Rating: 
Summary: Excellent! Highly recommended!
Review: I became aware of Chatsky a few years ago when I read one of her excellent articles in Money Magazine.By her own admission, this book is written in "6th grade math and plain English." I suspect that the 1 star reviewers prefer to a more complicated but less effective treatise on financial management. In Talking Money you will learn how to: *Manage your money--and stop letting it manage you. *Accurately track your expenses and discover where you can realistically save *Start communicating clearly with your partner about money *Get the best deals on everything from air fares to mortgages *Plan for college and retirement by really understanding the
principles of investment, and investing in the right places *Calculate how much insurance you need--and don't need *Transfer money to your children and avoid estate taxes Other advice includes the 5 questions to ask your credit card company and how to get the best deal on a home equity loan. To the person who recommended Making the Most of Your Money by Quinn, I bought and read that book and found it mostly fluff. Jean Chatzky's book is much better. Easier to read and has advice that actually works. Quinn's book is more applicable to people who like to read without purpose. Talking Money is an excellent book. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book Jean!
Review: I have enjoyed watching Jean Chatsky on TV and have all of her books, although this one is my favorite. Jean writes in a way that appears as though she is sitting right there and talking to you like your best friend. I also enjoy the audio version of this book and will play it while going about my household duties or in the car while picking up the kids. Talking Money is very possibly the best personal finance book out there. I also recommend Jean Chatsky's newest book, "You Don't Have to Be Rich" and any other book by Chatsky that you can get your hands on. Chatsky is the best!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Own for Solid Financial Advice
Review: I have enjoyed watching Jean Chatzky on the Today Show for years. In fact, I worked with her on the show and have seen first hand how she prepares for her weekly segments. Believe me, it is not as easy as Jean makes it appear! This book deserves a spot on your bookshelf as it is a great daily reference guide to the world of personal finance. What I like best about the book is unlike other financial-oriented books, it is not boring and is loaded with Jean's witty personality. Jean has a knack for explaining complicated financial decisions simple to understand. My only question is: When is she releasing her next book? I am truly looking forward to it!
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow And It's All About The Author
Review: If only the author and her publisher had spent even half as much time thinking about the content as they obviously did about marketing and publicity strategies, this could have been a good book but it is not. Throughout this ecocentric tome we are enlightened by comments like "this really bugs me." Does anyone really care what bugs Jean Chatzky? I bought this book hoping to find solid and well-researched money advice and tips not so that some over-hyped author could indulge her petty views. Only one professional book reviewer has even bothered touching this book and they called it "boilerplate." Jean spends time contrasting herself to Suze Orman. Truth be told they are both cut from the same cloth. They each put their own financial interests ahead of the readers'. That is a pity since it is readers who are spending our hard-earned money and limited time on their books. If "the love of money is the root of all evil," Jean and Suze should think long and hard about their contributions to society as they continue to enlarge their personal empires by selling this nonsense to unsuspecting book buyers, especially women who need all the unbiased and useful help that we can get.
Rating:
Summary: Less Than Meets The Eye
Review: If you already own at least one personal finance book then this mediocre one will not tell you anything you haven't already seen, heard or read. If you're looking to buy your first money book, then skip this one. It only gives a generalized overview of important topics and will leave you wondering "What steps should I follow to take charge of my finances?" Go with one of the classics instead, such as Andrew Tobias's "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" or Jane Bryant Quinn's "Making the Most of Your Money." "Talking Money" is just a lot of hot air.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Highly recommended!
