How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World

This is an excellent book for young adults to help them understand important personal finance concepts The author does a great job of simplifying complex personal finance topics using relatable anecdotes, charts, tables, key takeaway summaries, etc. I purchased several books to give to the participants in a mentoring nonprofit that serves young adults from underserved and under-resourced communities. A MUST-READ for any young person navigating real-world personal finance!

I am a grown-ass woman and this book—written primarily for teens—was EXACTLY what I needed—and is also perfect for adults like myself who wish they’d educated themselves and started planning for old age much sooner—among other financial things he covers! And apparently there are a lot of people like me. I WISH this book had existed when I was a teenager!!!! And I am so grateful it’s available now, because it’s never too late to learn. With simplicity, relatability, encouragement, and humor—Jake spells out how things work in a very fun and super inspiring way—proving it’s never too late to learn this stuff at any age! Thanks, Jake!!!

This book is awesome. I use it as a supplement in my semester Personal Finance class of juniors. Besides the book being easy to comprehend, there is also a packet created by the author with practice questions that go with the book.

Buy this book! If you or your child/niece/nephew/grandchild/cousin/friend need some knowledge on finances this is the book for you! It seems like no one ever teaches or understand what to do with their money especially young people. If you don't fully grasp how to manage your money, like many younger adults today, this book will give you real life examples and is highly relatable to the times. The cost of living is so high and kids these days seem to think making $16 an hour will pay all the bills and they will have extra money....yeah in the real world it will not, if you are truly on your own and paying for all things adults do. This book was written in 2021--which was important to me as I am trying to get a 19 year old to read this and to prepare for his future. Concepts are easily explained with real life examples such as paying rent, buying Starbucks every day, how much it costs monthly for a car with insurance and gas, selecting a college, and how interest works. Some parts took the words right out of my mouth and I was cheering since I have been saying them for years! I really hope this helps my boyfriend's son that is now navigating how to adult. Heck, I am actually really frugal and great with finances...the question "is it a need or a want?" runs through my head all the time as it was ingrained in my brain from a very young age and I even liked this book! Buy it, buy 2 or 3, give it to any teen or high school graduate, college kid, adult struggling with money! The knowledge in this book may get through to them if you can not. Knowing the author is a teacher I give him an A+. Buy this book, you won't regret it. I bought two copies so my boyfriend and I could read it and I could gift it to his son.

As an adult with a few financial blunders behind me, I can't recommend this book highly enough. The sooner you read it, the sooner you'll be prepared to manage your money wisely. Maybe you'll even be able to afford to retire one day. I would just add another section on some of the scams or traps that people can fall into if they aren't forewarned, but it's a superb starting point. I'm giving this book to all the emerging adults I know!

Having foster teens, I was looking for a way to help them navigate their finances now and in their future. This is an engaging and easy to understand book with all of the important concepts they will need to learn to manage money. As of now, I think that I've given out ten of these books. Buy it for your teen.

This is the book I wish I had when I was 16. The only thing I remember regarding personal finance was in junior high where we had a class that taught us how to balance a check book, but who actually does that anymore? What silliness!This book is concise and easy-to-follow, and, as someone who has a career in finance and accounting, I am happy that he immediately begins by introducing the extremely important concept of interest, which can really end up screwing you over if you don't understand it from the beginning and keep tabs on it (especially credit cards, oof!)It's also good that Mr. Cousineau lays out the pros and cons of buying vs renting, as even high level CPAs that I've worked with still argue which is more valuable. Ultimately, it depends on your lifestyle and what you want out in the long run, and therefore no one should ever feel particularly bad for making a decision to rent or buy on other's opinions alone.Lastly, the auto purchasing section is important as well, as I detest having to go to dealerships and haggle with the sleazy salespeople. I know I got hosed the first time I bought a car because I didn't know what I was doing and let them walk all over me, even though I thought I was playing tough. "Don't be afraid to walk" is as important as any phrase in the book, because it could save you thousands of dollars at the time of purchase AND thousands of dollars in long-term interest.Overall, this is a fine introductory personal finance guide by Jake Cousineau, who I am sure will expand his oeuvre in instructing young people the basics of adulthood in a rapidly developing, technologically advanced 21st century.

I am using this book to assist my high school students in understanding their life after high school, and the decisions they're going to need to make. This book is written in student friendly vocabulary, while using real world examples. The personal connections in each chapter give students a glimpse of what others have done, and hopefully they can avoid the same mistake. Thanks, Jake, for writing such a great book!

This book was SO helpful - do yourself a huge favour and buy it! Jake explains finance in such an accessible way - I’m 35 and wish I had read this sooner but am happy I’ve read it now. Empowering! I’m so grateful this book exists.

Read this if you want to navigate the complex world of personal finance. Explains, illustrates with great example. Also, unlike most other finance book, it is not boring. Congratulations to the author.