Now here’s a guide to personal finance that tells it like it is.

In the introduction to their new book, On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance, Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar take the bull, so to speak, by the horns. In their words:

“Today, many women are choosing to marry alter in life or not at all. With divorce rates high, and given that women have statistically longer life spans than men, it is a basic fact of life that a high percentage of women will spend as much or more of their lives single than coupled. Therefore it’s unwise to think that Prince Charming is going to swoop in to solve your financial woes. In fact, it’s probably safe to assume that Prince Charming doesn’t have a clue when it comes to money, even if he acts like he does.”

These two savvy ladies (and Woodhull alums!) serve up oodles of insight on why so many women–and men–end up missing the boat on personal finance:

“It’s not that people want to make bad financial decions–its that they never learned the basics. Personal finance is not taught in most schools, and talking about money is still taboo in many circles. Parents often assume children will pick up the basics of personal finance on their own, and many parents don’t really have a grip on their own finances. As a result, millions of Americans simply do not know how to live within their means.”

I, for one, certainly would have benefited from some financial 101 coming at me at an early age. As a grown-up, I’ve had to play catch-up–and am still playing, and often feel like I’m missing the ball. But nuf with the sports metaphors. Just trust me. This book is a homerun. (Whoops–couldn’t help myself there.)

There’s much more about On My Own Two Feet here. And for bonus points, check out the Economic Literacy program over at Girls Incorporated and the Financial Literacy module from Woodhull that’s available through the Dove Real Women, Real Success Stories website. And pass it all on!