Part One: What You Should Know About Personal Finance

So, what are the financial topics that you should know about? As a young adult, you should have a general understanding of bank accounts, your paycheck, budgeting, credit, and debt, savings, loans, taxes, the stock market, and retirement. There are a couple of extra chapters about financial statements, which is a more advanced topic, and some tips on how to make a good lasting impression, which is a definite key to success.

There is a lot to know! Our goal is to give you enough information for you to be able to put the concepts of personal finance to use in your own life. Some people spend their whole careers specializing in just one of these topics—it’s hard to become an expert in any of them! If they seem confusing, don’t worry. This book will explain the basics, and the basics will give you a good foundation to build on as you grow in experience and financial independence. Now, let’s get started.