If you’ve read more than a handful of my posts, you’ll know that I’m obsessed with always growing, advancing, and learning. I love to read. I’m always looking for that new idea or that nugget of wisdom that will move me forward. But as obsessed as I am about learning and reading, I’m even more obsessed with using my time effectively.
So, when I saw that fellow MoneyWatch columnist, Stacey Bradford, wrote a new book on personal finance called The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents, I hesitated to dig into it even though I have a young daughter. Here’s why. I live and breath personal finance. I am the president of a wealth management firm that was voted one of the top firms in the country. I wrote a #1 bestselling personal finance book and have done financial makeovers on 20/20, Dr. Phil, Money Magazine, and many others. So, what was I going to learn?
Oh how wrong I was! Stacey has written an excellent book that I’d highly recommend to anyone expecting a child, new parents, and even those parents with older children.
The joy for me reading the book was her perspective as a woman and as a mother. Chapter after chapter I experienced several “a-ha” moments. There were many issues such as maternity leave, the emotional cost of staying at home, and returning to the workforce that I thought I understood, but only after reading it from a woman‘s perspective, do I now really get it.
Stacey also has a wonderful ability to take rather daunting concepts such as life insurance and trusts and explain them so that even a sleep-deprived new parent can understand.
The WSJ Financial Guidebook for New Parents is superbly written and researched. I can’t think of a better way for parents to spend some of their other 8 hours to get a solid financial footing.
If you’re interested in using your other 8 hours to get your finances in shape, you can download my free eBook/audiobook “Plan Z: How to Survive the 2009 Financial Crisis (and even live a little better).“
