Our dynamic economic and financial system potentially affords a high standard of living, substantial economic progress, and great material wealth. But a lack of understanding of the role of money, finance, and economics prevents many people from reaching their potential. Results of national tests that measure comprehension of basic concepts underscore the paucity of knowledge. Members of the public, high school seniors, and college seniors answer less than 60 percent of the questions correctly. Not only is this detrimental to the performance of our national economy, it is also harmful to individuals, resulting in high levels of consumer debt, rising delinquency rates, and foreclosures. A better knowledge of economics and finance could have been prevented most of this. By developing just a cursory understanding of the above topics, people can enrich their material lives enormously. This book is written with that purpose in mind, explaining basic concepts in simple, easy-to-understand language.