New Book From Morningstar's Christine Benz, 30-Minute Money Solutions, Offers Personal Finance Advice for Time-Crunched Households

CHICAGO, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Now that the New Year's celebrations are behind us, many American families are entering 2010 with a financial hangover. But a new book from Morningstar's personal finance expert Christine Benz aims to help people put their financial houses in order--without sacrificing all of their valuable free time.

30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances, published by Wiley and written by Benz, director of personal finance for Morningstar, Inc., provides readers with the tools for tackling household money challenges. Benz breaks down the process into short, manageable steps, perfect for time-squeezed everyday investors. She also shows users how to put together simple, streamlined portfolios harnessing Morningstar's mutual fund research. The book serves as an indispensable resource by helping readers attack three dozen separate financial planning tasks in 30 minutes or less, including:

• Laying out the tools to get organized, including setting up a system to track their money and important financial documents, setting financial goals, and developing a budget and financial plan.
• Showing readers how to match the right investments to their goals using time-tested strategies and Morningstar insights, whether they are making their first investment or if they already have an established portfolio of securities.
• Coaching readers on taking care of other important financial tasks, such as estate planning, managing taxes, and more.

"Crafting a powerful financial plan should be extraordinarily simple and needn't take scads of time and attention--in fact, cutting through the clutter is half the battle," Benz said. "Over the years my friends and family members have asked me for advice, and I thought I would write a book to help people just like them--busy people who don't necessarily have time to wade through all of the ins and outs of money and finance, but still could use a clear, concise financial road map."

In her friendly and conversational style, Benz helps readers meet the demands of their financial goals--housing, college savings, retirement, etc.--without spending all of their spare time on them. The book can be read in its entirety for a comprehensive money plan, or can be implemented chapter-by-chapter to address individual challenges, such as managing debt, deciding when to convert an IRA, or determining strategy for a 401(k). Readers can track their progress, download worksheets, and access financial calculators through a special, exclusive section of Morningstar.com, the popular investment Web site.

Benz's book is now available nationwide in bookstores and through major online retailers. For more information about 30-Minute Money Solutions, (ISBN: 9780470481578; $24.95; Hardcover), please visit: http://www.morningstar.com/goto/30MinuteSolutions. Additional information is also available on Benz's Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/christine_benz) and the book's Facebook page.

About Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 325,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 4 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. The company has operations in 20 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in two other countries.

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.