fainancial

One day at work in the break room I came across this book--obviously someone had forgotten it there. I was curious and probably bored so I flipped it open to the middle and immediately devoured a whole chapter. Midnight infomercials on how to change my life and financial situation make my stomach quesy and I feared this was the same kind of book. It's not. It's the story of a woman and the financial disaster she wreaked upon her family. It's also how she escaped it and what she learned. I realised quite simply finances and how to manage them properly were never really taught to me. She provided a great educational service to me in that one chapter. I left the book in the break room, but ever so often I remembered the book and vowed to find it. I only vaguely remembered the title and so could not find it. Then one day it reappeared in the break room and I immediately went out and bought it after I memorized Mary Hunt's name. I am grateful after reading the whole book that I have finally learned some skills that will allow my husband and I to control our money instead of our money controlling us. I will also add that if you want to cut your grocery bill, read Ellie Kay's Shop, Save, and Share. You won't regret reading that small paperback either.

I find Mary Hunt's book and on-line monthly newsletter very helpful. I am rereading Debt-Proof Your Marriage and have printed several issues of the newsletter to get "back on track" from where I was after I read it several months ago. When I'm doing what she says, my bank account grows. My relationship with my husband improves, as well!!

After buying this book, I could not put it down. Mary Hunt tells her story, lets you see that you are not alone in your money struggles, and then gives you a plan and leads you through it. You do not have to be thousands of dollars in debt to benefit from this book! Anyone finding themselves struggling to meet monthly (or unexpected) expenses without using credit cards will benefit! Mrs. Hunt's plan will help you get out of debt, build a contingency account for an employment or health crisis, and build a freedom account to take care of expenses that occur infrequently or unexpectedly. She will help you prioritize your goals for savings, charitable giving, and living expenses. After reading this book and putting this plan into action, we have peace of mind and are on our way to a secure financial future. I highly recommend this book!!

ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PLANING ESTATE PLANNING. IF YOU GOT THOSE LITTLE ONES AT HOME AND YOU WANT TO LEARN THE JOY OF GIVING. THIS IS THE BOOK. IT HELPS YOU LEAD YOUR FAMILY DOWN THE PATHOF WEATH AND CLOSENESS. THIS THE BOOK.

Through the years I have visited the financial section of book stores, somethimes purchasing a publication that looks interesting, only to find that I would need a degree in finance to understand it. What a pleasure to find "Funding Your Dreams". A book that is written so that one can understand its concepts without all the 5 dollar words that send me to the dictionary every other sentence! Carol writes with knowledge, compassion and understanding of the lay readers needs. Most of all she gives sound, solid advice with suggestions for practical application. I wish I had had this book twenty years ago but it's never to late to start. This book is a must read for everyone, regardless of monetary assets. I also appreciate the balance that Carol presents to the reader. Yes we need to save, yes we need to plan for our children, our aging parents, and our own retirement, but we can also need to give ourselves permission to set aside some funds for our own enjoyment. Carol obviously has a zest for life and her energy comes through in her writing. This book should be on the coffee table of every home, and should be read by every generation that lives with that coffee table! This book would make a wonderful gift for young couples ( or graduates) starting out as well as those of us in the baby boomer generation. Thanks Carol, for writing words that I have needed to read for years!

This is the first book that really made a difference for me financially! My family and I have met several times to discuss and plan our dreams and funds. We have been able to brainstorm and come up with ideas financially for each family member, with two of their dreams already accomplished. Even my nine year old is happy (he got an increase in allowance) and is telling all his friends to have their parents get the book!

I loved how the author "speaks directly to you" rather than just giving financial information. I hightly recommend this unique book that is simply put, direct, and actually affects changes in your financial status! It's a must for single parents like me!

Sara and I have struggled with financial planning particularly as a result of the recent market turmoil. The Jorgensens' book has served as a much needed guide to managing our money. It emphasizes the basics and is understandable. Unlike other investment books which fail to encompass the whole picture, this book is complete and thorough. We would recommend it to anyone interested in taking a proactive role in managing their money.

