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I put off reading this book for some reason. There was something about its brightly-colored exterior, and how it didn't seem to fit in with the other books about money on the bookstore shelf that I just didn't like. It's bold title, "I Will Teach You to be Rich," seemed very similar to the late-night infomercials promising you money, women, and fame beyond your wildest dreams if you would only pick up your phone and "dial now!"   

But, I figured that since both the author (Ramit Sethi) and myself have blogs (his is I Will Teach You To Be Rich.com), that sort of makes us colleagues (in the sense that my blog is an infant and his is a Heisman-trophy-winning college athlete), so I sat down to read his work.

Within the Brightly-Colored Cover…

The first thing thrown in your face is Sethi's writing style. It's certainly unique, full of friendly, witty, informal banter geared towards those 20-somethings, with a certain sense of humor that really only appeals to that demographic. Nonetheless, in between the banter lie helpful tips on everything from choosing the right credit card to rebalancing your portfolio.

The book is organized in a logical way, beginning with a quick discussion on the merits of being sexy versus being rich (similar to this post… kind of. I really just wanted to throw a link in here). Optimizing your credit cards is mentioned in the next chapter, followed by  advice for picking the best bank accounts and how to negotiate down some of those bank fees. An intro to investing and conscience spending (actively choosing how you'll spend your money), occupies the next few chapters, after which various topics are covered such as the fact that you don't really need a financial advisor (something I generally agree with), automating all of your investments and bill-paying, and even some advice on relationships and money.

Something I did take special note of was the one-page inserts scattered throughout that were written by some of the bigger personal finance blog owners, from such blogs as The Simple Dollar, Five Cent Nickel, Get Rich Slowly, Lifehacker, Pfblueprint (now know as Bargaineering), and Consumerism Commentary. It was pretty cool to be reading things from blogs that I frequent, let alone from some of the exact people I've E-mailed back and forth with.

Yup, Time to Complain…

I was entertained by this book, to be sure, and there really are good ideas and suggestions within its pages, some of which I will be adopting into my own financial stratum. That being said, there were a few things I took issue with.

This guy has a thing for negotiating. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about that, and possessing this skill can save you lots of money over time. But after discussing various different strategies and tricks to get out of bank fees and other things, I almost began to wonder how much was too much. It was as if there was this sense of "I shouldn't have to pay this fee simply because I don't want to," and threatening to no longer be a customer if said fee isn't revoked. I agree that some fees are simply unfair and not the fault of the customer, but there's a time and a place for everything.

Another thing that irked me toward the end of the book was his writing style, which I previously mentioned in a positive light. In the beginning, it was 100% entertaining, but after a while, it got slightly tiresome (especially his continual references to being Indian, and how that qualifies him to negotiate relentlessly…  we get it, I mean your name, Ramit Sethi, really says it all. There's even a picture of you on your book).

Maybe this last one is just me buying into the marketing ploy, but with a title like "I Will Teach You To Be Rich," I was expecting something slightly more, well, out of the ordinary. To be fair, if you follow the advice consistently , you will be rich. Period. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme, but you will get rich. I was just surprised that the stuff that I had already been doing could be labeled as  teaching someone how to be rich. It was a nice reminder that I'm on the right path actually.  

When All Is Said And Done…

Read this book. It's entertaining, humorous, and refreshing. It is full of good advice, and it does a good job of covering many, many personal finance topics thoroughly within the space of 260 pages. This book would be a goldmine especially for those younger college graduates out there that are just getting started and really haven't thought too much about their money, or had money to think about up until recently, as well as some of those who aren't exactly up to speed on some of the modern tips and tricks that can save you money (basically, you old people who don't use much technology).

Plus there are pie charts. And pictures. It keeps thing fresh.  

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Peaks and Valleys, written by Spencer Johnson, M. D., is all about managing your good and bad times. Nothing more, nothing less, told in a very easy-to-read, parable-like style.

In fact, it really could be said to be a book of great common sense.

I wouldn’t blame you if you asked me why you should buy a book about common sense. After all, common sense certainly doesn’t sound as exciting as “5 quick steps to amazing happiness”, or “the 1- month program to incredible success.”

You should read it because common sense isn’t all too common.

Oftentimes we make our problems in life much more complicated than they need to be. This book shows you how to stay positive and get out of bad times (the valleys) quicker, and how to hold on to your good times (the peaks), longer.

