For many decades the author sat in his office with impressive framed pieces of paper on his wall and tried to be clever and wise for the clients in his practice. Also, as a hobby, he started teaching classes about finances and taxes at the graduate and undergraduate level at some local universities. In recent years he taught MBA students about personal financial planning. He was always struck by how much even MBA students could benefit from a basic understanding of personal finances. For years he looked for a book, any book, to give to his students and clients that explained the basics of how