FINLION, from time to time, has been inquired about personal finance software and books, which would give individuals a basic understanding about the subject. You may want to consider the following:

• Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson
• The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Personal Finance by Kenneth M. Morris
• The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook by David Gardner

There are a number of other books available but it is important to understand the basics first. Learning personal finance fundamentals is like building a house’s foundation first before putting up the frames. The books can be found at www.bn.com or www.amazon.com.

As for software, the two most popular packages are Quicken and Microsoft Money. Both are very good; however, it will help if the individual has a basic understanding of personal finance in order to make it easier to understand the concept of the two software programs.