How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World

I bought this book for a high school graduate. It made for a great gift. It's easy to read and understand. Each chapter gives examples so it breaks down the financial concept. For example, if you have a credit card at x% interest and you charge xdollars this is what your monthly payment is and how long it will take to pay off if you pay the minimum. I would recommend this for all high schoolers of first time workers, so they know what to do with their money

"How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World" is a must-have resource for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of personal finance with confidence. As a high school financial literacy teacher, I’ve found this book to be an invaluable tool in the classroom. Its clear, engaging style breaks down challenging topics like budgeting, saving, credit, and investing into digestible pieces that resonate with young adults. Beyond the classroom, I gift this book to high school graduates, knowing it will serve as a practical guide during their transition into adulthood. The relatable examples and actionable advice empower readers to take control of their financial futures. This book isn’t just about numbers—it’s about fostering confidence, responsibility, and a proactive mindset toward money management. If you’re looking for a resource to educate and inspire, "How to Adult" is the gold standard.

Buy this book! If you or your child/niece/nephew/grandchild/cousin/friend need some knowledge on finances this is the book for you! It seems like no one ever teaches or understand what to do with their money especially young people. If you don't fully grasp how to manage your money, like many younger adults today, this book will give you real life examples and is highly relatable to the times. The cost of living is so high and kids these days seem to think making $16 an hour will pay all the bills and they will have extra money....yeah in the real world it will not, if you are truly on your own and paying for all things adults do. This book was written in 2021--which was important to me as I am trying to get a 19 year old to read this and to prepare for his future. Concepts are easily explained with real life examples such as paying rent, buying Starbucks every day, how much it costs monthly for a car with insurance and gas, selecting a college, and how interest works. Some parts took the words right out of my mouth and I was cheering since I have been saying them for years! I really hope this helps my boyfriend's son that is now navigating how to adult. Heck, I am actually really frugal and great with finances...the question "is it a need or a want?" runs through my head all the time as it was ingrained in my brain from a very young age and I even liked this book! Buy it, buy 2 or 3, give it to any teen or high school graduate, college kid, adult struggling with money! The knowledge in this book may get through to them if you can not. Knowing the author is a teacher I give him an A+. Buy this book, you won't regret it. I bought two copies so my boyfriend and I could read it and I could gift it to his son.

This is the book I wish I had when I was 16. The only thing I remember regarding personal finance was in junior high where we had a class that taught us how to balance a check book, but who actually does that anymore? What silliness! This book is concise and easy-to-follow, and, as someone who has a career in finance and accounting, I am happy that he immediately begins by introducing the extremely important concept of interest, which can really end up screwing you over if you don't understand it from the beginning and keep tabs on it (especially credit cards, oof!) It's also good that Mr. Cousineau lays out the pros and cons of buying vs renting, as even high level CPAs that I've worked with still argue which is more valuable. Ultimately, it depends on your lifestyle and what you want out in the long run, and therefore no one should ever feel particularly bad for making a decision to rent or buy on other's opinions alone. Lastly, the auto purchasing section is important as well, as I detest having to go to dealerships and haggle with the sleazy salespeople. I know I got hosed the first time I bought a car because I didn't know what I was doing and let them walk all over me, even though I thought I was playing tough. "Don't be afraid to walk" is as important as any phrase in the book, because it could save you thousands of dollars at the time of purchase AND thousands of dollars in long-term interest. Overall, this is a fine introductory personal finance guide by Jake Cousineau, who I am sure will expand his oeuvre in instructing young people the basics of adulthood in a rapidly developing, technologically advanced 21st century.

I bought this for a HS senior. Prior to gifting it, I read through it myself. I felt the relevant info was there and ropics were explained in a way that was friendly to someone new to the topic. There are a good range of life topics covered. There is an area the author could improve though. Many young people don't have the focus to read and benefit from more visual components. While there are some charts, a 2nd edition should incorporate more charts, graphs, etc.

Let's be real--unless you are a numbers enthusiast, learning about things like 401(K)s and life insurance can be a bit of a snooze-fest. Luckily, "How to Adult" is written in a clear, concise, and relatable way that makes the material approachable for anyone, adult or teen. I especially appreciate the "Personal Connections" sections (in which the author shares real-world, personal stories about the concepts in each chapter that add relevance) and the "Key Takeaways" (basically, a tl;dr for each chapter). As a Gen Xer who had student debt before anybody told me how interest worked, I wish this book had been around when I was a teen! My 17-year-old son and I read it together, and he is already putting the info to good use. I enjoyed it enough that I have placed a bulk order to use with my high school students next year!

Jake Cousineau’s How to Adult is a must-read for young adults looking to master personal finance. With clear, engaging language, it breaks down essential topics like budgeting, investing, taxes, and insurance. The book’s relatable analogies and real-world examples make complex financial concepts easy to understand. Designed for high school grads and college students, it provides actionable steps to build financial confidence. Cousineau’s teaching background shines through, making this a practical and enjoyable guide to financial independence. Verdict: A highly recommended, no-nonsense introduction to personal finance!

I graduated high school this year and I knew nothing about how to operate in the financial world of adulthood. If you have little to no financial knowledge, I was just like you. This book will give you everything you need to know. It will teach you how to manage your money, how to pay and file taxes, how to build wealth, and much more essential financial concepts in a way that can be understood by everyone. Jake is a very nice guy; he was happy to answer my question about self-employment taxes and to double check my understanding of marginal tax rates—an area I had trouble on. I wish more people were financially literate so maybe people won’t be in financially vile predicaments. You may think that you can only invest by putting money into the stock market, but buying and studying this book is an investment by education that will save you and make you a lot of money in the future in comparison of you learning finances the hard way (like Jake and some of his friends - sorry Jake and friends). This book only took me 14 days to compete. To put this in perspective, 2 weeks ago, I knew nothing. Now, I’m taking control of my parent’s finances (not of my own though because I don’t have an income yet)

This book was SO helpful - do yourself a huge favour and buy it! Jake explains finance in such an accessible way - I’m 35 years old from the UK, and I wish I had read this sooner but am happy I’ve read it now. Empowering! I’m so grateful this book exists.

Read this if you want to navigate the complex world of personal finance. Explains, illustrates with great example. Also, unlike most other finance book, it is not boring. Congratulations to the author.