity rating: 2

As an introductory finance text targeted to an undergraduate without any background in economics, the text is full of economic jargon with little or no definitions or examples. Though the terms are accurately used, they will most likely confuse the target audience. Examples of this include micro, macro, capital, assets, inflation, deflation (all with no definitions, index, or glossary). This is bad enough that if I choose to use the text in the futures, I may have to put out a short “Defining Terms” video for each chapter.

Consistency rating: 4

The text was consistent

Modularity rating: 4

Information is broken up into digestible segments. It is readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

I feel Chapter 5 Budgeting should have been Chapter 3, but the order of topics covered is acceptable.

Interface rating: 3

Images and organization were fine, but many (1/3 to 1/2) of the hyperlinks were broken.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no problems here.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

No problems found.

Comments

This book does an okay job at presenting personal finance…and does it for free. I would rate it below all Personal Finance texts that I have reviewed from the major publishers such as Wiley, Pearson, McGraw Hill, and Cengage. However, it is not so much worse that it isn’t a good option for a minimal-cost Personal Finance course. Though I can’t give it a fully positive review, I am still considering switching to this text in the next school year.

Reviewed by Darren Kraemer, Adjunct Instructor, Fletcher Technical Community College on 4/24/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is the most comprehensive on this subject matter as any text I've seen to date. It contains more than enough of what is needed to cover a comprehensive course on personal finance. In this case, more is always better as any teacher would prefer to remove sections rather than look for supplemental information. With this text you will have more than you need to teach a comprehensive course on this subject matter.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

This book is sufficiently accurate in its text but has some failings in its links, references and homework assignments. Some links don't work any longer and need to be removed or updated. However, that is not a hindrance to the validity and use of this text for a complete and comprehensive course on personal finance.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This book is mostly relevant but as stated in the accuracy section above, there are links and references that are no longer valid. The information in the text will stand the test of time but the links, references and homework assignments need to be updated and improved.

Clarity rating: 5

The clarity of this text is superb. The language is easy to read and the chapters and section breaks are well placed.

Consistency rating: 5

The consistency of the chapters are perfect. Every chapter has learning objectives followed by the lesson lecture and finishes with key takeaways and home exercises. This format is easy to follow and flows comfortably.

Modularity rating: 5

As mentioned in the consistency section, the format flow is excellent and easy to parse. This is an easy read and the suggested module groupings are logical.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization of this book is logical and flows with ease. The table of contents and preface are helpful and practical. The suggestions are a nice enhancement to the natural construction of a course on personal finance using the text of this book.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is sufficient other than the web links that do not work.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found nothing offensive even in the most subtle ways of possible interpretation. Many various examples are used and contain no apparent prejudices.

Comments

Again I want to mention that this text is the most comprehensive on this subject matter as any text I've seen to date. I would highly recommend it to be used by any instructor teaching a course on personal finance. It is comprehensive and flows well.

Reviewed by Christina Glenn, Adjunct Instructor, Fort Hays State University on 11/22/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is by far the most comprehensive personal finance text I have evaluated! While it does not have an index or glossary, definitions are clearly defined within chapters, and the table of contents is detailed enough to find the topic you are looking for in the book. This text does an excellent job combining economic, business, finance, and consumer topics to thoroughly explain personal finance topics. The only topics I felt that needed more detailed explanations were auto, home, and disability insurance. I was very impressed with the author's work, as it also includes discussion of behavioral and emotional aspects of personal finance.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Overall, I did not find any errors in the text. It does need some updating for the tax, retirement, and estate laws, as it was last updated with 2008 laws. But very little effort is needed to make the information current.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text has staying power. While some personal finance topics, such as tax, retirement, and estate need to be brought up to date with current numbers, it would take very little effort on the part of the instructor to update that content. I was impressed that the authors clearly thought these updates through, as it would only require updating images to current data.

Clarity rating: 4

The book is clearly written, except for some concepts that may be more difficult for non-business students to understand. I feel the text is geared more toward business students who would be familiar with some of the terminology in the text from other courses.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent throughout as far as depth of coverage for each topic and appropriate ordering of chapters. I would suggest moving the last chapter, on careers to the beginning. I would also suggest a little more coverage of the insurance topics, but the graphics are excellent in the text, and the content is superior to those of "revenue generating" textbooks.

