Julia Thomson, Registered Paraplanner from Phoenix, AZ

After getting past my initial bad reaction to the use of cooking as a metaphor for managing money (especially by a man), I saw that the cooking metaphor actually held up fairly well.

Thankfully, instead of coming off as the patronizing male expert, Warner does a great job of playing the "older brother" with solid financial advice for women, and broad coverage of a complex topic.

While there are other books that get into more depth about investment strategies, estate planning or budgeting, Warner's book is an excellent survey book, covering almost every conceivable topic having to do with money--from budgeting basics to retirement and estate planning. He even includes advice on how to protect your money from scams, frauds and identity theft.

If you know next to nothing about managing your money, but you want to get started, Warner's book is a great place to start.