Get Money

January 22, 2018
Personal-finance writer Wong provides thorough if uninspired advice for college graduates entering the world of work and money—and for their worried parents. Having grown up broke, Wong speaks eloquently about how intricately a person’s financial and emotional life are interconnected; the emotions involved, and not just the finances, must be managed in order to make any progress. Many people, she writes, just don’t understand how money really works, which explains why so many Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Getting control over one’s money ups the motivation to save, get out of debt, and stick to a budget; to that end, she walks readers through the basics of setting financial goals and writing a budget, developing a frugal mind-set, figuring out the intricacies of credit and taxes, paying off debt, and investing retirement dollars. Wong shines in her encouraging direction to figure out financial priorities to accomplish personal goals, but the financial information itself is fairly stale in both style and execution. This combination results in a sturdy but overfamiliar approach to a much-covered subject.

February 1, 2018
Wong, a frequent contributor to LifeHacker, the New York Times, and New York magazine, covers the basics of managing personal finances. Her book offers advice and recommendations, such as how to interpret financial jargon or investment options, using examples, anecdotes, and quotes from financial experts that illustrate how to put them into practice. As a fun twist, Wong gamifies the book by creating different stages of activities, assignments, and questions for readers to work through. For example, one assignment helps readers determine their money personality by reflecting on their socioeconomic background and how they grew up around money. Each chapter explores various topics, such as filing taxes, managing relationships concerning money, and negotiating for better pay. Well written in a tone that alternates between serious and humorous, Wong's timely, concise, and practical introduction is a quick and leisurely guide to modern financial literacy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)