Review: If you're looking for a highly readable, yet relatively complete, book about personal finance, look no further than "Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Your Future" by Jean Chatzky. Chatzky, a columnist for Money Magazine, provides solid financial advice. According to Chatzky, learning to talk about money is comparable to learning a foreign language, which seems a bit of a stretch. Learning to talk money is much easier! Chatzky says that while sex is a relatively comfortable topic for casual conversation, that talking money is taboo (What crowd's she hanging out with?). As you learn to talk about money, Chatzky says you'll make more intelligent personal financial decisions. The first chapter of "Talking Money" discusses personal financial goals. Chatzky poses five questions to ask yourself about your personal financial goals. First, what do you want to achieve this year with your personal finances? Second, what do you want your money to achieve for you in ten years? Third, what do you want to accomplish with your money far into the future? Fourth, are you willing to begin achieving your financial plans? Fifth, do you know enough to get started with your financial dreams? Chatzky compares setting financial goals to exercise. She says that attending a full class in cardio kickboxing will tire you out the first day, but if you keep at it, you will get stronger. Similarly, getting started tracking your expenses or saving might at first seem tiring. But, as you learn to do it, you will become financially stronger. "Talking Money" gives solid advice about choosing the right credit card for you. And, Chatzky provides good questions to ask about any credit card you consider acquiring. She also discusses credit ratings. "Talking Money" also notes that anyone who claims to be able to improve your credit rating probably isn't legitimate. The second chapter, "Talking Savings," was highly readable. Chatzky says we probably want to know where our money goes. So, she recommends personal financial programs, such as Quicken or Microsoft Money, for tracking your finances. She notes that some people become highly addicted to tracking their expenses to the penny using such computer programs. They join the "Cult of Quicken." If you don't want to use a computer to track your expenses, Chatzky gives a short list of personal expense categories that will probably suffice for basic budgeting. The chapter "Talking Investing for Safety" does a solid job of introducing money market accounts, treasuries, money market mutual funds, short-term bond funds, and tax-free funds. Chatzky tells us that Treasury Bills are 3-12 months in maturity, Treasury Notes are 2-10 years in maturity, and Treasury Bonds are up to 30 years in maturity (I'd just lump them all together and call them Treasuries, but then too, my French sucks). Chatzky suggests that if you plan to buy Treasuries and hold them until maturity, you should buy them directly from the government (publicdebt.treas.gov) to avoid paying commissions. "Talking Money" points out that the difference in yield between various money market mutual funds is due to the differing expense ratios that the funds charge investors. Chatzky mentions ibcdata.com as one source to track money market fund rates. (But, unless you have a lot in a money market fund, you might want to stick with your usual broker.) Chatzky also makes the important distinction between money market funds which have only temporarily lowered their expense fees to draw in business and money market funds (such as Vanguard) which tend to keep expense ratios low on a consistent basis. (Chatzky also notes that credit card companies are notorious for offering teaser rates which shoot up.) The book does a very good job of explaining why we shouldn't invest in stocks for short-term savings goals. My favorite chapter was "Talking Spending" where Chatzky gives great tips for saving money on your purchases. She notes we must be informed consumers. For example, when buying a car, it's best to know the dealer price. Then, we can work from that and see how much mark-up the dealer is trying to get. Chatzky suggests edmunds.com as one source of dealer prices on cars. Also, when ordering mail-order or over the internet, Chatzky says don't forget shipping charges. I wish I had given this some thought before I ordered my 17" PC monitor from across the country! I would have saved $40 by buying one locally. That's money effectively thrown away. Chatzky tells us that buying a used car is often the best deal when purchasing an automobile. She tells us two-year-old cars have depreciated in price by about 60%, yet, typically, a two-year-old car has only expended one-third of its useful life. Other chapters discuss talking real estate, talking insurance, talking investing for retirement and college, talking with your aging parents about money, and talking with your spouse about money. Overall, "Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Your Future" by Jean Chatzky is very readable and provides good financial advice. Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor"
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and Dull
Review: Poorly written book by a marginally knowledgable person. Miss Chatzky doesn't uncover anything original or even interesting.
Instead she just repeats old money sayings and tries to pass them off as helpful. They aren't.
Rating:
Summary: Good solid advice from a money expert
Review: Talking Money will teach you everything you need to know about all aspects of Personal Finance. From credit cards to buying bonds. After reading Talking Money, you will know what you are talking about and best of all you have the best information to suit your own personal needs. Great book. Great advice.
Rating:
Summary: Finally! An excellent, clear, take-charge guide!
Review: This is an excellent, fundamental guide to taking control of your finances! As a 20-something with everything from looming graduate loans, to wanting to save to buy a home, Jean's advice is exactly the clear, basic, and never-boring information-guide I was looking for. After watching her for a couple years on the Today show, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book encompasses most every topic she has covered in interviews, and then some - and so well!! I was especially grateful for the sections on aging parents and family finances - which tend not to be in other, more 'fluffy' personal finance books.. There is so much must-have information here. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Finally - a female financial author who understands finances
Review: This is not only the best financial book ever written by a female financial author, it is the b est personal finance book period. You will learn how to buy a home the right way...without getting stuck with a "fixer-upper" (RE: Junk) You will find the money to fund your childrens college education. You will find out to how invest for profit. You will find unique ways to save money and then powerful ways to invest it. The attacks on Chatsky and comparisons with JBQ are getting old and tiresome. Chatsky is a certified financial advisor. Quinn is a writer. Besides, Chatsky's books actually leave the book racks (RE: They sell) Talking Money is a good read. Highly recommended.
| 
