Easy Money - Gail Vaz-Oxlade

Title: Easy Money
Author: Gail Vaz-Oxlade
Publisher: Grass Roots Press, 2010 (Paperback), Good Reads series
Length: 86 pages
Genre: Adult; Non-Fiction
Started: January 10, 2011
Finished: January 10, 2011

Summary:
Wish you could find a money book that doesn't make your eyes glaze over or your brain hurt? Easy Money is for you. Gail knows you work hard for your money, so in her usual honest and practical style, she will show you how to make your money work for you. Budgeting, saving, and getting your debt paid off have never been so easy to understand or to do. Follow Gail's plan and take control of your money.

Review:
Another book in the Good Reads series from ABC Life Literacy Canada, this is the only non-fiction title among the available six. In the style of a Good Reads book, this is under 100 pages, at a grade 5-6 reading level, and uses easy to understand language to make this appropriate for readers with lower literacy abilities.

I'm a big fan of Gail Vaz-Oxlade. My husband and I have a pretty good handle on our money, but we watch her shows Till Debt Do Us Part and Princess to remind us that no matter how much we complain about money, we are nowhere near as bad as the kinds of families she has on her show. I've also read her Debt-Free Forever book, and my mother's reading her new book on retirement savings, Never Too Late.

Easy Money is similar in content to Debt-Free Forever, but condensed in an 86 page, easy to understand book. Small chapters on Needs versus Wants, Budgeting, Credit Cards, Debt, Savings, Emergency Funds, and Bank Accounts take all the essential knowledge on managing everyday money needs and makes it available for all readers. The content is very straightforward and fun to read, so it's enjoyable even if you've never picked up a book on finance before. I would not only give this book to an adult with limited literacy skills, but for kids, teens, and people moving out on their own for the first time to teach them about the basics of money.

Recommendation:
A great read on the essentials of everyday money management, ideal not just for adults, but for kids, teens, and anyone managing their own finances for the first time in their life.

Thoughts on the cover:
You've got Gail's face against a green background, a nice basic cover.