A recent instant message from my younger cousin pointed me towards the deliciously funny website: fmylife.com, which basically contains various stories and tidbits about how much one’s life sucks.

For example, here’s the top rated FML (f– my life):

Today, I received my passport in the mail. They got my birth date wrong. Then I picked up my birth certificate that I had sent in with the application. Turns out my parents have been celebrating my birthday on the wrong day for 16 years. FML

As with many websites geared towards sinking time,  fmylife.com can often be a funny yet sad read.  The reason why I pointed out this website was not to spread further misery, but to acknowledge the fact that, sometimes, life can throw a sucker punch in your face, and there’s not much you can do about it.

Occasionally you may have events in life that may be overwhelming you.  Add those life situations to the mounting debt, to the struggling cash flow, to the seemingly unmanageable financial accounts and you’ll have a good reason to turn a blind eye to financial meltdowns that may be occurring around you.

Although at times you may not be able to do much about certain happenings in your life, your personal finance doesn’t have to be the same way.   Many times, your personal finance is something you can affect and manage.

So what steps should you take to gain command over your personal finance?  What can you do to make sure your finance isn’t contributing to the suckage?

The answer, unfortunately, varies depending on your life situation.  Yes, it would have been sweet to be able to find a one-size-fit-all financial solution at the end of this post, but if you couldn’t tell from the horrendous writing, you’re reading a C-list personal finance blog.

Instead of mouthing off financial advice that may not pertain to your situation and face possible litigation on making your life worse, here are some decent personal finance books that I recommend, depending on your life situation:

  • If you’re young, clueless about financial basics and still thinks a T-shirt in exchange for a credit card is a swell deal, consider I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi.
  • If you feel that you’re too busy to deal with all the financial jargon but still want to build a solid foundation for your financial life, check out Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People by Jane Bryant Quinn.
  • If you’re looking for simplicity in your life and feel that you need to find a sensible balance to your finances, try Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin.
  • If you’re knee deep in debt, don’t see an end in sight and feel that some drastic financial changes may be in order, look into The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.