Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I. Assessing your financial fitness and setting goals. 1. Improving your financial literacy ; 2. Measuring yur financial health ; 3. Managing where your money goes ; 4. Establishing and achieving goals -- Part II. Spending less, saving more. 5. Dealing with debt ; 6. Reducing your spending ; 7. Trimming your taxes -- Part III. Building wealth through investing. 8. Considering important investment concepts ; 9. Understanding your investment choices ; 10. Investing in funds ; 11. Investing in retirement accounts ; 12. Investing in taxable accounts ; 13. Investing for educational expenses ; 14. Investing in real estate: your home and beyond -- Part IV. Insurance: protecting what you have. 15. Insurance: getting what your need at the best price ; 16. Insurance on you: life, disability, and health ; 17. Covering your assets -- Part V. Where to go for more help. 18. Working with financial planners ; 19. Using a computer to manage your money ; 20. On air and in print -- Part VI. The part of tens. 21. Survival guide for ten life changes ; 22. Ten tactics to thwart identity theft and fraud.

Tyson provides concrete, action-oriented guidance for tracking expenditures, reducing spending, getting out of debt, investing wisely, and financially surviving life's unexpected twists and turns.