THE TEEN MONEY MANUAL

Just about anything teens would want to know about money and finance but didn’t know enough to ask.

McGuire first makes the often intimidating world of finance—not generally a topic on a teen’s must-read list—approachable by separating the book into four tidy subsections: Earning, Saving, Spending and Protecting. She makes it further accessible by using concrete examples instead of abstractions. She discusses the ins and outs of starting a business, with two entrepreneurial teens describing how they acquired their startup capital and how they juggled their businesses with their school schedules. Oftentimes, McGuire departs from giving purely financial advice and provides counsel that sounds like it comes from a mentor or parent. “Your number one job as a teen is to get good grades, gain experiences from school and community activities, and prepare for higher education.” She advises teens on appropriate dress for an interview—“When in doubt, dress up, not down”—and how to discriminate between wants and needs. She also covers banking and investing, saving for the near and far future, and purchasing car and property insurance. There are scads of helpful websites, as well as a sample resume, budget and W-2 form. Colorful photos and charts and eye-catching graphics keep the pages turning.

A solid, thoroughly readable guide