Expecting Money: The Essential Financial Plan for New and Growing Families
Starred Review.In her introduction, certified credit counselor Sandberg writes, When I became pregnant with my daughter Lillian, I was caught off-guard by how little I—someone who has been in the personal finance field for over a decade—knew about the monetary aspects of pregnancy and new parenthood. This book is Sandberg's response to that uncertainty, a compilation of the advice that she craved for herself. Sandberg opens with familiar chapters like The Meaning of Money and The Dangers of Debt that prepare readers for an uncluttered financial picture going into familyhood. The different needs of different families are addressed in chapters like On the Double: Partner Issues and On Your Own: Single Solutions. Most valuable of all, Sandberg costs out what new parents need to spend on the average (U.S.) baby's clothing, child care and other basic needs, even going so far as to compare the costs for different birthing options. Later she compares types of day care and analyzes different ways of meeting long-term needs. These concrete details are what make this book most valuable and helpful for new parents who need real numbers and facts to plan out their family's financial future.(Jan.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.