Paco de Leon

Paco de Leon wrote a book on finance that makes me both excited to learn and ready to take action. De Leon’s take-no-shit attitude mixed with illustrations and metaphors ranging from whiskey to explain inflation to plants to explain student debt makes this is one of the most approachable financial books I’ve ever read.

Part therapy, part finance 411, this how-to is a great way to approach financial literacy.

Finance for the People is a potent mix of deeply practical and wonderfully empathetic, with a much needed dash of cynicism about our financial systems. You will be better off in your financial life for picking up and reading this book.

Taking a more hands-on approach to personal finance, Finance for the People asks readers to reflect on their beliefs and experiences with money in a variety of exercises and includes more than 50 illustrations and diagrams to make the concepts accessible.

Every generation has its definitive money guru’s book handholding upper-class, middle-aged Americans through the complicated terminology and mathematical formulas of personal finance. Yet many of us do not see ourselves reflected in those books. Finance for the People is different—it’s a soothing balm and some needed real talk to those of us who are tired of being told that oat milk lattes are what’s standing between us and homeownership or a healthy relationship with money. Paco de Leon actually sees systemic inequality, cognitive biases, childhood insecurity and deep fear as the powerful forces that hold so many people back from their financial destiny. This book is funny, practical and will remind the reader that like with all things worthwhile, being good at money requires intention, an examination of our beliefs and past experiences…and ultimately just showing up for ourselves.

Finance for the People: Getting a Grip on Your Finances is a refreshingly original contribution to this crowded field, and one her fellow millennials will find especially valuable as they contemplate the decades of decisions that will shape their financial futures…Dealing with money is one of life’s inescapable realities, and for most people there will always be some amount of pain associated with it. Having a friendly guide like Finance for the People can help the journey become both more bearable and more profitable.

Many people are interested in how to make money—and how to keep it. But money can be a a taboo topic, so conversations are not held in the open, putting financial health at risk. Author de Leon…provides essential tools for reconfiguring readers’ financial existence…The author’s empathy and humor throughout the book provide a digestible roadmap for the financially perplexed. A must-read for financial planning.

[De Leon] is at her strongest when explaining how emotionally charged money can be, attributing anxieties around it to “gaps in information” and “inequality,” and assuring readers how empowering it is to have a handle on one’s financial situation. Often-funny drawings help to illustrate the points, and De Leon’s breezy tone marries well with her practical advice. Readers beginning to tackle their personal finances will find a welcome guide in de Leon.