A chatty, comprehensive guide candidly aimed at middle-class married women--85 out of 100 of whom, according to Census Bureau projections, will be on their own one day. In jargon-free prose the authors cover a variety of basic subjects including record keeping, budgeting, using credit wisely, insurance, investments, retirement programs, wills, and estate planning. Pinch-penny recommendations abound and some advice is positively arch (e.g., ""lovers make lousy lenders""). There's also a lot of first-rate material, however, on: the merits of term life insurance, the pros and cons of tax shelters, and the advantages of joint-tenancy arrangements (a way of conveying assets without passing through probate). Perhaps the authors' greatest service to their readers is equipping them to deal with accountants, attorneys (divorce or estate), brokers, and other professionals given to speaking in abstruse tongues. Eminently useful for every woman's home.