I read Jim Jorgensen's book and found it very enlightning! It is written so everyone can understand it and can make money by following his nine points to building wealth. The best part about this book is it takes a conservative and sensible view of investing! Anyone can make money by following Jorgensen's advise, no matter how much money you have to invest!!!

Jim Jorgensen wrote a book that everyone can understand and best of all, can profit from his sound advise. His advise is conservative and makes so much sense. His steps to getting rich are concise and easy to follow. I am working on enriching my wealth with his advise!

My wife and I recently returned from a vacation overseas. Like most tourists, we found our guidebook to be an invaluable resource that helped us to understand the sights we saw. Charles and Lynn understand that most investors are overwhelmed with information that is important to them, but at the same time confusing. First, they reccommend working with a financial advisor to set up a plan. Second, they offer this great book as a "guidebook." The book can be used as a refernce tool that will prove to be an invaluable resource for people that are striving to meet life's most important goals. Thank you Charles and Lynn!!

It's a very straightforward guidebook to encourage you to start to plan for your financial real dreams. A must read and true value add roadmap for your road to wealth!

As an inspiring investor coming out of college, learning about investments is an essential part to planning for my life. I can effectively diversify my portfolio by investing in mutual funds to capture many types of investment vehicles whether they are growth funds, global equity funds, or even precious metals funds. I want stability and growth for my future and Zhang's book really helped me to understand every aspect of the Mutual fund. I have recommended this book to many of my friends graduating college and looking to plan ahead with investments to secure their future. In uncertain times, Charles and Lynn Zhang have helped me to become a knowledgeable and confident investor.

EXCERPTED From Chapter 3 (The Numbers That Count: Acknowledge the Rules), Page 72*

At the end of this chapter, I refer to several terrific books that delve into much greater detail of these aspects, and I highly recommend that you read them. At the bare minimum, you need to understand the basics.

Folks who speak the language of finance use three financial statements; the income statement, the balance sheet, and cash flow.

Each set of numbers tracks a different function. Each one is important for your business. (Note: I highly recommend the terrific book Managing by the Numbers by Chuck Kremer et. al.-see "Resources" at the end of the chapter.)

The balance sheet provides what experts call a "snapshot" of your business's financial condition at one particular point in time. Think of this statement as what your business owns and what it owes. This statement lists your assets (what the business owns or is due), your liabilities (what the business owes), and difference between assets and liabilities, which is called owner's equity. This sheet is constructed so that your assets minus your liabilities necessarily equal the owner's equity; thus, when it is produced correctly, the sums are balanced.

The income statement tracks your company's profitability over a given period of time. It says whether, in a specific period, you made money or didn't. But, and this is a huge but, it's an abstraction. It shows the promises that people have made to pay you money, and the agreements you have made to pay others. "It shows whether you're making money on the goods and services you provide, once you have taken all your costs and expenses into account. But it isn't real," write Kremer et al. It doesn't show how much cash you've put in you bank account or how much cash you spent." Income statements are subject to manipulation. Because income statements are subject to intangible factors such as depreciation (which tracks how an asset loses value over time), you can show a profit-or loss-that is not directly tied to your activities in that span of time. Moreover, income statements count promises that others have made to you as actual income, while the daily reality may be quite different. So these statements indicate profitability-which is good-but they don't necessarily reflect your daily, actual situation.

For that you have cash flow. Cash flow is, very simply, the difference between your cash receipts and your cash expenditures. It's what you have left after you spend the money that you take in. Consider this measure to be your business checkbook; what cash is actually coming into your business and what is actually being spent? There is no fudging cash. It's what you have on hand-the balance in your account.

