I am almost forty and never really learned how to handle my finances well, how can I improve this and get

better at this
      Answer1:Start by reading this book: "Personal Finance For Dummies." Its excellent.
      Answer2:If you have a junior college nearby, many offer adult ed classes in in the evening on personal finance. These can help a lot.
      Answer3:Do you have anyone close to you (parents, friends, or co-workers) that you feel does handle their finances well? If you do, Im sure they would consider it a huge compliment if you ask them what their secret to success is. You can read a book or attend a class, but I believe there is no better way to find out about any topic than from learning through someone you trust and that you have actually seen succeed in that area. (BTW, its FREE!) Another resource people tend to forget is their banker...and again, its FREE. If you have a bank account, make an appointment with the banks account representative or financial specialist (most banks have one). They will usually pull your credit report, explain to you the positive and negative parts of it, and how to maintain a good credit score. Also, they can direct you on tips on creating a budget, maintaining your budget, saving for your retirement (and on the off chance you dont know how--how to maintain a checkbook register and balance it monthly). Finally, if you are under a certain income bracket (usually under 30K with children) or even if you are a minority there are many free resources in your area to help with finances. Our economy is kind of in the trash right now, and there are many non-profit agencies offering seminars to lower-income individuals and families to help them make it through this hard time. If you know of any agencies in your area, dont be afraid to call them up and ask them if they offer any free seminars on how to handle finances.Use the free resources before spending money on those you arent even sure will help you in the way that you need.
      Answer4:1, Start getting your financial knowledge base together by building your personal finance library. Read personal finance books by the following authors: David Bach, Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman.2. Figure out your net worth. Add up all your assets and subtract from that your liabilities. http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/networth/...3. Develop a plan for getting out of debt and living within your means. If you have any credit card or personal loan debt you are living beyond your means. Use the "Snowball Method" for getting out of debt. List all debts in ascending order from smallest balance to largest.This is the methods most distinctive feature, in that the order is determined by amount owed, not the rate of interest charged. However, if two debts are very close in amount owed, then the debt with the higher interest rate would be moved above in the list.Commit to pay the minimum payment on every debt.Determine how much extra can be applied towards the smallest debt.Pay the minimum payment plus the extra amount towards that smallest debt until it is paid off.Note that some lenders will apply extra amounts towards the next payment; in order for the method to work the lenders need to be contacted and told that extra payments are to go directly toward principal reduction.Once a debt is paid in full, add the old minimum payment (plus any extra amount available) from the first debt to the minimum payment on the second smallest debt, and apply the new sum to repaying the second smallest debt.Repeat until all debts are paid in full.4. Develop Zero Based Budget. A zero-based budget is one where your total income minus your total expenses equals $0. In other words, it forces you to assign every dollar of income to an expense (or savings) category. As Dave Ramsey puts it, you’ll be “spending your month’s income on paper” before you spend it in real life.Go to the following web site for more information on how to set up your budget:http://www.gettingfinancesdone.com/blog/...Remember, a credit card is a thirty day loan. If you cant pay the loan back within 30 days, you are living beyond your means.5. Set aside an emergency fund with at least six months worth of expense.6. Set up a savings accounts for various planned expenses: Christmas account, Birthday/Special Occasion account, kids expenses account etc...7. Contribute to your retirement account. Max out your contributions to your 401K. If you dont have a retirement plan through your job, open up an IRA or a Roth IRA.8. Consider building your asset base. Look into buying a home, if you dont already have one.9. Begin investing in mutual funds. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/3...