Money

Thank Goodness for Dr. Dink. Forget 8 steps to financial freedom. There was just 1. Read this book. For years, I've tried to get out of debt. No person nor book has been able to fit into my specific circumstances. Not only can my financial situation be analyzed using Dr. Dink's book, but he actually teaches the tools to how to improve and stay financially healthy. Other books just say do this, do that. Well, I couldn't do that. This book teaches me to stay financially well. I truly treasure this book and can't wait until the next installment comes out.

This book comes across like a cross between Will Rogers and Tony Robbins in helping you take charge of your financial life. It has a personal, in-touch feel that will make thinking about your finances more interesting and comfortable . . . even if you have some serious issues. The advice is consistent with the most advanced techniques, but presented in a way that is easy to absorb and apply. This book can be effectively used by most middle income households headed by someone with at least two years of high school education. The typical family using this approach should improve net worth by many hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next three decades. Buy it, read it, and live it!

This book would be fun to read, even if you weren't interested in household finances. The writing and the slant are very appealing.

Dr. Dink is a charming fellow. He admits all of his own weaknesses and mistakes in a totally disarming way. While many "experts" on personal finances try to elevate the subject, the effect is to make people feel embarrassed by their mistakes. Dr. Dink has a fundamental respect for others and for himself that make you feel right at home.

Dr. Dink, by comparison to the media stars you see on television every day telling you what to do financially, comes down to your level (wherever that may be) with sympathy and understanding, points out that you are okay and can succeed, and helps you to see your own way to accomplishing what you want.

Three aspects of the book are particularly commendable:

1) The decision process of Q-Q-Kachoo. The book describes the process far better than I can here in a few words. The essence is to use three perspectives simultaneously: total cost carefully quantified over time; looking at the pros and cons of a decision (a la Ben Franklin); and checking your gut (seeing how you feel about the decision). If all three point in the same direction (positively or negatively), chances are that you have made a good decision. Many very sophisticated decision-making techniques apply these same fundamental concepts, just in more complicated ways. If you are interested in learning more about that subject, see Smart Choices.

2) Creating comfortable ways to draw your attention to the main areas where you can increase your income, reduce your expenses, save and invest money better. This is not rocket science nor brain surgery, but the details can easily get lost . . . and bad decisions follow. Dr. Dink gives you a simple, quick way to spot those opportunities and find your own, pleasant solutions.

3) Providing detailed examples from a variety of perspectives. Many of these will hit home for you. Everyone, for example, will resonate to the idea of paying green cash for things as a way to save money. We all spend less when we have to dole it out, bill by bill, than when we can use a credit card or a check. You don't have to do pay in cash, but you will appreciate the power of the example . . . and perhaps sometimes you will use this approach to your advantage when it makes sense.

As you can see, Dr. Dink's strength is that he has great common sense and a wonderful common touch about human psychology and finances. He doesn't do this kind of work to build himself up ego-wise. He is truly a servant of clients. Very nice, Dr. Dink!

After you have finished applying the lessons of this book to your own finances, I suggest that you become a Dr. Dink, Junior, and share the lessons with someone else you care about. In helping someone else learn these principles, you will reinforce and extend your own learning.

Keep your eye on your financial vital signs, and a long, healthy financial life will follow!

A friend of mine gave this book to me while I was in the hospital recovering from a severe case of Crone's disease. Prior to reading Dr. Dink's excellent financial advice, my idea of a sound money decision was betting it all on black at the Roulette table! He really broke it down for me in a way I could understand. Thanks, guys.

Getting Loaded is a fantastic book for someone just looking into personal finance for the first time or for someone (like myself) who has found themselves a bit too deep and looking to return to some rock solid basics. Getting Loaded is written in a fun and easy to follow fomat with detailed explanations as to why each "secret" starting each chapter of the book can or should be used by the reader. In my opinion this book would make a fantastic graduation gift! Highly reccomended.

This is one of the best investing books on the market and is right up there with the masters such as Lynch and Orman. Peter simplifies and delves into sound investing principles with simplicity that an adolescent as well as scholar can comprehend.Comparable to a "Dummies" format this book is both enjoyable,educational as well as easy and just plain fun to read. I had trouble putting it down.Having read many investing books I can honestly say this is by far one of the best if not the best,that I have ever read. It would behoove all to purchase this product and increase your chances of attaining wealth.

