The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

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· Penguin
21 reviews
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256
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About this ebook

“The newbie investor will not find a better guide to personal finance.” 
—Burton Malkiel, author of A RANDOM WALK DOWN WALL STREET   


TV analysts and money managers would have you believe your finances are enormously complicated, and if you don’t follow their guidance, you’ll end up in the poorhouse.
 
They’re wrong.
 
When University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack interviewed Helaine Olen, an award-winning financial journalist and the author of the bestselling Pound Foolish, he made an off­hand suggestion: everything you need to know about managing your money could fit on an index card. To prove his point, he grabbed a 4" x 6" card, scribbled down a list of rules, and posted a picture of the card online. The post went viral.
 
Now, Pollack teams up with Olen to explain why the ten simple rules of the index card outperform more complicated financial strategies. Inside is an easy-to-follow action plan that works in good times and bad, giving you the tools, knowledge, and confidence to seize control of your financial life.
“The newbie investor will not find a better guide to personal finance.” —Burton Malkiel, author of A RANDOM WALK DOWN WALL STREET TV analysts and money managers would have you believe your finances are enormously complicated, and if you don’t follow their guidance, you’ll end up in the poorh...

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Ratings and reviews

21 reviews
Ben Lee
January 16, 2018
Great book to help you get started. Find out about this book from a PBS clip on YouTube. I'm 30 years old and work in tech so I don't have a lot of experience with financial planning/lingo, but this book has given me a lot to start with. I only wish I had read this when I got out of college. Definitely an easy read and will be rereading this.
2 people found this review helpful
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behrouz yaghmaeian
September 8, 2026
مادر هرچی ایرانیه سگ گایید تنظیمات گوشی منو عوض نکن بیناموس فیس بوک و اینستاگرام من کو من اجازه ندادم به‌گوگل به اس ام اس و کالم دسترسی داشته باشه خونه زندگی من کو کس مادرا من دارو نمیخوام‌خونه میخوام پول میخوام کارای کیریتون با صاحب کارای کیریتون و نمیخوام مادر سگ اگه آدم دوست و خونواده و وطن داشته باشه تو خیابون نمیخوابه بهش دارو بدن بیناموس تو خیابون دوای کیر و خایه بهش نمیدن موقع رانندگی بهش دارو نمیدن آدم دوست و خونواده دار یه شب بیرون میخوابه نه یه سال یه کار عوض میکنه نه صدتا
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Devon Price
June 28, 2016
This book helped me understand personal finance in an easy, simple way. I feel like a much better informed consumer and saver.
6 people found this review helpful
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About the author

HELAINE OLEN is the acclaimed author of Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry, which was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and PBS’ Frontline. She writes the Spread the Wealth personal finance column for Inc.  Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Salon, Slate, where she wrote the popular column The Bills, and the Los Angeles Times, where she wrote the popular Money Makeover column. 

 
HAROLD POLLACK is the Helen Ross Professor of Social Service Admin­istration at the Univer­sity of Chicago, where he researches health and urban policy concerns and is a nonresident fellow at the Century Foundation. He writes regu­larly for the Washington Post, Politico, Atlantic Monthly, healthinsurance.org, and other publications.

HELAINE OLEN is the acclaimed author of Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry, which was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and PBS’ Frontline. She writes the Spread the Wealth personal finance column for Inc. Her work has appeared in numerous publicatio...

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