family-economics

Rhonda seems like a nice lady, and her book is easy to read. I teach others how to use their food dollars more wisely, and have used her book in my presentations. It is a VERY helpful book if you are trying to help someone who is new to cooking, struggles to make their budget work, to eat healthy and doesn't read. There is an emphasis here on sugar. Some of her dinner ideas seem a LITTLE odd. And my family is NOT picky. There are foods in here my nonpicky family would struggle with. Her shopping lists don't match her actual dinners perfectly. Some of her ideas are pretty basic, too basic for anyone who has been reading and using other books. I also advocate self suffiency and teach others to not be "overconsumers". That could be stressed here more. Gardening can be a viable way to save on the food bill. I grow salad greens in a whiskey barrel for example. She does offer her information in a straight forward way that is esy to understand and easy to implement. She does not seem to be complusive with odd ideas. A helpful book for beginners.

If you visit the publishers website, you will see that this book, "Feed Your Family for $12 a Day",... is an UPDATED version of her previous book,.."Feed Your Family for $50 a Week". It was not meant to be a NEW book,.. it is an UPDATED version of the previous book. You don't need BOTH books.

Most frugality-related books contain, at best, one or two chapters on saving money on groceries. Since food is one of the few flexible items in many families' budgets, it makes sense to devote an entire book to this important subject. Although much of the information is repeated from her previous books, there's enough new information to make it a helpful addition to any frugal bookshelf (even if you already own the author's previous books). BUT ... if you don't already own Barfield's other books, you'll want to buy this book right now! Your budget will thank you, your dinner table will thank you, and your family will thank you!

I agree that "The statistics that are presented are facts that will spark conversations because many of the unbelievable stats." The vast majority of the statistics are unbelievable, either because of negligence in their calculation, or problems with invalid inferences from them.

Blau's personal bias's plague the text, and render it as useful and believable as a textbook from the U.S.S.R., although because of the well known publisher a lot of otherwise educated people with average data analysis skills might be tempted to overlook some obvious errors. That would be a grave mistake.

Social workers play an important role in our society- increasing the efficiency of those who have suffered some kind of trauma (those who have witnessed murders, or been raped, for instance). However- this book highlights the need for increased scrutiny of claims by those who lack training in the areas they write on.

First an admission: my politics are free-market libertarian -- quite the opposite of Joel Blau's collectivism.

Nevertheless, I opened this book -- published by a distinguished press -- with an open mind, sincerely hoping to learn as well as to be challenged. Neither happened.

Essential to Blau's case for greater government intervention and more "economic democracy" is his factual claim that recent prosperity is an illusion, save for all but the richest Americans. He cites familiar statistics and studies purporting to prove that the average American household reached its peak of earning power in 1973 -- and that it's been downhill ever since. (At one point Blau actually says that prosperity of the sort that Americans knew during the first 30 years following WWII has "disappeared without a trace." Is he serious?)

From time to time, Blau seems to recognize the many problems that have been pointed out with the data he relies upon, but his efforts to meet those objections are weak. More importantly, Blau totally ignores the important research done by economists showing that the average American worker's ability to consume almost all goods and services available on the market is greater today than it was at any time in the past -- including 1973.

If you're looking for well-researched, well-written books that offer clear pictures of the change in American living standards over the years, Blau's book isn't one. Instead, read W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm, MYTHS OF RICH & POOR (Basic Books, 1999), and Stanley Lebergott, PURSUING HAPPINESS (Princeton University Press, 1993). These books are written by economists who know how to use, evaluate, and report empirical data.

In short, no serious person who evaluates the evidence objectively can conclude that the average American worker hasn't enjoyed substantial improvements in living standards over the past quarter century. Indeed, even those tiny handful of Americans (about 5%) who never move out of the lowest income-earning quintile have enjoyed significant increases in their ability to purchase almost all goods and services available on the market.

In addition to painting a woefully distorted picture of reality, Blau's theoretical arguments display a grave failure to grasp the most basic economic principles. For example, in arguing against free trade, he naively assumes that "business" is a great monolith -- monolithically in favor of free trade because free trade gives it access to cheap labor.