Awesome book! Highly recommended for financial novices and experts alike. This book is very well written and arranged in a logical manner to help the beginner build a good foundation of personal finance without insulting the intelligence of the financially astute. Filled with wit, humor and thought-provoking cynicism, Mr Bielagus serves up a short-order lesson on how to cut through the complex financial world without being intimidated. A great way to benefit from a financial expert's many years of research in less than 400 pages! An absolute "must-read" for anyone on the road to financial independence.

Having been a professional speaker for nearly 20 years, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Alan debunks popular myths about the profession, and tells it like it really is. A must read for anyone considering entering the speaking business, as well as for those who've been around.

I was hooked from the introduction! I knew right away that Alan Weiss is a no-nonsense, let's get down to business, kind of guy. Everything from establishing your value to the client, to distinguishing between your client and your buyer - perhaps one of the biggest factors leading to my current level of success - to simply figuring out what type of speaker you already are. Alan has made sure that we - I'm a Corporate Entertainer / Speaker - rememebr that Professional Speaking is first and fore most, a business. This book can be valuable to anyone who is self employed or at least thinks that way. If it's not on your shelf it should be in your hands!

Alan Weiss doesn't pull any punches. "Money Talks" is loaded with solid, specific advice you won't find elsewhere. From platform skills to marketing to leveraging your knowledge to create passive income and make yourself a star, he covers what you need to know to make it as a professional speaker.

The only thing lacking in this book is information about marketing yourself on the Internet. I'm hoping that if there is a second edition there will be a chapter included on the Internet. Even without it, this book belongs in the library of every speaker.

The best time to get this book is when you are just thinking about launching a speaking career, but it will benefit anyone who speaks professionally or hopes to one day.

Don't be deterred by the title and subtitle, nor by the sometimes overheated diction. (Initially, I was.) This book provides an abundance of practical strategies, tactics, and suggestions which can be of invaluable assistance to males as well as to females, to corporate marketing executives as well as to entrepreneurs. Without apologies, Ross has an in-your-face style. She wastes neither her time nor her reader's in getting to the point, nailing it, and then moving on to another point.

She organizes the material within six Parts:

I. Empowering Marketing Maneuvers

II. Illuminating Publicity Techniques for Femme Fatales and Grande Dames

Note: As I previously suggested, ignore the overheated diction.

III. "Out of the Box" Thinking -- Nontraditional Marketing

IV. Mission Possible -- Unstoppable Direct Marketing

V. Maximize Your Strengths -- More Gutsy Strategies for Wonder Women

NOTE: See previous "Note."

VI. Sources & Resources Packed With More Power Than a Protein Bar

She also includes a "Recommended Reading" section. Because other excellent books have been published since 2000, I presume to suggest several at the conclusion of this review.

Ross obviously favors a tone and diction in her writing which could perhaps (just perhaps) distract some readers from the fundamentally sound material she provides. She may seem playful at time but she is nonetheless quite serious about the importance of combining prudent speed with relentless determination to achieve what Jim Collins calls a BEHAG: a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Only in recent years have women somehow overcome formidable barriers to achieve success in the business world, most of which were installed and then sustained by men. Today, at least 80% (and probably more) of the growth our nation's GNP has been achieved by companies with 20 or fewer employees and a substantial majority of those companies are owned by women.

This book will be of substantial benefit to those women but also to other women who need both encouragement and guidance, either to join the ranks of company owners or to expedite the progress of their careers within other organizations. I am also convinced that this book will be of substantial benefit to other entrepreneurs, male or female, who also need such encouragement and guidance. I urge those who share my high regard for this book to check out the Customer Reviews of the works identified by Ross in the "Recommended Reading" section.