EXCERPTED FROM Chapter 3 (The Numbers That Count: Resources), Page 93*

Managing the Numbers by Chuck Kremer and Ron Rizzuto with John Case (Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2000)
This gem limns the theory and practice of financial management for small companies. Set aside the fact that some of the basics may apply to larger or slightly more mature companies than yours. Read this to understand how to use the financial life of your company as the basis for critical operational decisions. Kremer et al. show how you need to understand three financial statements (the balance sheet, the income statement, and cash flow) to truly evaluate your company's performance. Moreover, you really start to control this function when you learn how the three statements fit together.

*Tom Ehrenfeld, the startup garden (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002).

If you don't have a business degree and as a business owner or potential business owner are looking for more knowledge on how to understand the books then get this book. If you do have a degree in Business then you need not spend your money here. Take the 14.95 you would pay for this book, invest it in a high yield stock or bond and wait 50 years and you may have about a thousand bucks or so.

If I was a small business owner (or even a nonfinancial manager in the corporate world) I'd break my neck to get my hands on this book. If there was a rating beyond 5 stars, I'd give it. A must have!

This book does a great job of explaining the reasons for commonplace hang-ups about money and offers a very workable solution. I actually struggled with being an "over saver" - and there aren't many books written for us. Laut outlines a great way to live for today (spending what you have) while also saving for the future. It's easy to read and easy to implement.

I first read this book in my early twenties when I was a lost soul living on welfare (not a difficult thing to do in this town). The first word that comes to mind is PHENOMENAL.

Money Is My Friend explores the philosophical, psychological and emotional aspects of wealth. The purpose here is to eliminate Poverty Consciousness and replace it with Prosperity Consciousness. Money is a force beyond good and evil, neutral as electricity and powerful enough to rival even the forces of love and war. It is a creation of the human mind. All currency simply consists of symbolic representations of a mental construct that cannot be clearly defined. Therefore, poverty and wealth are merely states of mind which manifest themselves on the physical plane. By altering the contents of your mind you alter the contents of your bank account, so to speak. In order to do this Phil Laut takes us through exercises of self exploration and reprogramming which REALLY WORK. Also, his guidelines for managing money are unsurpassed and he devotes an entire chapter to the art of salesmanship (which should be a basic life skill for everyone). I seriously believe this book should become a standard in High School curriculum.

I am now in my late twenties and well on my way to earning a 6 figure income. This book should have been entitled The Magical Secrets of Wealth Creation.

I read `Think and Grow Rich' when I was 23, and in the ensuing 25 years had read most of the how-to books on success and wealth (including Magic of Thinking Big, The Greatest Salesman in the World, Spirit of Appollo, The Richest Man in Babylon etc.). However none of them did me any good in improving my financial situation.

So when I came across this gem of a book, it was like a breath of fresh air. For once I found something that did work - for me! While the other books left me feeling guilty (I had not persisted enough, I did believe enough, I had not visualized properly etc.), Money Is My Friend did just the opposite! It explained that there could be hidden mental blocks within my subconscious that caused negative results, and not just the lack of proper application of principles. Furthermore it helped me uncover and clear some of these mental blocks.

The breakthrough came for me when I was on Chapter 4 and reading about `Parental Disapproval Syndrome'. It suddenly flashed upon me just how the tutelage of my parents and my teachers had helped me make the strong subconscious association that MONEY IS EVIL. That was the reason why I found it difficult to attract money.

The affirmations given in this book are wonderful. Within a few months of my writing my first affirmation `My income exceeds my expenses', my financial situation began to improve.

But this book is much more than about money. The ideas in the book may seem controversial at first glance, but are in fact true. Some examples just to whet your appetite: `Financial problems cannot be solved with money!' `All human wealth is created in the human mind!' `Anger is intention contaminated with the idea of helplessness' `My wealth increases daily, whether I'm working, playing or sleeping!'

Read the book before you dismiss or condemn any of the above statements. I can only end with the words of the author `Make a special note to re-read the sections that make you angry, skeptical or afraid!'

I believe you will be glad you did. After 25 years of religiously studying hundreds of books on attaining success and wealth, I think Money is My Friend stands out as the ultimate.

