Economics with ease

Whether heading to college and curious about checking accounts or paying for college and trying to understand financial aid, The WSJ Guide to Understanding Personal Finance speaks to the money-handler in all of us. This fourth edition covers the latest in online banking, new check-cashing policies and estate planning. Confused by various interest rates on savings accounts? The authors smartly use a loaf of bread to explain the differences. Mastering basic economics in a short guide is quite a feat; this guide is the book you might have wished for when struggling through Econ 101 in college.

Tiffany Speaks is a former business writer for Newsweek Japan who does her budgeting and writing from Norman, Oklahoma.