Here are other works which should also be seriously considered: Beemer's Predatory Marketing, Catalyst's Advancing Women in Business, Jennings and Haughton's It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It Is the Fast That Eat the Slow, Glaser and Smalley's Swim with the Dolphins, Kawasaki's Selling the Dream, Landrum's Profiles of Female Genius, Morgan's Eating the Big Fish, Breaking the Glass Ceiling co-edited by Morrison, White, and Van Elsor, Swiss's Women Breaking Through, Taylor and Archer's Up Against the Wal-Marts, and Wymard's Conversations with Uncommon Women. Amazon.com features Customer Reviews of these works also.

Best $20 you'll spend this year on growing your business. Incredibly up-to-date marketing power plays like: "Niches spell riches" "Kick yourself in the assets" "Syndicated columnists = instant stardom" "Booking radio talk shows because you're the expert" "Get in catalogs - there are several that sell to your target market" Don't pass up this book if you are interested in the wisdom of one of the greatest entrepreneurs and authors of our time - Marilyn Ross. These techniques are fun, easy and quickly REWARDING.

Great book. I never write reviews, but it was so good I was compelled to write this. Great ideas, not too advanced, not too simplistic.

Whether you sell your manuscript to a publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion. Writing and promoting are completely different challenges. But, one person can successfully be the author, the publisher, the publicist, the shipping person, and the bookkeeper--and end up with a profit. This book proves it.

Suzanne Thomas's newest book, Make Money Self-Publishing, describes how fourteen publishers have written, published, and sold enough books to support themselves. You get the inside stories of real people in real life situations. Not only will you learn about their successes, but also about their mistakes. You will discover that you can succeed even if some of your marketing efforts don't produce the results you expected.

Whether you are new to self-publishing or already have several books in print, you will find how to increase the odds that your publishing company will make money. You will gain insights into how to determine the size of your print runs, how to market your books effectively, what type of income you can expect, and how long it will take before your publishing business can support you.

Perhaps you suspect that successful self-publishers are somehow different, but the publishers in this book are ordinary people. No matter whether you've written a regional or national title, fiction or nonfiction, a cookbook or a textbook, you will find someone here to be your role model. Instead of reinventing the wheel, you can learn from their experiences. Just like Olympic athletes who visualize themselves performing perfectly, and thereby improve their real-world abilities, so too can you leap ahead in your skill level as a publisher.

Even if you started your publishing company last week, reading Make Money Self-Publishing can help you gain years of knowledge, while avoiding costly mistakes. Each of the profiled publishers have faced the same problems you have. Given the limitations of their available time and their budgets, they have figured out the best ways to sell their books. Some sell through traditional outlets such as bookstores while others sell their books in electronic format or through Internet bookstores. You can live through their experiences vicariously, imagining what the results would be for your book.

Though the job of a self-publisher is challenging and satisfying, the day-to-day work can sometimes be discouraging. Along with the successes come setbacks. Perhaps a wholesaler returned a carton of your books. Maybe your sales numbers have started to drop. Or a public relations company hasn't produced results.

At moments like these it is important to have friends who can help with advice, but they aren't always available when you need them. The publishers in this book, however, can act as handy substitutes, conveniently waiting on your bookshelf. What did Cheri Thurston do to reduce returns from wholesalers? How did the Hoffmans rejuvenate the sales of one of their cookbooks after annual sales dropped to 1,000 copies? What did Gayle Mitchell do when she decided she could market her book better than the company she had hired?

Sometimes you won't be looking for solutions to particular problems. Instead you may want an injection of enthusiasm. Rereading your favorite chapters will inspire you to try something new, remind you of an idea you had forgotten, or motivate you to write the next book. Each chapter is a story, and beyond their educational value, they are also plain fun to read.

Make Money Self-Publishing is a valuable addition to any publisher's library. It's an invaluable reference for any self-publisher who needs encouragement and guidance. Suzanne's book provides you with valuable information sweetened by a huge dose of inspiration. If you want to make money as a publisher, then you should read this book.

Suzanne Thomas has succeeded at both publishing and real estate. Determined, focused and tenacious, she succeeds by helping others reach their goals.

Despite the somewhat pedestrian title Make Money Self-Publishing has significant impact on the reader. Foutreen successful self-publishers tell us their stories--their failures as well as their successes--what worked and what didn't. For those interested in the self-publishing field this is fascinating reading.