Modularity rating: 5

The text has clearly defined sections, with excellent learning objectives, takeaways, and exercises for EACH section within the chapter. Very impressed with the organization of the text and application of material in exercises.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics are presented in a logical order, with the exception of Career Planning. However, most personal finance texts do place Career Planning at the end. To me, discussion of career planning makes more sense earlier in the semester, as the student's career choice is going to impact their overall financial plan.

Interface rating: 5

The textbook is easy to navigate, with buttons at the top to skip back to the previous section, go to the Table of Contents, or skip ahead to the next section. The graphs and images were all clear and concise. It was easy to read, with no interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text was very well written, with no grammatical errors found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Examples provided in the text did not mention race or ethnicity and were not offensive in any way. A variety of financial situations were presented in case examples, and did not overly simplify the financial conditions a person might experience. As students come from diverse economic backgrounds, I did not find the examples to favor lower socioeconomic status or higher socioeconomic status individuals.

Reviewed by Jennifer Lehman, PhD student and associate instructor, Texas Tech University on 3/27/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers all relevant subject areas and has a good table of contents, with links provided to subsections within each chapter. If anything, the text is too much for some courses to cover in one semester - but as an instructor I would rather decide what to skip rather than not have enough content. I like that behavioral finance is included, and career information is included.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

For the most part, the book is accurate. However, I found a bad web link - P 13 Q 3 - here's the error message -
The requested URL /od/moneybyageorlifestage/Money_and_Personal_Finance_by_Age_Life_Stage.htm was not found on this server. Also, federal estate tax numbers are still from 2009, and has significantly changed since then. I would either leave that part out or make sure someone updates it every year.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Some of the comments here overlap with the one above. I found a web link that is no longer good, and estate tax numbers are out of date. Also, wills and trusts are talked about, but there's no mention of living wills or powers of attorney for financial and health care matters. Those things are relevant for everyone, and do not include numbers that would need updating.
I like that there's a whole chapter on consumer strategies, including common scams and how to avoid them.
Buying a car gets a section, and buying a home gets very thorough, well thought out coverage. I wish I would have had this resource when buying my first home.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written in plain English in a matter that is easy to understand. Terms are defined and examples are provided. There are nice charts to organize some of the information. This aspect of the book is very well done.

Consistency rating: 5

Learning objectives are listed at the start of each section, then content, and finally key takeaways and exercises at the end of every section. The format is predictable and easy to follow. Also, as mentioned above, there's a table of contents. I don't see an index or glossary but I think needed information could be pinned down in this easy to follow format.

Modularity rating: 5

Each section within a chapter is fairly short. There are not enormous blocks of text. The flow is nice and modules could be easily assigned in different orders and without having to assign the entire chapter. This aspect of the text is very nicely done.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion which is explained in the preface.

Interface rating: 5

Other than the one bad web link (I did not try every single one), I did not notice any interface issues. A few images were small and could be enlarged.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I did not notice anything offensive in the text. A variety of examples are provided.

Comments

Overall, this book is well written and easy to follow. Thanks for making it available.

Reviewed by Vaughan Briggs, Associate Professor of Finance, Central Oregon Community College on 8/15/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This text covers all the requisite material that you would find in other texts sold by the major publishers. As mentioned in other reviews, the .pdf version of the text does not have a table of contents, but the online version does. You can get around this by using "CNTRL f" in the .pdf, but it is definitely clunky.

A couple comments on the content: I do wish that the formula for present value was made more obvious - that it would stand out from the rest of the text in the same way future value is presented. Also, while there is a considerable amount of information on risk, it is spread out through the text. Additionally, I would like to see a better discussion of how the deductibility of mortgage interest reduces the cost of housing. For instance, paying rent of $1,500/month is actually more expensive than paying a mortgage payment of $1,500/month because of the tax treatment of mortgage interest. Finally, my course outcomes require that I talk about common financial scams and common personal financial mistakes, which are not really discussed in the text. However, in all fairness, not many texts cover this topic.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I did find a couple of typo type errors such as percentages presented in decimal form when the tables clearly labeled them as percentages. However, those were minor and infrequent.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The basics of personal finance, such as risk/return, and time value of money are timeless. The text presents the material as such. The areas that will bear monitoring are those dealing with tax laws and the evolving nature of health care and its benefits. I do like that the authors have placed URLs below tables that may change in the future, such as tax rates.

