PII: S1057-0810(97)90036-6 Book, Software, and Web Site Reviews 73 Quote.com (http://www.quote.com), they also provide sector ratings and current price quotes within sectors. The site offers intraday updates on newsworthy stocks and analyses of both the debt and equity markets. Also through Quote.com, Briefing.com provides quotes on individual securities (and on several market indices) which include pricing information along with fundamentals such as P/E ratios dividend yields and the 52-week price ranges. These 15- minutes delayed quotes are updated constantly throughout the trading day. Members can also create a portfolio of up to 25 stocks in which they can monitor daffy updates of prices and volume. In addition, the portfolio feature will track gains and losses on all individual securities and the entire portfolio based on inputted purchase price. Both intraday antl his- torical price charts are also available. Stock briefs on over 8,300 companies are also available. These briefs include a short business summary, key financial ratios, share-related information, short interest informa- tion, institutional and insider ownership, historical growth rates in sales, EPS and divi- dends, and historical quarterly figures for revenue and EPS. These briefs are updated with current data each Monday. The monthly subscription fee for Briefing.corn is $6.95 and includes access to Quote.com. Individual investors who trade through E-Trade (the electronic brokerage f'mn) have free access to Briefing.com. The Money Book of Personal Finance Richard Eisenberg and the editors of Money Magazine New York, NY: Warner Books Inc.; 1996 (ISBN 0-446-51981-2) Reviewed by: Douglas R. Kahl, Professor of Finance, University of Akron The Money Book of Personal Finance is a popular personal finance guide available in almost any bookstore not a personal finance textbook. However, I found that it works very well as the primary textbook in a personal finance course for nonbusiness majors. The book was a collaborative effort by at least thirteen writers and editors at Money Magazine. The clear, concise and authoritative writing style does not assume any prior background in finance or business. Since it was not designed to be a course textbook, it lacks the usual classroom sup- port package. There is no study guide, no instructor's manual, no chapter end problems and no package of overheads. For this reason, I would not recommend The Money Book of Personal Finance as a primary text when the instructor is teaching the course for the first time. For the instructor who teaches a personal finance service course for nonbusiness majors on a regular basis, this text could be an interesting and refreshing change. The book was very popular with my students who were about equally split between traditional and nontraditional backgrounds. Both the traditional and nontradi- tional students gave considerable credence to the book because of the perceived practi- cal knowledge and applied expertise of the authors. The students also noted, with considerable approval, that the price was about one-fourth that of a standard text. They found the lower cost especially appropriate for a personal finance course. The book covers the usual personal finance topics in four major sections: Getting Started, Reaching Your Financial Goals, Investing Your Money and Your Family 74 FINANCIAL SERVICES REVIEW 6.(1) 1997 Finances. The book starts to draw the reader's interest very quickly, starting with the ques- tion "How Are You Doing?" and providing a wide range of comparisons of assets, wealth and income based on age, education and family status. This is quickly followed by a dis- cussion of budgeting, basics and financial advisors. The second, and largest section, pro- vides an up-to-date, accurate and concise discussion of the usual range of personal finance topics from savings to debt and career planning to estate planning. The third section con- sists of a knowledgeable and practical discussion of investing. The final section on family finances covers three important topics not often covered in traditional personal finance texts. One chapter discusses the differences between men and women in income, savings, investing and money management combined with advise on making the partnership work. Another chapter provides an excellent discussion and some good advise on educating chil- dren about money. The final chapter provides discussion and advise on an often delicate and difficult topic now facing large numbers of nontraditional students (and faculty), your parents and money. The book ends with an appendix containing a concise list of govern- ment benefits, what you need to know about your benefits and whom to contact. While this book may not meet every instructor's needs for a service course in personal finance, it does provide an accurate, up-to-date, cost effective and readable alternative to a standard personal finance text for the instructor willing to exchange a little extra effort for some additional flexibility and credibility.