The stories are varied. One author updates and reissues a single title year after year; others have extensive backlists. Some publish only their own work, others have parlayed their success into publishing the work of others. The abiding lessons are: there is no single formula for success, rules are made to be broken, and often the key element for success is discovered by accident.

Prefacing the fourteen tales is a chapter called "Self-Publishing 101" which outlines succinctly much of the material told in greater detail in the other books reviewed in this collection.

Ironically it is the tale written by an E-book publsher that highlights the continuing need for paper books. Through that story we found an Ebook publisher well-suited to our needs. Internet searches had not come up with this information.

We are very high on this book. Libraries should order one.

What a valuable twist on all the self-publishing advice that's out there! I love the anecdotes about *real* self-publishers, especially the concrete information about sales volumes and income streams. Other anecdote-based books about self-publishers whose books became best-sellers are inspiring, but not too realistic for most of us. This book tells stories about publishers who are able to make a living with moderately successful books.

Because Suzanne has chosen a wide variety of publishers for her anecdotes, the reader can see that there is no "one right way" to be successful in the publishing business. This book almost has a "do what you love and the money will follow flavor"--many of the publishers profiled have gone into the business, not for the profit potential, but because the business gives them the flexibility to live their chosen lifestyles.

I highly recommend this well-written book to fledgling self-publishers looking for advice, inspiration, and a change of pace at the end of an exhausting day learning the dozens of new skills required in the publishing business.

--Kathy Fitzgerald Sherman, author and publisher of "A Housekeeper Is Cheaper Than a Divorce: Why You CAN Afford to Hire Help and How to Get It"

Having read many True Crime novels over the years, I must hail this piece of work by author James Dalessandro and contributor David Mehnert as being one of the finest yet. The story of Jane Alexander was both awe inspiring and admirable. I am also a family victim of a brutal homicide crime. The convictions of the two murderers in my case came from a trial of circumstantial evidence. Knowing all to well the frustrations of our justice system and lack of victim's rights, I praise and wish to thank Mrs. Alexander for her strength of resolve along with her success in creating an easier and more pro-active path for fellow victims as ourselves. Unlike so many other True Crime novels, this book was written with the same "mirrored passion" that so obviously drove the dedicated individuals forth for so many years to see that justice was served. The book's author James Dalessandro, truly honored Mrs. Alexander's efforts by his attentive, thought provoking and accurate depiction of her difficult and painful journey. A wonderful and tenderly written tale... Purely brilliant!

Having read many True Crime novels over the years, I must hail this piece of work by author James Dalessandro and contributor David Mehnert as being one of the finest yet.

The story of Jane Alexander was both awe inspiring and admirable. I am also a family victim of a brutal homicide crime. The convictions of the two murderers in my case came from a trial of circumstantial evidence. Knowing all to well the frustrations of our justice system and lack of victim's rights, I praise and wish to thank Mrs. Alexander for her strength of resolve along with her success in creating an easier and more pro-active path for fellow victims as ourselves.

Unlike so many other True Crime novels, this book was written with the same "mirrored passion" that so obviously drove the dedicated individuals forth for so many years to see that justice was served. The book's author James Dalessandro, truly honored Mrs. Alexander's efforts by his attentive, thought provoking and accurate depiction of her difficult and painful journey.

A wonderful and tenderly written tale... Purely brilliant!

