Debt Information for Teens

Personal finance is a hot topic. Bellenir (editor, Mental Health Information for Teens) promises much-desired information on this subject but fails to deliver. Her confusing tome attempts to cover a breadth of topics largely irrelevant to a teen audience and is hampered by a glut of information unrelated to personal finance. The first third of the book discusses macro- and microeconomics, subjects that have little to no impact on day-to-day personal money management. Advanced concepts such as aggregate supply are introduced but never explained, and arcane topics—e.g., the minting of coins—are given preference over more relevant subjects such as the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis and current global economic meltdown. The remaining two-thirds of the book present a confusing jumble of information in short, poorly organized chapters. Facts about checking accounts and the basic functioning of banks appear in chapters titled "Spending Money Wisely" and "Saving Money," instead of in "You and Your Bank." Smart-shopping advice is limited to a few tired tips about sales and coupons. There is some information about financing postsecondary education, but the worksheets involved are complicated, and there is little included about practical savings strategies. While the book provides a substantial section on understanding credit cards and debt, this section is more suited to an older audience with legal control over their own credit cards. The book offers no glossary, a grievous oversight considering the myriad terms introduced and used throughout.