I am looking for a solid read (book, article, whatever) on personal
finance basics. I am also looking for a good website where I can ask
questions about finances, taxes, and how to take good sound control of
my own financial situation. I have limited to no formal knowledge on
such matters, so it has to be a website that has a forum for beginners
like me.

Hi! Thanks for the question.

In terms of books, I acquired links to different reviews of personal
finance books. Since recommendations are always subjective, it would
be good to get various perspectives on the subject.

Books:

"Guide Picks - Top Ten Books About Money"
http://financialplan.about.com/od/moneytools/l/aatpbooks.htm

'Frugality in Practice: Building a Cheap Personal Finance Library"
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/08/04/frugality-in-practice-building-a-cheap-personal-finance-library/

Globe and Mail
http://www.globeinvestor.com/resources/books/personalfinance.html

"Recommended Personal Finance Books"
http://reference.bensenville.lib.il.us/booklists/personal-finance.htm

"Recommended Reading"
http://www.usu.edu/fpw/Reading/rec_reading.htm

"Tax BOOKS WE RECOMMEND"
http://www.filetax.com/books.html


----------------------
Forums:

The following list provides personal finance message boards which you
can join and learn a lot from the discussions that goes on in the
community.

Moneycontrol
http://news.moneycontrol.com/msgboard/category/homebody.php?category=Personal%20Finance

AARP
http://community.aarp.org/n/pfx/forum.aspx?folderId=4&listMode=13&nav=messages&webtag=rp-moneywork

Marketwatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/discussions/brdIndex.asp?siteId=mktw&parentId=3&forumId=33

Moneycentral
http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/board.asp?board=YourMoney

Yahoo Message Boards
http://messages.yahoo.com/yahoo/Business_%26_Finance/index.html 


Search terms used:
recommended personal finance books
personal finance "message boards" forums
 

I hope this would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
                                                          
                              
Regards,                              
Easterangel-ga                              
Google Answers Researcher

just what i was looking for. thanks