Unfortunately, in itself, Jane Alexander's victimization by Tom O'Donnell is not unusual; unique, however, is Jane's consistent fight to put O'Donnell in jail and to assist other victims of homicide.
Jane, the quintessential bourgouis, stay-at-home mom, knew Tom for decades through her deceased banker husband. With the exception of his allusions to having been a diamond smuggler, Tom seemed exceptional only in his high intellect and social graces. You can almost hear Jane describing Tom, "He seemed so nice." He certainly treated Jane with love and attention, certainly not interested in her because of her money. After all, Tom was financially solvent, backed by a Swiss trust. While cliche, it bears repeating: Tom gave few signs that he was anything but what he appeared, an aging, friendly, handsome bachelor. Responding to his charm, Jane lived with him for years. And, sadly to say, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Disrupting their otherwise mundane, but enjoyable life, Jane's aunt was murdered. A mystery-reading, petite, affable and dangerously wealthy woman of 88 years, she died a violent death. Figuring that the motive was financial, the police pressured Jane and Tom in their search for the killers. Meanwhile, Tom was conducting covert financial thievery with Jane's money. Afraid that the police scrutiny into the murder would illuminate his dirty dealing, Tom fled. Its precisely at this point that the book gets interesting. Please read it yourself to see the end. (One hint: Tom's arrogance and claims to belonging to the underworld of South African diamond dealers is somewhere between nauseating and unbelievable).
Through her ordeal, Jane gained initiation into the one club that no of us wants to be in: victims of major, violent crime. Stubborn and defiant, Jane fights back. For those outside of the this painful club, Jane's experience illuminates problems in gender relations, police research and the judicial process.
For survivors, Jane's battle to regain control over her life is equally, albeit differently, illuminating. Jane's crime was that of trusting another person so deeply that she stopped taking care of herself independently. Tom managed her finances, her heart and, to some degree, her life. She committed the one sin that most of us already traumatized by such violence know to avoid: Never make another person responsible for your livelihood
The crux of this book, however, is that while the story may seem straigtforward, even commonplace, Jane's experience was anything but simple. I desperately want to believe that she caused her own fate. Who wants to live in a world of Toms - outwardly normal and inwardly pathological? Yet, I could not let this book go with just one more "blame the victim" analysis.
The problem is that Jane could be any of us - male or female. She trusted someone who had proven trustworthy, not for a few months, but for decades. Emotionally healthy people trust others. As testament to her sound judgement, Jane trusted Tom. In acting in a psychologically healthy manner, ironically, Jane helped Tom to destroy her life. If only she had been a bit more paranoid, Jane could have spent her money with therapists instead of on Tom.
Ultimately, what makes Jane so special is that rather than feeling sorry for herself, she fights Tom and, ultimately, enjoys satisfaction. I guess, after all, Jane is more survivor than victim. And, Tom, he's just a run-of-the-mill loser.

In these tough economic times, this book is more important than ever. I liked the Tightwad Gazette better, but only because it was closer to where I was in my Frugal Jorney. This is a guide for those who never thought about thrift. Those who never set foot in Goodwill before and are living the American Dream...conspicuous consumption and debt up to their eyebrows! Mrs. Hunt is candid and opens her life to the reader. She tells how to get off the crazy, spendaholic merry-go-round and examines the reasons why people spend too much. Then, she shows how to fix it. Thank God we weren't in as much debt as she was, but she showed us how to fix the debt we had. For that, I am forever in her "debt." =) This is advice I never could have gleaned from the Tightwad Gazette, as Amy D. and her family did it right from the start. Defintiely a great read!

Mary Hunt's book is great. I read it quickly. I understood all the concepts and have been able to actually apply them. The thing I loved most is that is she was once like the rest of us - working, creating debt and figuring out how to manage it. She made her mistakes and learned from them and I admire that too. SHe lays her experiences on the line for us to learn from and hopefully not to repeat them. I am still using the concepts today.

Has worrying about money or paying your bills ever kept you up at night?

Me, too. Until I found this book.

About 7 years ago, our family was suffering from unbelievable money problems. Depressed and confused, I decided to stop by the bookstore and browse the personal finance section. There was only one problem. I didn't have twenty or thirty dollars to buy money management advice. I decided to get Mary's book and could not believe how many great examples and strategies she gave for reducing debt.
By following Mary's instructions, our family quickly began reducing our debt and wiped out almost $ 20,000 of credit card bills within a few years.
Her book is my money "Bible" and like scriptures in a holy work, I have highlighted paragraphs on almost every page that give insights into a subject that had always been beyond my control.

This book saved my marriage and brought me peace.
I highly recommend it. . . to everyone.

i love the approach that bridgforth takes here. this is the best book about money that i've ever read. i've been attempting to "straighten" my money for a long time by buying books to educate myself. this is, however, the only book that does not lose me in the middle. it addresses issues that other 'money' books dont address like bad credit, not being able to get a bank account, and the like. all of these issues dont apply to all african american women, but i appreciated that she did take the time to take it into consideration. it shapes the reader's mind in such a way that she truly believes that getting her financial situation together is not impossible. i have recommended this book to all of my girlfriends. even if you have a hard time reading books that arent novels, i can assure that you will enjoy this book.