Clarity rating: 5

I found the book easy to read and clear in its examples. I found the language of the text to be at the appropriate level for community college students.

Consistency rating: 5

I did not notice any inconsistencies in presentation.

Modularity rating: 3

In the online version, students can access different sections of the text very easily. However, the .pdf version does not allow for the student to easily jump from one section of the text to the other. As mentioned above, you can work through this by using "CNTRL f" but its very clunky and may not be an option for the student that is used to using a hard copy text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics are presented in a logical and clear way that makes sense. However, I almost never use a text in sequential order as I usually have a different way of presenting the material based upon my strengths and weaknesses as an instructor. In the case of personal finance, I really like to lay a solid foundation with the concepts of time value of money and risk vs. return, then move on to application of those concepts. This text presents a substantial amount of information on risk, its just spread out through many chapters.

Interface rating: 4

Again, the online version is much easier to use and navigate than the .pdf version.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No issues found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. However, I would not be considered a minority so I may not be as aware of those issues as others of a different race or cultural background.

Comments

While I'm happy that the authors have posted a .pdf version of the text so that a professor may organize the material in a way that fits their teaching style, its not very user friendly for students. The online version is much easier to use and navigate. Having said that, there is a ton of great material here to use in a personal finance class.

Reviewed by Amber Lamadrid, Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/20/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text is extremely comprehensive, including topics that would be relevant to both younger students just starting out with Personal Finance, as well as topics relevant to the older student who has some Personal Finance experience. in this regard it would be easy to customize a course based on the student population in the section. With 18 chapters included, the range of topics is broad enough that the instructor can pick and choose which topics to include and not run out of content.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I spot-checked random topics for accuracy in mathematical equations (PV, YTM, etc.) and found no errors. Graphical flowcharts make sense and are easy to follow.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text would be relevant for the foreseeable future, since the text is based on fundamental principles of Personal Finance that don't often materially change.

Clarity rating: 5

The text presents concepts in an easy to read way, without too much advanced terminology that an average student would struggle to understand. Concepts are presented using an unbiased tone, presenting pros and cons when applicable.

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter and chapter subsection are organized in the same way, maximizing the book's overall consistency. Students would easily get into a "rhythm" with the text, regardless of which chapters are assigned.

Modularity rating: 5

As I mentioned above, there are 18 chapters included... so the text is very modular. No section is too long, which minimizes the risk that students lose interest. Additionally, each chapter sub-section is broken up with graphs, charts, Key Takeaways and Exercises, all in color and with lots of white-space to draw attention.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics are presented in logical order. Instructors could easily structure a course starting with Chapter 1 and move through the chapters in order, and the course would make logical sense to the student.

Interface rating: 5

No interface issues encountered. I downloaded the book to my tablet and had no issues opening the book, hyperlinking to chapters, etc.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

no grammatical errors noted, however I did not scour the book with this in mind.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

As mentioned, the book adopts a neutral tone of voice, free of bias that might be offensive to any racial or cultural group.

Comments

I appreciate the prompts in the Exercises sections to the student to reflect on the topic in their Personal Finance journals. In my course, I use the PFJ as an assessment tool, and students love having a comprehensive examination of their personal finance situation at the end of the term as a takeaway.

Reviewed by Chengping Zhang, Associate Professor of Finance, George Fox University on 2/15/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book covers a decent spectrum of topics in personal finance and financial planning, such as time value of money, risk, budgeting, tax planning, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance, investing, career planning, etc. The topics are appropriate for an undergraduate personal finance or financial planning course, it also serves as a good reference book for anyone who wants to plan his/her personal finance serious.

Two very important topics in finance, time value of money and risk, need to be covered in more depth. I suggest to split chapter 4 into two chapters – a chapter to cover time value of money and another to cover measuring and evaluating risk. Chapter 9 “buying a home” should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of renting versus buying and covers refinancing in more detail. These will help people make better decisions when it comes to buying a home and refinancing a mortgage.

