ToTT Tuesday: My Personal Finance Toolbox

My review of Farnoosh Torabi's YOU'RE SO MONEY on Talk of the Town with Parker Sunshine airs August 27. Yay!

I got interested in Farnoosh Torabi's YOU'RE SO MONEY because, as I wrote last week, I'm getting used to organizing my own finances and plan for an uncertain future. So I thought it might be useful to share what my money reading looks like right now as the background I'm taking into this book.

I Read
Suze Orman, THE MONEY BOOK FOR THE YOUNG, FABULOUS AND BROKE. The title's a little silly, but "Suze" is in the self-esteem business as well as the personal finance business, which is why this was the finance book I gave my sister for graduation as part of a "Welcome to the Real World, Too Late To Retreat" package.
Michelle Goodman, THE ANTI 9-TO-5 GUIDE. This book specifically covers freelance personal finance, and that's not all it discusses, but I'm proud after reading it last month to add it to my arsenal.
Dave Ramsey, THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER. In some ways Ramsey's advice counters Orman's, especially about getting into debt, but I like Ramsey's wherever-you-are approach to improving your financial situation. When I started listening to his radio show (which streams at daveramsey.com) I wasn't in the dire straits that many of his callers describe, but I was content to not keep track of where my money was and to let the chips fall where they may. If nothing else this book will make you keep track of your spending.

I Follow
Personal finance blogs, especially Her Every Cent Counts, Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Escape Brooklyn and SF Money Musings (now Soul-Searching 20something On a Mission). These are all blogs by women around my age who are dealing with career changes, establishing good savings habits and learning when to splurge. I admire them because I'm not remotely brave enough to share my financial life with the world, even anonymously.

I also listen to NPR's Marketplace and Marketplace Money, which doesn't always cover personal finance but is a great way to ease into the scary category of business news.

So where do you get your personal finance information? From the brokerage of Mom and Dad? (Hey, I still ask them for advice a lot.) From an outside advisor? From your savvy friend?