I'm only half way through Girl, Get Your Money Straight! by Glinda Bridgforth and can without reservation already declare it as a must read for every black women whether you feel you are on top of your finances or buried underneath them. I've read quite a few financial books written by a variety of authors but this is the first one that specifically addresses finances from the historical, spiritual, and emotional perspective of African American women. It is amusing and amazing to see both myself and many of my friends reflected in her clients. Even though, based on other reading, I have already implemented the basic principles outlined in her prescriptions for financial health and healing, Girl, Get Your Money Straight! is providing me with an understanding of the whys behind my previous habits and also illuminating some problem areas and attitudes that I didn't realize existed.

Check the book out at the library and I know you will be back here to buy it!! The book talks directly to black women and what we go through on a daily basis! I wish I had it a fews years ago!!

Hopefully, it's no surprise to you that American Mega-Breweries have been less than ethical in the representation of their products and in their business practices. If you were unaware of this, I'm going to level with you... it is true. And you should also know that there is no Santa Claus, Clinton did inhale, Elvis is dead and no one could have possibly slept with as many women as Magic Johnson claims he did. No matter how comfy you may make yourself by believing the unbelievable, harsh veracity is better than obstinate naivete.

When I saw a book about indescretion in the American Brewing Industry... well, I chocked it up as just another dissatisfied customer. Just another guy who was irritated at the brewing industry... fed up with the same boring stuff from mega-breweries, year after year. Another guy... well... like me. This assumption turned out to be wrong, but I still liked the book.

Two points were evident as I began reading Beer Blast : The Inside Story of the Brewing Industry's Bizarre Battles To Get Your Money by Philip Van Munching. Van Munching has been around the brewing industry his entire life and he isn't afraid to tell you about the seedy side. Also, he's a very entertaining writer. Along with his worldly understanding and privy information, Van Munching has a rare wit and sarcastic edge to his writing. Like a seasoned ringleader, he calls out the clowns and narrates their escapades and foolhardy, cutthroat behavior. He spotlights the circus that is the modern American brewing industry and makes it more exposed than Pee-Wee Herman in an adult movie theater. Once in a while he takes a covert jab at the typical American beer drinker for empowering these brew-twits to begin with, but it's all done with a wink and a nod, and is not to be taken too seriously.

Of course I can't be completely positive about anything. Ol' Phil is more than marginally partial to Heineken and it shows in an ugly, stagnant way. He and his family are responsible for bringing that particular Dutch swill to America... a crime our country's legal system has no applicable sentance to serve him. He amusingly admits that corn meal is used in brewing Heineken, but then goes on to rail about how Jim Koch was wrong for saying they brew Heineken with adjuncts. What is Corn Meal if it isn't an adjunct? I laughed. He also says that the purpose of the Reinheitsgebot German Purity Law was to keep foreign beer out of Germany. Well, not if the foreign beer avoided brewing with cheaper, barley expanding adjuncts! Like say, oh... for example... corn meal like is used in brewing HEINEKEN.

Despite this, and though I'm sure the stories he tells are embellished for the sake of entertainment, at the core, there is the undeniable truth that brewing companies are selling an image, and what you are buying is a beer. They simply think that you aren't smart enough to know the difference and with most American beer drinkers, they are right.

The quality games and propaganda wars American brewing companies have been waging with each other for years are enough to fill a book, so I'm not surprised that someone did write a book about it. What did surprise me was how intriguing a read it really was.

If you want to learn how to make beer in your basement, you'll need to find a different book. On the other hand, if you want to learn how "The People" are manipulated into changing their buying/drinking habits, then you need to check this book out. Written with an insider's view, Van Munching shows that beer not only is big business, it's a fun big business. From the early Revolutionary War days to the present, the growth and decline of many breweries are chronicled. It was fascinating to learn how the "Giants" came to be, and discover the true parentage of supposedly local brews. It is written in an easy to read style. Even if you do not drink beer, and are involoved in marketing in any way, this would be a good book to study. It tells "How" to market successfully, but even better (and much more humorously) how not to market.