I still buy copies of MIMF to give to my friends.

Run, don't walk, to order your copy of this book. Ron Baker does for pricing our services what Montgomery did for Auditing.
What a novel idea, to get paid for the value of the services that we provide to our clients.
Ron Baker's goal, as he so aptly describes it, is "to trash time sheets forever". Keeping track of time is the biggest waste of time ever perpetrated on professionals. Accountants have become slaves to the concept of "the almighty hour". We are not selling hours but intellectual capital.
Ron takes you through every step necessary to start your trip to successful value pricing. You will learn exactly how to present this to your existing clients. You will also learn how to use a change order when there turns out to be hidden surprises that no one anticipated. He will explain the concept of service guarantees as an excellent way of gaining new clients and show you in detail how to draft service agreements to use. The book comes with a CD-Rom that has many forms and agreements referred to in the book.
I don't know too many people who are thrilled about the idea of having any work done for them without knowing exactly what the cost will be. It's like boarding an airplane in Los Angeles, flying to New York, and being told your fare will depend on how many minutes you're in the air.
Ron Baker is truly one of the very few original thinkers in the accounting profession. Listen to him; learn from him, and I promise you that you will improve your professional life and most important, your bottom line as well.

I bought this book on a trial basis, due to its cost. It came on a Friday, and I scanned it that night. I wrote the check next morning.
This book changed my attitude about my profession. I was ready to quit. Burned out, tired, frustrated, and angry.
Within one month, I had identified 5 major clients and had more than doubled the revenue from those clients. My staff is happier because they feel they are being treated as professionals and generating fees more in line with their abilities. We have "dismissed" several non-productive clients, and haven't missed the revenue. We work fewer hours at more enjoyable work and actually make more profits. It has positively affected my home life as well.

Having read the previous edition of this book for just 20 minutes I e-mailed the author to tell him that "I have seen this book described as the most important book in the profession. Without a shadow of a doubt, it will change my life."

The new chapters make this latest edition even better. Read the chapter on Total Quality Service to understand how to compete in the future. Ron Baker will completely change your views on pricing professional services. You will start to charge what you are worth with a consequent improvement in both income and self esteem.

Recently I was in a group of 70 accountants who listened to the author speak on Value Pricing for just ten minutes. At the end he received a standing ovation. In my 30 years in the profession I have never seen accountants show such enthusiasm for a speaker and his subject.

If you want to change your professional (and personal) life for the better buy this book.

I had the same problem most of you reading this have. But after reading this book from cover to cover, I was awashed with a new vigor and confidence to launch a strategic war of words with the credit card telephone handlers. As you read thru the transcripts of the author's actual calls, picture yourself talking on the phone with the same savvy as he. Then close the book, put up your over charged, over penalized, and over interest rated bill and MAKE CALLS! Show them that you are taking CONTROL of your finances and relish the experience of sticking up for yourself.

I unexpectedly run into high debt. So far, I just got this book 2 days ago. I made three phone calls, saved $85 dollars fee for a credit card and about $3,000 in interest charges on one credit card. And this is just the beginning. Extremely helpful book. I honestly recommend it to people like myself because there is always a solution and this book gives me hope

"Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt" provides solid advice on getting your rate reduced, annual fees waived, removing a late payment fee, handling disputes, and many other common problems when dealing with credit card companies. More than just advice, it is a collection of detailed examples of phone calls including complete transcripts. Each transcript demonstrates how the author handled a particular issue and the results of the call. Not content to just give one example of getting an interest rate lowered or removing over limit fees, each type of problem has several transcripts so you can get a good feel for what to expect and how to handle it. Most people are not aware of how much power they have when dealing with a credit card company and how to get things changed. This book walks the reader through the process from beginning to end and is a recommended read for anyone looking to gain control of his or her credit card situation.

This thought provoking book is a real find. If you're willing to look at your habitual behaviors surrounding money and do the exercises, especially when you think "This doesn't apply to me", this book is guaranteed to illuminate hidden patterns allowing change to take place.

