Left-Brain Finance for Right-Brain People: A Money Guide for the Creatively Inclined

by Paula Ann Monroe

This basic money book takes a creative approach for visual learners by using icons, varied fonts, and highlighted text. The book's design will appeal to holistic thinkers by allowing them to jump from point to point without losing overall meaning.

It is divided into five sections, each with a subset of related topics: (1) "The Big Picture" looks at financial goals, attitudes, financial inventory, and some basic money rules; (2) "How Money Disappears" discusses consumer debt, inflation, and personal income taxes; (3) "How Money Grows" explains the workings of savings accounts, investments, and home ownership; (4) "Protection" delves into the ins and outs of seemingly every type of insurance policy available; and (5) "Planning and Priorities" provides tips and details on establishing financial priorities, a planning structure, estate planning, and long-range funding goals.

A concluding appendix contains information about the Federal Reserve System, tax brackets, community property states, social security benefits, and the definition of disabilities. Includes endnotes and a glossary.

Genres: Finance

328 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like my right-brain finances, this book has some strong assets but also some liabilities. On the plus side, Paula Ann Monroe operates under neither the assumption that I already know all about financial matters nor the assumption that I need to be talked to like I’m a low-grade idiot incapable of anything more sophisticated than balancing a checkbook. Overall this is a solid introduction to the ins and outs of money management. However, sometimes she gets a little bogged down in the technical details and in other spots is far too vague. For example, the chapter on taxes didn’t exactly leave me feeling like the master of Schedule C. Further, given that the cover describes the work as “a money guide for the creatively inclined,” the self-employment section at least should have focused more on the types of businesses creative people are likely to start for themselves. And how in all this can there be so little on student loans? I don’t have credit card problems, but I’d be forever grateful for some practical advice on how best to get Sallie Mae out of my life forever. I can’t be the only “creatively inclined” person in that particular boat, either. Nonetheless, I thought this was an informative read and I’m glad I took the time to go through it.