Dollars and Sense: A Guide to Financial Literacy

This book explains to readers, in lay terms, exactly how taxes and government spending work. Topics covered include where governmental funds comes from, the components of debt, and how the funds are spent.

In the past twenty years, a far higher percentage of ordinary, middle-class Americans began investing in the stock market, either as individual investors or as part of retirement-related investment funds. Within a generation, investments have not only become a central component of the average family's income, but also an essential tool for its future planning-including saving for college, weddings, first house purchases, and retirement. This highly readable and comprehensible guide demystifies the terminology and mechanics of investments and savings for teen readers. This resource provides a superb grounding in the basic principles of financial planning, earning interest, inflation, banking and savings and checking accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, commodities, money market funds, CDs, savings bonds, debt, taxes, hidden fees and charges, and get rich quick schemes. Readers are provided with the information they need to manage their money carefully, wisely, and safely and plan for a comfortable and enjoyable future for themselves and their family.

Our economical output is channeled through goods or services. Any economy thrives through our constant need of both, whether it's our need to stock our refrigerators and furnish our homes, or to spend a nice night dining out and experiencing the finer things. This book explores the process of producing goods and services and how it affects our lives. Sidebars simplify concepts and support the main narrative.

This insightful book explores the details of the supply chain, specifically the distribution of goods and services. From the origin of goods and services, as raw materials or laborers, to their final use by consumers, the path of distribution is described in straightforward language. Students learn about the four main marketing channels, merchant and functional middlemen, direct sales, retailing, wholesaling, transportation and business logistics, the marketing of products to consumers, and online shopping and delivery. The narrative also includes information about outsourcing and online marketing.

Give readers the information they need to be smart shoppers and savvy consumers. From setting up a budget to shopping on the Internet-this resource covers all the buying basics. It's an accessible economic overview that is written in a friendly and inviting tone. Further discussions include an explanation of how banks work and how advertising affects the way we shop.

Individuals need to become financially literate at an early age to be prepared to make sound decisions with money. In a fun way, this book explains how banks work, what they do with depositors' money, and how to grow one's money through interest and compounding. Readers will learn how the banking system and the Federal Reserve work together to stimulate the economy.

Understanding how the stock market works is essential in today's economy. This book offers readers straightforward explanations of the essentials, including the definition of stocks, how they're bought and sold, how they're priced, commissions, splits, and more.

Supply and demand is a basic necessity of economics used for setting price based on availability. This guide explains supply and demand in a manner that makes it easily comprehensible for a young adult and teen audience. From the simple cost of labor to how production affects the modern consumer, this guide is a must-read for any young economist.