Money Magic is a must read for people interested in thinking differently about the personal and professional energy of money. I read this book for my own personal development a couple of months ago, and found it insightful, simple and immediately applicable to both my personal financial life and my work. I have directed a local community service for nearly 11 years, often marveling at how resources flow into the association just when we need them. I would wonder, "WOW, how did that just happen?" While Money Magic has been written as a resource for understanding one's own relationship with money and the energy of money, after reading Money Magic, I have now begun to look at how the collective belief systems of our Board volunteers and staff influence our perceptions of and perspectives on the financial resources we draw to our agency to help us fulfill our Mission. It is not often that I come across nonfiction books that so effectvely bridge the personal and the professional with great tools, useful exercises and thought provoking insight.

I recently attended a seminar conducted by Deborah Price and bought two of her books during the course of it. I haven't had a chance yet to read the books, but wanted to pass on that she's a great speaker with a really great attitude toward not only money, but life. She shared with us that she's been through it all and has come out on top financially. She started poor, but has turned that around and it all has to do with having the right attitude. She was great at pointing out really possitive and energetic ways of looking at our situations and using them to our advantage. I highly recommend any advice she gives, whether written or presented orally.

An interesting book in a field that has been begun to be explored - the emotional and spiritual aspects of money. I especially appreciated the author's discussion of money's creative and fluid nature. Her emphasis on maintaining your integrity while seeking greater financial prosperity is particularly welcome - one aspect of investing which often gets forgotten when people focus on making money.

Most people have a love/hate relationship with money. Most people also don't have as much money as they think they should have or need; and those who have lots of money often find that they're still not happy. Deborah L. Price addresses these problems in her latest book, Money Therapy.

Price is a licensed investment advisor and stockbroker. She is now a money coach consultant. She has condensed her more than fifteen years experience into a process called money therapy.

She explains that we are not meant to spend our lives shopping and working to pay off debt. The purpose of her book, she says, is "to help you remember the purpose of your life: the original purpose." Money is only one of the many tools available for achieving that purpose.

Price advises people to start building the life they want before they have money. Too many people waste their lives waiting for money to come first, and are still unhappy if it does come. She details how to build a strong foundation based on what you truly want from life, and then how to manifest the money needed to achieve your goals.

Over the years, she's observed eight "money types," based on how people feel about money. These are the innocent, victim, warrior, martyr, fool, creator/artist, tyrant, and the money magician. The money types are meant to be a "guide to discovering the impact of your past experiences with money and to changing your approach in the future." Price describes the weaknesses and strengths of each, and explains how people can turn themselves into money magicians who have all that they need and the ability to enjoy it. She's included a simple quiz to help readers determine which type they are.

She emphasizes throughout the book that the only real value that money has is the value we give to it. Money itself is just pieces of paper. We forget this, and attribute power to money. This leads feeling out of control and making financial choices based on fear.

Price has filled Money Therapy with advice on how to overcome negative and fearful feelings about money. She provides "practical steps toward acknowledging the hold of money on our minds and emotions and then using those insights to create not only a better relationship to money but also the wealth and prosperity we desire."

I've read dozens of books on money (and completed hundreds of exercises), and what I appreciated most about Deborah's cogent volume was its "user-friendly" format. In contrast, Maria Nemeth's "The Energy of Money," while comprehensive, was intimidating in the level of commitment required to complete her program. Deborah's work inspired me (a psychotherapist) to complete the training she provides through the Money Coaching Institute and make it the focus of the psychospiritual work I do with clients. Deborah is not a "therapist" per se, but she KNOWS how people relate to money as a result of her many years of experience in the financial services industry, and has communicated her knowledge straightforwardly and helpfully in her book. Her vision is to help individuals harmoniously integrate the energy of money into all aspects of their lives and, by example, become healers themselves. I found this to be a unique approach, valuable to me personally, and proving valuable to my clients as well.