But on trade issues there is no monolithic business interest. Some businesses favor free trade because it promises them greater profits, while other businesses oppose free trade because it will subject them to greater competition. Ask USX if it supports free trade in steel. The answer you'll get is a resounding "no!" Ask American sugar farmer if they support freer trade in sugar. Again, "no!" Ask U.S. airlines if they're willing to let foreign air carriers transport passengers on domestic U.S. routes. "Not a chance!"

In truth, business people have been among the greatest and most successful opponents of free trade throughout history. To assume, as Blau does, that free trade helps business at the expense of workers and consumers is among the most tired and well-refuted objections to free trade.

Countless other flaws mar this book. I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone read it.

. I chose this book because I thought that the book was going to be discussing the stock market and its effects on the economy. I wanted to read about the stock market because I find it very interesting. I believe that Illusions of Prosperity is a very well written book. There are many facts and statistics throughout the book that kept the reading interesting and made me really stop and think. Joel Blau shifted from topic to topic very well and what I thought was the best part about the book was that he gets right to the point and does not drag out any topics. There are a large amount of topics that are discussed in this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. The insights and the ideas that Joel Blau shares throughout the book are well written and presented very well. I really like the way that Joel writes because he covers so much information and the information he gives is mind-boggling. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in learning amazing facts about a wide range of topics. Joel Blau covers almost every topic that deals with economic security, from the stock market, wages, and age discrimination. I thought some of the best topics that were covered in this book were: The income barrier between different races and sex, facts about the number of businesses that move to different countries for cheaper labor and the amazing differences in labor costs, unbelievable unemployment facts, and the differences in jobs with higher levels of education. The statistics that are presented are facts that will spark conversations because many of the unbelievable stats. I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

I bought this book strictly for the chapter on college savings advice. Admittedly, I have only read one chapter, but found the information pretty general and presented in a way that often left my questions unanswered.

Even worse, the authors don't have all their facts right. For example, they say that the earnings on college 529 plans are subject to taxation once you start withdrawing from the account. I did a little more research--this is just plain wrong. Until the year 2010, all gains are, in fact, completely sheltered. This is a pretty serious error for a personal finance book to make, especially when your children's education is at stake.

I wish I could comment about the rest of the book, but I don't trust it.

Save money by sewing your own clothes! Put yourself on a budget! I was shocked at how little info this nearly 300-page book offered (and the number of exclamation points used). I forced myself to read the entire book, thinking that I would learn something -- unfortunately not. This book would only be suitable for someone truly lacking a shred of common sense, and even then I suspect the reader would finish the book without a real sense of where to start when it comes to financial planning for a family (let alone for an individual).

Family Finance was published in 2001. The provisions of The Tax Relief Act of 2001 did not become effective until 2002. Starting in 2002, qualified tuition programs were made federal tax-free through 2010. The book has a lot of excellent advice that is not affected by changes in tax law. The book is meant to be a guide.

It is important to note when books were published. There are still many excellent financial books sold that predate changes in tax law. Internet users should also be aware of articles they read on many web sites. Many have been written years ago and never updated. Beware of those that have no date at all.

Elizabeth Lewin, Co-author of Family Finance

This book is entirely useless as a means of starting your own child care business. Any useful information was so bogged down with "true stories", grammatical errors, and religious advice that it was impossible to find. The "girlfriend" tone Dr. Simmons used becomes tiresome after the first two pages.

I was also highly insulted by the section entitled "The Main Reason Why We Do This Every Day," which depicted a large pile of money. Some of us are not in the CHILD care business just for the bucks! I would have liked more tips on daily activities for the children, and less advice on collection agencies.

I was very disappointed in this book as a whole. Ms.Simmons obvious trial and error method might inspire some made me wonder just how long did it really take her to figure it all out? The business is the care of children,and of course making it profitable. But, I found her main focus was the money. I was put off by some of her "true stories". It's very obvious she was dealing with less than the cream of society, especially the account of the 13 year old mother and her 2 1/2 month infant, a product of incest! I found these true stories not at all appealing or helpful, I don't want experiences of persons that have come and gone, especially when they were her experiences, at that time and place. Give helpful advice, not story telling! I also found this book was a "blow your own horn" of Ms. Simmons' care and concern for others, unfortunately it came out as a busy body trying to round up business! Just too much "girlfriend talk" and not enough of getting to the real reason for me buying your book!I instantly found I doubted her and equally did not trust her judgement on a subject she obviously learned along the way!

