Personal Financial Planning Theory and Practice

This book was a required text for my financial planning class. At that time, I didn't have much financial background. Thus, I found this book very informative, have lots and lots of information, some are applicable, some fall under boring minutiae, but they are there when you need it as proven by the fact that I refer to this book over and over after I finished my class. Will I buy this book if it is not a required text? Hmm... I don't know... this is a textbook that is written like a textbook, so unless I want to study thoroughly, this book is too dense and too heavy. Will I get rid of this textbook? Hmm... this is a good reference book for me, and after I studied it thoroughly during that 10 weeks, I come to like it and I'm familiar with it, so no, I'm not selling it, I'm keeping it. *This review is for the 2005 edition

This book has been the "standard" for many universities with Personal Financial Planning programs for over 5 years. It has several editions including the 2nd and 3rd as well as a new edition published by Kaplan. It is the basic tool for reviewing all courses in preparation for the national CFP(R) examination as well as the text normally found in the first course (the Survey course). There is none better, IMO.

I agree with a previous comment about the lack of editing and copyediting that was done with this book. There are quite a few mechanical errors. However, this book gives you the bare bones run done of what to expect in fundamentals for the Certified Financial Planner exam. My course used this book and I passed the exam on the first try. If you are interested in this book and becoming a CFP, I would also highly recommend the "Understanding Your Financial Calculator" workbook from BISYS.