Jeff D. Opdyke is a financial reporter who has covered investing and personal finance for The Wall Street Journal for the past twelve years. He is the author of Love and Money: A Life Guide to Financial Success. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife, Amy, and their two kids.

A hands-on, interactive guide to managing your monday and building your financial future
Many of the worksheets in this book are available online and can be saved, printed, and recalculated at any time. Go to: WSJ.com/BookTools
Understanding your money, and getting it to work for you, is more important today than it ever was, because you alone are responsible for every aspect of your financial life, from managing your day-to-day living expenses to planning a college savings fund and, ultimately, retirement. The sooner you start taking control of your financial life the better, and there's no greater authority on financial matters than The Wall Street Journal. This workbook takes the mystery out of personal finance and addresses every topic you'll need to master, from building a solid financial base to growing your financial assets. Worksheets, charts, and step-by-step instructions throughout help you do the math and work through the basics, making it quick and easy to organize your cash and eventually build wealth. Learn how to:
• Create a spending plan and budget
• Balance a checkbook
• Make decisions about what types of— and how much—insurance you need
• Manage credit and debt
• Finance big expenses like real estate and education
• Understand and properly assess your own appetite for risk
• Formulate the right asset allocation
• Start building an investment portfolio
• Make real estate decisions like purchasing vs. renting
• Refinance a mortgage
• Manage your 401(k)
• Deal with taxes
• Plan for college expenses
Also available—the companion to this workbook: The Wall Street Journal Complete Personal Finance Guidebook, by Jeff D. Opdyke
Get your financial life in order with help from The Wall Street Journal. Look for:
• The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook
• The Wall Street Journal Complete Identity Theft Guidebook
• The Wall Street Journal Complete Real Estate Investing Guidebook