This text for a junior college or college level course in personal finance contains five units organized around these clearly defined strategies: (1) setting one's financial goals, planning a career, preparing personal financial statements, and setting up a budget; (2) protecting one's income and assets through effective use of insurance; (3) stretching one's income by means of planning, wise use of credit, and careful purchases of automobiles, consumer durables, and housing; (4) investing income and assets; and (5) planning for the future by implementing the last three strategies (retirement and estate transfer). Emphasizing the how-to approach (a goals-strategies-implementation approach), the text includes step-by-step procedures to determine needs and to make difficult financial decisions. The format for the twenty-two chapters includes the following: informative materials, vocabulary list, questions, case problems, and recommended reading list. A Chuck and Nancy Anderson case problem series continues throughout the text and shows the interrelationships of all financial decisions. Appended materials include a consumer agency guide, social security addendum, compound interest tables, and glossary of over 600 financial terms. A teacher's guide (CE 023 969) and study guide (CE 023 968) accompany this text. (YLB)