Any new task you hope to accomplish or goal to attain, reading good material will get you closer. Financial jargon looks like English, sounds like English so why don't you understand what it says?
You could pick up a medical report and read the words but because you are not familiar with the terminology, you will not comprehend the meaning. Reading a book on personal finance will help you become familiar with the terms of personal finance.
You could borrow a book from the library or download one from Amazon. Take your time reading, and reread some paragraphs. Use post-it tabs to mark important passages. Keep in mind, it's not rocket science.
If reading a book feels too ambitious, buy a personal finance magazine. Do not buy a subscription at first. Just buy one magazine and read each ad and every article at least once. This will help you become familiar with the words, terms and, eventually the concepts.
Listed are six books suggested by John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard Funds. John is very down to earth; a man of the people and the little investor.
Pick just one! Review them on Amazon to find the right one for you.
The Intelligent Investor
By Benjamin Graham
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
By Burton Malkiel
Unconventional Success
By David Swensen
The Four Pillars of Investing (my favorite, an easy read)
By William Bernstein
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
By Charles MacKay
The Bogleheads’Guide to Investing
By Larimore, Lindauer and LeBoeuf
A classic, not on Mr. Bogle's list and another favorite of mine:
Making the Most of Your Money Now
By Jane Bryant Quinn
A book for women of a certain age which I have not read is
Hot Flash Financial
By Wendy Weiss
Nobody cares about your money as much as you do!
Be $ smart. Read.
