Today's turmoil in the financial markets illustrates how important it is to be in control of your money. This book addresses the core fundamentals of financial literacy, telling readers how banks work and why city traders earn such enormous bonuses. It plots paths out of debt and builds financial confidence so readers feel in charge of their finances.

Duncan knows the true value of money: now worth £310 million, he was born into extreme post-war poverty. Taking each area of our financial lives in turn - earning, spending, borrowing, investing, saving, budgeting and the wider economy - he helps us understand where we are in our own financial cycle and how to achieve financial security.

(p) 2009 Orion Publishing Group