Chances are, if you are like many Americans, you know enough about personal finance to balance you checking account, keep your bills under some control, and pay taxes by April 15.

There are plenty of websites that have investment information and lots of complicated reports and statistics. Most of us already have complicated lives with families, activities, mortgages, and jobs and no time for educating ourselves about the rudiments of finance.
Our goal here is to provide simple, basic explanations on a variety of personal finance topics that provide a starting point for getting a handle on your money and financial future.