An approachable guide to all aspects of money that changed my life.

This book is a gem in the finance genre. It singlehandedly helped me get over my fear of credit cards, encouraged me to open a Roth IRA, and inspired me to dream big as I plan my future.

I was not taught much about finances growing up, so I’ve resorted to teaching myself money management and financial discipline in adulthood. I’ve read titles like Buy What You Love Without Going Broke, Clever Girl Finance, and How to Money, all great books that have taught me about budgeting and financial restraint. Get Good With Money, though, stands out due to its clarity and structure. This book is detailed, versatile, clear, and approachable. You can read it all at once or in increments, keeping it on your shelf and revisiting it as you approach different steps in your financial journey.

Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche’s approach is based on financial wholeness through ten steps: budgeting, saving, repaying debt, raising your credit score, raising income, investing, insuring yourself, raising your net worth, estate planning, and building a money team. As she details each step, she explains how it works, why it matters, and what to do to reach any specific goal in that category. She writes to a feminine audience, an underserved community in the finance industry, and her advice serves a wide income range. She writes to the recent grad who wants to learn how to quickly pay off their student loans and to the millionaire entrepreneur who is wanting to maximize their retirement.

There were multiple chapters that impacted me as I read, often prompting me to re-read them so I could squeeze out every last morsel of knowledge. I grew up very credit averse, with the early teachings of Dave Ramsey (the “cut your credit cards” and “buy a house in cash” of it all). I had a fear of credit cards and debt, so I internally vowed to not even touch them. I was nearly about to skip through Tiffany’s debt repayment and credit building chapters until I heard some new information that stopped me in my tracks. In her credit building chapter, Tiffany broke down the weight percentages different credit behaviors have on your score. I never knew the credit system worked like that! Her clear breakdown of how credit works and how you can take small steps to build your score inspired me to look up my own score.

I got home from work after reading the chapter and immediately went to look at my score…I nearly cried from how low it was. While I was disappointed, I was not helpless. My brain started replaying Tiffany’s different steps to increase your score, one being her “Jump Like Jordan” strategy. In the strategy, you get a credit card and put one low subscription on the card (like Netflix). You then wait until the low (under 10% of utilization) balance is sent to the credit bureaus on the statement date to pay it off. The consistent use and payment of the card is meant to greatly boost your credit score over time.

That night, I intensely researched credit cards that would allow me to open a line of credit with my low credit score. Not even a week later, I opened my first credit card! It felt empowering to understand how credit cards work and how I can use my card to build my future, not hinder it. While my credit score has a long way to go, I know how to strategize my utilization and payments on the card to build a solid credit history and reach my long term goal of getting a rewards card. Because of Get Good With Money‘s credit score chapter, I am genuinely excited about credit building and comfortable around a credit card.

Another chapter that deeply impacted me was Tiffany’s retirement chapter, where she details IRAs and 401Ks. She starts the chapter by explaining different types of retirement accounts and investment approaches. She also gives readers a creative exercise to imagine their retirement self as a separate person. She encourages readers to keep this person and their livelihood in mind as they save.

At this point of the book, I paused and started daydreaming. My retirement self is Paloma, a powerwalking, laidback birdwatcher with a permanent grey cloud over her head she calls hair. Paloma, while living a quiet lifestyle in a lakeshore cabin, is a hidden millionaire that always has spare money to help those in need. Family and friends turn to her for advice, and she is always there to lend a tender ear to those who need it. Paloma has the freedom and peace of mind to enjoy her hobbies and live a restful lifestyle, surrounded by those she loves. Visualizing Paloma’s future helped me better understand my retirement goals.

I knew a little bit about retirement through my workplace’s offerings, but I had no idea I could take retirement into my own hands by individually contributing to an IRA. After hearing Tiffany’s explanations, and following it up with my own research on different retirement accounts, I ended up opening a Roth IRA! My goal going into 2026 is to max out my contributions. These early career contributions will bring thousands more for Paloma to retire on, and she’ll be thanking me when she is planning an extravagant road trip to a hot spring to warm up her joints.

Beyond retirement, I also started looking more closely at my regular investment account, one I opened a year ago and let sit with $36 in it because I didn’t know how it worked. I started looking closely at the different investment offerings for that account and began playing around with different types of investments to learn more about them. Now, every Thursday is a treat, as I wait for my automatic transfer to come through so I can buy a stock splice.

Overall, my journey with this book demonstrates the power of education. Proper financial education takes the confusion and fear away from complicated financial concepts like credit and investing. It empowers people to explore and expand their decision-making. It inspires people to dream bigger than the generations before them could, while also giving them a realistic framework to pursue these goals.

I recommend Tiffany Aliche’s book to anyone and everyone, no matter where they are in their financial journey. I guarantee there is at least one new thing about money to take away from it.