Excel is widely used in Business and Finance including in financial planning and analysis. Including some Excel examples and exercises will help readers understand how personal finance can be managed and how financial planning can be done in Excel.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

There are some errors or typos in the text. For example, the mathematical formula of the present value (PV) and future value (FV) relationship on pages 85, 86 and 87 is not correctly presented. The t should be in the exponential position. Maybe the “^” is missing somehow. The definition of “present value” is not accurate (page 83). Present value is not necessarily what is worth today. In time value of money calculations, we define present value as “an early money on a timeline”. For example, if you invested $1000 dollars in the stock market three years ago and your stock account balance is $1300 today, we want to find the implied investment return. In this case, the initial investment $1000 three years ago is the present value. Your current stock account balance is the future value.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content of this book is relevant and current. The key principles of personal finance and financial planning will not change much over time. Income tax rates and interest rates may change over time but these can be updated easily.

Clarity rating: 3

The text is not very clear and even confusing in some places. For example, on page 82, it reads “It also involves understanding and measuring the risks or uncertainties that time presents and the opportunities—and opportunity costs—that time creates”. How do we interpret “time presents risks and uncertainties” and “time creates opportunities and opportunity costs”? I think there are a lot of other factors involved than just time when discussing risks and uncertainties, opportunities and opportunity costs.

Consistency rating: 4

The text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The terms use in each chapter are consistent across the chapter. There are some inconsistencies in table headings and the actual values. For example, the second column in the table on page 91 is meant to show rates (r) in percentage, then 2% should be displayed as 2 in the table instead of 0.02.

Modularity rating: 5

The fact that each chapter in this book is about 20-40 pages long is a good sign of modularity. The authors use a lot of tables and figures to make the text more appealing to read. The learning objectives at the beginning and the key takeaways at the end of each section remind the readers the key concepts in that section.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book starts with a long case in chapter 1. I think using a case to start a chapter is a good idea but this case is too complicated and overwhelming for students who just start a course. Splitting this big case into several small ones and put them at the beginning of relevant chapters will make the book more friendly. As mentioned earlier, I suggest to split chapter 4 into two chapters. Including a chapter directory and an index is also highly recommended.

Interface rating: 4

The PDF version does not have a table of contents. There is no index at the back of the file either. The images and charts are clear, but centering them will make the text look nicer.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There is no major grammatical issue. But the clarity can be improved in some places.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

Comments

Overall, this book covers most topics that need to be covered in a personal finance or financial planning text. Some areas, such as time value of money, risk, financing a mortgage and refinancing need to be covered in more depth. Including some Excel examples and exercises will definitely make the book more appealing.

Reviewed by Ronalld Shapiro, Assistant Professor , Rutgers Business School on 2/8/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book covers a wide range of topics in the analysis and theory of personal finance. The book consists of 18 chapters and covers all relevant topics including financial statements, budgeting, risk management, investing in stocks, bonds and real estate, and taxes among others. The chapters include good examples of basic principles that can be further explained by the classroom instructor. There is no table of contents, index or glossary which weakens the effective use of this textbook. In addition, all of the examples used in this textbook are from 2008 which makes this text currently obsolete. Changes in tax laws and consumer strategies need to be updated to make this a usable text today.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The text content appears accurate. I found very few errors. However, as noted above, the examples and references to tax laws in particular are not accurate as the laws have changed since 2009.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This is a very good introductory and easy to understand course book to introduce the student to the world of personal finance. While all textbooks must be reviewed periodically to maintain accuracy and relevance, this text will require more constant updating as our laws and principles change.

Clarity rating: 4

There is good use of tables and charts to explain the concepts and calculations. The writing style makes the topics easy to understand

Consistency rating: 4

There is good continuity throughout the book. Terms and definitions are consistently applied. A glossary at the end of the book would enable the student to quickly find a term or definition used in a previous section of the book.

Modularity rating: 4

The arrangement of the chapters are generally in proper sequence. While the book makes extensive use of sub topics with Key Takeaways and Exercise sections within each chapter, limiting these breaks within each chapter might be advisable. The learning objectives in the beginning of each chapter are useful and provide students with advance notice of what they will be learning.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The text is properly organized and gradually takes the student into the core of this subject. Financial examples and charts provide a good balance for learning.

