Everyday Finance

New print reference resource: Everyday Finance: Economics, Personal Money Management, and Entrepreneurship!

The 2-volume work is available in the Reference Room at call number HB171 .E93 2008.

The purpose of this book is to introduce the field of economics, as well as its related topics personal money management and entrepreneurship, in a simple, meaningful way. It shows that economics, personal money management, and entrepreneurship are related to our ordinary everyday lives. The word finance, which has several meanings, is used to describe anything related to money and the economy. Everyday Finance was motivated by the growing awareness in the United States that economic literacy is essential for functioning in the modern world.

To explain the world of money, Everyday Finance features 300 articles, organized by subject into three major sections. The first, How the Economy Works, contains essays within several broad areas: macroeconomics, describing the economy as a whole; microeconomics, focusing on individual parts or forces in the economy; international trade, or buying and selling between countries; and the government's role in the economy. Some essays relate to more than one area and were placed where they would be most useful to a person not familiar with economics.

After the first section introduces the basic ideas of economics, the second and third sections explain how people are personally involved in the economy, either as consumers or business owners. The second section, Personal Money Management, is broken down into four typical consumer roles: buying, borrowing, saving, and insuring. The third section, Entrepreneurship, discusses running a business, attracting customers, managing money, working with employees, and business ethics and the law.

Everyday Finance also includes biographies on seven influential economists throughout history. The book has over 220 images, as well as nearly 50 tables, charts, and graphs; a glossary of financial terms; a further reading section; and a subject index, listing all the topics featured in the book.