Basic Principles of Finance

Woolridge and Gray organize an introductory finance course around three clean pillars — time value of money, asset valuation, and risk management — and that structure is the book's clearest strength. For a business student taking their first finance class, it covers the full curriculum in a single volume and doesn't assume a specialist background. The honest caveat: published in 2011, it predates a decade and a half of market shifts, fintech, and digital finance, and the online marketplace for used copies suggests it's a classroom workhorse rather than a celebrated text. No independent critical reviews or endorsements emerged. It's solid as an entry-level foundation — just don't rely on it for anything current.