By Paul Birkhead
Rowan Public Library

When a new year begins, one of the most popular resolutions is taking control of personal finances. Budgeting, reducing debt and investing can reap many benefits even in the short-term. It’s amazing that tackling this one resolution can help other areas of life that may have gotten out of hand.  Weight, stress and relationships can all benefit from getting your financial house in order. Rowan Public Library has many items in its collection to assist you.

“Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole” is a guide written by Tiffany Aliche. As the title states, “budgetnista” Aliche lays out 10 steps to live in harmony with money. Aliche knows what she’s talking about as she has experienced financial failure in her life and has come back smarter and stronger than ever.

If you’re talking about money and financial planning, you will either know Dave Ramsey by name or you soon will. Ramsey is a popular author and radio show host. While he does take a drastic approach to personal finance and may make some questionable comments every now and then, it is hard to argue with his success. A multi-millionaire, Ramsey promotes a very fiscal brand of money management. Ramsey has a new book coming out this month titled “Baby Steps Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth — and How You Can Too.”  While the book is sure to be popular — I mean, who doesn’t want to be a millionaire — it’ll be hard to top the sales of his most popular title, “The Total Money Makeover,” which was first published in 2003.

Financial smarts tend to rub off on those closest to you. Ramsey’s daughter, Rachel Cruze, appears to have gotten more than her share. She has co-authored a book with her dad called “Smart Money Smart Kids” and just last year, published a title on her own called “Know Yourself, Know Your Money.” Ramsey Solutions’ business partners, Ken Coleman (“From Paycheck to Purpose”), Chris Hogan (“Everyday Millionaires”), and Anthony ONeal (“Debt-Free Degree”) have each authored books to help you erase debt and build wealth.

Of course, one of the main reasons to build wealth is to be able to retire and survive on a reduced income. Two books that are helpful for retirement planning are Ed Slott’s “The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb” and “Rescuing Retirement” by Teresa Ghilarducci. Of course, it’s not all about the money. Read Tanja Hester’s “Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way” and Bill Perkins’ “Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life,” to learn how to create a balance between keeping financially sound while at the same time enjoying life.

January can be a hard month financially. Free spending over the holidays tends to throw a pall over things as credit card bills start piling up. Don’t lose hope. Check out books such as “The 30-day Money Cleanse” by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley and “The Dumb Things Smart People Do with Their Money” by Jill Schlesinger. Remember that Rowan Public Library has resources to help you get back on track and stay there.

Paul Birkhead is a reference librarian at Rowan Public Library.