READING ROOM: Don't Mess with My Money: The Dolans' No-Nonsense Lifetime Money Plan

Don't Mess with My Money: The Dolans' No-Nonsense Lifetime Money Plan

By Ken and Daria Dolan

(Currency/Doubleday; 2003; $24.95)

The Dolans

Now for something a little different.There are countless personal finance books, all with various spins onbuilding and protecting your wealth. Asa busy physician-investor, you probablydon't have the time to peruse them all.This one's fun and light attitude is perfectto flip through for some useful tipson getting your household finances inorder. Ken and Daria Dolan, the husband-and-wife team who have addressedfinancial issues on talk radioprograms for 15 years in their popularshow , use a self-declared"no-nonsense" approach to unravel themysteries of personal finance.

Angered with the way the economyand the corporate world have been toyingaround with consumers' money, theDolans share withreaders the samestraightforward andreputable advice theyhave provided theirmillions of listenersover the years. Theirlighthearted style and easy-to-followformat includes checklists, worksheets,fun sidebar examples and tips, andhelpful book titles and Web sites forfurther information.

The Dolans draw on their own experiencesas parents and spouses to givethe lowdown on every aspect of familyfinances. They deliver the straight scoopon topics such as: getting the best low-ratemortgage, ending financing yourlifestyle with debt, purchasing a car,investing safely and wisely, purchasinglong-term care insurance for you andyour parents, buying the insurance youand your family really need, achieving asecure retirement, and protecting yourassets and estate.