This is terrific reading, not only for beer lovers and marketing buffs. Philip van Munching, grandson of the man who first brought Heineken to the United States, has written a non-fiction book that contains all the ingredients of a first-class thriller: megalomanic dynasties, a fatal car accident the evidence of which was tempered with, mad-gone advertising gurus, and conglomerates trying to take over the hood ("get your girl in the mood quicker, and get your jimmy thicker with St. Ides malt liquor"). Along the way, the reader learns quite a bit about marketing. That is what the Ivy-League-trainined marketing whiz kids at Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors, apparently never did. Instead, they squandered away hundreds of millions of dollars in their futile attempts to win one of the most fiercely fought business wars of the last twenty five years: the war for the American beer market. Van Munching knows how they did it, and he tells it with wit and an incredible insider's knowledge. Great story, great writing, great book!!!

Jean Chatzky believes that the economic bust of the late 1990s caused many investors to question their previously held beliefs. People questioned the role money played in their lives and what exactly constitutes happiness. To investigate these questions Chatzky hired RoperASW to conduct research into the habits, attitudes, and behaviors of people who are happy and unhappy. The working definition of happiness that the author uses belongs to psychology researcher Ed Diener who defined happiness as "the process of enjoying what you're doing" (22).

RoperASW found that money was only one of several factors that affected overall happiness. In addition to your genetic disposition toward happiness, the most crucial factors listed in order of importance include relationships, self-esteem, job satisfaction, health, and money. According to Chatzky these distinctions are important, "...when we chase money, we lose the opportunity to focus on the [other factors] that could reward us with a huge upward swing in happiness" (20).

Money seems to have a much higher potential downside than upside relative to happiness. The research shows that an individual's overall happiness is significantly affected by money only when that individual's income jumps from $25,000 to $50,000 per year. There exists little improvement in overall happiness when comparing different income groups who make $50,000 per year or more.

Chatzky downplays the role that money plays in achieving happiness by relating the law of diminishing returns, "Once you've achieved life's basic comforts and necessities, more money doesn't necessarily buy more happiness" (15). The rest of the book studies the financial habits of happy people in regards to financial organization, bill paying, record keeping, saving, spending, and setting goals.

Communication and organization serve as the key toward achieving overall happiness. Chatzky recommends investing in mutual funds, and protecting yourself and your family with adequate insurance coverage. She prefers you invest in either index funds or exchange-traded funds (EFTs), such as the "SPY" (S&P 500) and "VPI" (Wilshire 5000) that trade on the American Stock Exchange, depending on how much money you have to invest. Finally, concerning insurance, Chatzky believes that if you have a family you must have life insurance, and if you are single you must purchase "own-occupation" disability insurance.

Once again, Jean provides practical advice that we can all use. I have watched her on the Today Show for years and am struck by her uncanny ability to keep it simple. Here, Jean offers a path to happiness that everyone can follow. Her suggestions make sense, and the anecdotal examples make this a fast read that's well worth the investment.

The only problem for me is that the Roper research is based on a national survey. For those of us living in New York City, it's hard to swallow that $50,000 is the threshold amount that a person might need to be happy, unless she means "after taxes." I have friends who pay that much in yearly rent.

Still, if you can imagine the audience for this book is wider than those of us stuck in the most expensive city in the world, her points all make sense. Her thoughts about controlling spending by examining your real needs could have come from a psychologist, not an expert on money. The step-by-step advice is applicable to everyone, no matter how much you have in the bank.

It's a far reaching book that can help anyone become happier with what they have.

Jean Chatzky's new book on personal finance is unlike any that has come before. I know becaue I've read dozens of books on personal finance and getting rich. Chatzky's book includes an abundance of valuable advice and information necessary to manage your money in today's economy but what makes this book unique is the 'bigger picture' approach Ms. Chatzky takes on money's relevance to the whole of your life. After reading the book and doing the exercises I have a new awarness of my perceptions about money, its value and place in my life and I'm taking steps to do more of what brings me satisfaction instead of obsessing about how much money I have, what my investments are doing and so on. As if all that is ever going to make me happy. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and enjoying life more. And my money is doing just fine.