Book excerpt: Today's most clear-cut guide for understanding and making everyday financial decisions Is it better to buy or lease a car? How does one calculate an investment return? For that matter, what exactly is an investment return? The Personal Finance Calculator provides noncomplex tools and calculations for assessing current personal wealth, determining how much debt is too much debt, understanding credit card interest rates, and more. Written by Esme Faerber, a McGraw-Hill author renowned for simplifying complex finance topics and explaining their use, this clear, concise book explains simple steps for getting one's financial life in order and saving money over both the short and long term. Readers will learn how to: Keep investment costs from undercutting overall returns Use the popular "Rule of 72" to estimate investment growth Determine how much money they will need for retirement