Book excerpt: Personal finances are part of life and need to be properly understood and controlled. People's personal finances are in disarray because they were never taught a better way. Many people find themselves struggling financially even though they have been working their entire lives. They live paycheck to paycheck and feel abandoned by the greater financial system. The Little Red Book of Financial Happiness is based on a class that the author has taught for more than a decade. It provides a simple way of looking at personal finances. Everything we need or want is measured in terms of money. Money and material life in general place many pressures on all members of society. Why? We tend to measure everything, even our sense of happiness, in dollars. The ability to understand and manage a personal budget gives one a fighting chance at obtaining financial happiness. This book will guide the readers on their road to a better life by learning how to control their money and not allowing money to control them. This book offers readers a step-by-step process. Forms and exercises allow readers to fine-tune their budgets. A checklist guides your steps along this journey. A progress tracker records your improvements. The Little Red Book of Financial Happiness will simply change the way you see your money.