I am writing to let you know how pleased I was with Mrs. Terri Simmons's Day Care book. Her book was very informative and helpful. Mrs. Simmons is very knowledgable about the business and is very open to sharing her vast experiences. Since reading her book, my partner and I are now open for business.

dull, boring, and old hat

If you are looking for a hard core, easy come sex book, this isn't it. If you want to read a story that has some intelligence, some heart, some fun and will make you think, then give this book a try.

This was a much smarter than average look at a world that is getting a bit overexposed. Well written and always interesting. I recommend.

There are a lot of typos, incorrect punctuations, and examples of questionable grammar.
The author is 'present' in the story, telling about himself and his business. A few of his insights are clever.

This is a book that is simple to digest.. It gives the family business owner(whether large or small) some practical action steps that will stop their procrastination and propel their business to the next stage, taking their family members along with them as their team.

"The new negotiating egdge", a title that was for me a promise for new ideas, new concept, new material and... just a rehash of what's has been said already (with other words). Disappointing !

Gavin Kennedy teaches the Negotiation module within the Heriot-Watt University MBA program (Edinburgh Business School), which is available on-campus and by distance learning. Having taken his module via distance learning, I can say that this book covers much of the same material thus making it available to those who do not have access to the Negotiation module.

His "new approach" is opposed to the usual negotiation stance whereby we try to "win" at negotiation by "beating" the other side, and we must learn "tactics" to prepare ourselves better to win.

I like Gavin's approach much better: he teaches that a principled approach is the only way for both sides to get what they want, and that it will go farther to maintaining the relationship for future negotiation. Negotiation is just one of several modes of conduct within relationships; there is also force, coercion, persuasion, influencing, etc., but not all of these modes will do when both sides are of equal status and want to maintain a good relationship.

For example, Gavin teaches that one should never give up something (some point, issue, item) without getting something in return. In order to do such, you must know what the issues are, what priority you place on each, and on what points you think the other side may be willing to concede. Then, you can trade one of your lower priority negotiables for one that is higher priority for you. Maybe this idea is self-evident for others, but it wasn't for me, and I have since used this in all of my negotiations, especially contractual and job responsibilities.

I recommend this highly to those who feel that you have been cheated in too many negotiating situations. I give it only 4 stars, however, as I feel that he could have included a chapter summarising some of the other negotiation teachings out there.

Children are a blessing from God. Planning not to have them is stupid. That's like planning to be poor. Don't buy this book.

I found the book insightful and helpful. It addresses some really important issues that I think are becoming increasingly relevant.

As an advisor to business and entreprenuerial familes, I usually applaud everything published which heightens awareness of help and hope for family businesses. So it is difficult for me to say this, since I want to believe the Allred brothers intended to make a contribution to the advancement of family business continuity. But this is one of the few books in the field which I've read that simply fails to deliver anything much of value.

This book has nothing to do about succession issues in a family business. Instead, it makes trivial observations about marketing, management and book-keeping -- advice that few on-going businesses would have little use for....

It is not a scholarly text. It is what the title implies, atool to help build a business, more specifically a family-business.It contains a broad evaluation of all essential business fundamentalswith a system for ranking the activities the business owner should emphasize.

The County of Kern California has contracted with the author to conduct this process with local businesses. To date, they can account for 190 new jobs, because the owners are running their businesses better. The "Journal of Accountancy" published the family business checklist in the book as a guide to help CPAs work better with family businesses.

The people who have benefitted from the book would rate it five stars. END

We expected a useful guideline for parents. Instead we found a money regime that is unbelievably extreme. Willard Stawski recommends paying kids to do just about everything - pay them an allowance to read books, for example.

It may have worked extremely well in his family - good luck if it has - but I find the underlying money-centric values quite disturbing.

If you want your kids to earn every penny they have than this is a great book. If you are less militant than this book is way to extreme. It is very biased towards having the kid EARN every penny they get. I believe that some money should just be given to them.

It's a complex world today and kids somehow seem to have distorted notions of the value of money. It's no one's fault but many families could help themselves with this refresher course on financial basics. Stawski's ideas on how to educate kids about money make sense, whether your kids are very young or teens. This is a user-friendly book that includes worksheets you can use whether you have one kid or a houseful. Everyone in the family will benefit from this book!