Carmen Wong Ulrich, Penguin Group, $14.95 paperback
Financial choices are often about more than just what something costs. Aside from price, many decisions involve time and stress. They can also offer rewards that lack a price tag, such as happiness and fulfillment. That’s what Carmen Wong Ulrich explores in “The Real Cost of Living.”
A personal-finance expert and former host of CNBC’s “On the Money,” she helps break down the costs and benefits, both personally and financially, of life decisions such as marriage and buying a home.
How much will having a baby cost you? Wong Ulrich answers in dollar signs as well as in time and stress. But she balances the cost of each decision with the benefits, and asks readers to identify their real motivations. Is renting or buying better for you? Is an expensive, elite college worth the investment? Wong Ulrich provides information on the financial, emotional and health costs of a decision so readers can make their best decision. Janna Herron, The Associated Press
