This was the first honest-to-gosh personal finance book I have ever read, and I think I chose the best to start with.It really helped me figure out some of the mysteries behind home buying, how to set up a budget that includes retirement *and* other things along the way, investing, how to deal with credit cards, etc.I've never really bothered with thinking about this kind of stuff, because I felt like "since I *don't* have a lot of $$$, I don't really *need* to think about this"--which is extremely stinkin' thinkin', but now I have a better handle on these ideas.