Get smart with money books.docVIP

黄山英 07A班 48号 Get smart with money books WASHINGTON - There are some really good personal finance books on the shelves these days -- volumes that can help you manage your money better, earn more on your investments, or plan a good retirement. But those books are surrounded by dozens of others that are less good -- so choosing the right one becomes the key to success. A good money book is a great gift for yourself, especially if youve received any book-store gift cards during the holiday season. If not, try your local library. Heres an admittedly idiosyncratic roundup of some of the best of the current crop: Making the Most of Your Money by Jane Bryant Quinn (Simon Schuster, $35). At 1,242 pages, this hardcover isnt just a financial book, its a fitness book, too. Do 10 reps lifting it over your head and youll build muscle. Read 10 pages, at random, anywhere in the book, and youll learn something smart about how to handle your finances. Quinn is, of course, the queen of personal finance writing and this newly updated classic covers everything from credit scores to interest rates to tuition to bond mutual funds. The advice is wise and consumerist, and you can use it like the encyclopedia that it is. 10,000 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget by the writers of Wise Bread (Skyhorse Publishing, $14.95), is a nice hands-on book for how to save money on everyday life. Wise Bread () is a frugal living website and this books includes lots of specific resources and tips on items like inexpensive romantic dates, cheap dinners, free health care and travel deals. Its a little less specific and more generic in its sections on investing. Alas, the publisher may have gone too far down the bargain route itself by having the book printed cheaply in China. Though attractively laid out, the volume has a stiff spine and is difficult to hold open. Stop Getting Ripped Off by Bob Sullivan (Ballentine books, $15). Sullivan blogs the Red Tape Chronicles for MSNB (/) and hes a wonderful pro-c