Interface rating: 4

The book is written in easy to understand language with clear charts and graphs.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There were no issues found with grammar and I found very few spelling errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This text is not offensive in any way. Its content pertains to US laws and practices only.

Comments

In addition to the book requiring updating to reflect current tax laws and practices, there are other aspects that can be employed to strengthen this textbook and make it more current. Examples would be: (a) demonstrating the use of a financial calculator to solve financial problems; (b) use of accounting software such as Excel; (c) use mini cases to further explain and define principles learned and (d) add more end of chapter problems for student learning and instruction.

Reviewed by Walter Lambert, Adjunct, Metropolitan State University on 8/21/16

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book introduces and explains essentially all of the topical material found in most commercial texts or trade books dealing with a first overview of personal finance. The implied audience is anyone needing a professional introduction to the subject, but it is clear from the book's content that the major intended audience is college students at any level in their academic programs. The online nature and licensing style of the book apparently allow the front pieces and index to be deleted but makes the book easily searchable and flexible as an educational resource. A few consistent typos throughout the text indicate a possible software translation hiccup that does not detract from the text's readability or usefulness. An opportunity for the instructor is provided by the book's design. Support activities such as assignments and assessments can be supplemented or developed by the instructor to fit a class at hand rather than a general student population.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book's introduction and treatment of subject material is accurate and presents current information in line with professional practice in the personal finance advisory and educational fields as of the date of this review. There is no apparent bias in chapters dealing with subjects of otherwise intense commercial rivalry. Some charts containing data as of the time of publication will need updating in a few years like any other text in the fields of finance and economics.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book is most relevant to readers and learners with thin financial life experience whether college student or older person. The general focus of the book is on readers or learners currently living through the transition from a financially protected environment to living on their own. Some of the book's content should be immediately relevant especially to the college student, and most of the book's content should become immediately relevant over the decade following graduation. This allows the book to be a primary source for any learner to know what direction to take for more in-depth information over an extended period.

Clarity rating: 5

Material introduced and discussed in the book is clear and devoid of confusing complications sometimes found in textbooks on personal finance. This is a benefit from the authors carefully avoiding the attempt to make the book an encyclopedia on the subject.

Consistency rating: 5

Individual chapters are stand-alone in the sense that there do not appear to be prerequisite linkages between them. This contributes to the book's flexibility in course design. There also does not appear to be some type of underlying theory or ideology that might create inconsistencies either between topics within the book or between the book and reality. Terminology and the pedagogical framework are consistent throughout the text.

Modularity rating: 5

Having each chapter as a stand-alone unit contributes to the book's modularity in terms of course design and subject matter sequencing. That includes the flexibility for instructors to not use some chapters if the need arises.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Organization of subject matter within the text follows a more or less standard pattern easily followed by a learner with chapters grouped by a main focus such as asset protection or wealth building. The instructor has the option of either using the text from front to back or of altering the subject matter sequencing to satisfy an alternative program of presentation.

Interface rating: 4

The on-screen appearance and layout of the book are clear, easily readable, and searchable. One exception might be an occasional typo apparently caused by an electronic hiccup when moving from one electronic platform to another.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Grammar within the text is accurate and simple. A learner using English as a second or third language should have few grammatical challenges when reading this book.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The book is written within the context of the personal financial environment of the United States. It is inclusive within that environment. The peculiarities of personal finance within the US probably do not lend themselves to relevancies outside the US. A few of the topics introduced and explained in the text such as personal debt, life insurance or earned interest might not be relevant to some cultural or ethnic groups within the US. Those situations can be addressed by the instructor as the situation dictates.

Comments

The text is a fairly comprehensive overview of personal financial common practice within the United States. It addresses all of the major topics confronted by the average American family at sometime in its life, and provides a starting point for more in-depth learning on particular topics as they become more immediately relevant. The pedagogical perspective is similar in that the book is like both sides of a sandwich. It gets instructor and learner started, but it is up to both to provide the makings, which provides the creative instructor a wide degree of flexibility and the serious learner an even broader opportunity.