When I picked this book up at the bookstore, two things went through my mind. The first was whether or not I should pay about $20 for a 101 page book, and the second was remembering another book Spencer Johnson had written (Who Moved My Cheese?), sitting on my Dad’s bookshelf for years while I was growing up, thinking it looked like homework rather than anything I would possibly ever want to read, let alone enjoy.

I should have read that book, and then this one, back when I was a kid.

If I had, I would have had a jump-start on being able to see the good in what appears to be a horrible situation. I would have gained the ability to stay humble and grateful when things were going great. I would have been able to see how 90% of the issues and problems in my life are caused by me and how I react to them.

The $20 was a little steep for a book I finished in about 2 hours, but the value of this book is not in its initial read-through… it’s in what it teaches you and how you use those lesson in your own life. Plus it came with this nifty wallet-card thingy that I’ve actually had stuck in my wallet ever since I bought the book. 

Its short length is beneficial in another way: it’s quite easy to simply pick it up and read it again, as a reminder of the good lessons inside. In fact, as I sat down to write this review, I started thumbing through it, and before I knew it I had started back at the beginning and read it all the way through.

It’s one of those little gems full of age-old wisdom that anyone of any age can read and get quite a bit out of.

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I have to admit, sometimes I feel slightly out of my league. I know how to make a budget, I know how to live below my means and rein in my urges to blow a month’s worth of pay in one afternoon at my local Best Buy (and trust me, that urge surfaces more than I would like it to). When it comes to hardcore, in-depth financial advice however, especially concerning some of the more complicated investment vehicles, my knowledge is a little sub-par.

That’s why this book, A Million Bucks by 30, written by Alan Corey is quite inspirational to me. It’s not one of the bigger, well-known personal finance books out there, but in my opinion, it’s one of the better ones I’ve ever read.

That’s because it’s simple but effective. It’s written by one young guy who has what he refers to as a “useless” degree in something completely unrelated to finance, and yet, he’s still able to become a millionaire by age 30 (before actually, you’ll have to read how).

This book is about a typical 20-something that has graduated college, still lives at home, and really still doesn’t know what he wants to do. Eventually he lands a decent entry-level job in New York city, and (after finding out his apartment is actually a part of the projects in Manhattan), begins the journey towards millions.

I can sum up how me managed to make it to his goal of becoming a millionaire ahead of schedule in a few words: extreme frugality, strict financial discipline, a willingness to take a risk, and a good dose of creativity. All things that do not require a financial degree.

Yes, he had some financial knowledge, but nothing more than what anyone could gather by picking up a few books at the neighborhood Barnes and Noble… it does take a LITTLE education to become a millionaire.

Corey writes in a very casual, humble type of tone, with a self-deprecating sense of humor that makes his goal seem all the more attainable for the average 20-something out there. Scattered throughout are various tips to save a buck or two here and there, as well as simple explanations concerning concepts such as Dollar-Cost Averaging or basic Compounding Interest.

The ease with which this book simply communicated to me what it wanted to say without making it seem like "learning" or "finance" would make it a perfect book for someone right out of High School or college, particularly one who isn’t that financially-geared to begin with, and could possibly be used as a way to show younger people that it is indeed possible to become rich one day.

A entirely enjoyable read throughout.

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Gotta say, I love this book’s dust cover. Something about the green on a black background… that’s probably why I like Hulu so much. Anyway, time to review.

I was thoroughly pleased with this book. This is the first book of its kind I’ve read in a while, and it was nice to get back into the whole business/finance genre with such a pleasant read.

The entire premise of this book is that business as we know it has changed forever. In fact, it’s already changed, due to a little thing called social media, which is how author Gary Vaynerchuk made his millions and continues to do so, without spending millions on promoting and advertising his brand.

Vaynerchuk argues that the traditional model of reaching customers is quickly becoming obsolete, that companies will no longer stay viable using the expensive, cumbersome methods of advertising such as billboards, radio, and television, but instead will have to turn to the internet and utilize sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many others, that have the ability of reaching millions of potential customers for a very small cost.

This realization, combined with the guts and “hustle,” as he calls it, to find out what it is in life that you’re really passionate about and to make money doing it, is the way of the future.

Vaynerchuk does a good job at talking up some of the exciting points of working for yourself and living the life you’ve dreamed of living, without making it sound like it’s an incredibly easy thing that anyone can do and that has no risk whatsoever. He recognizes the fact that bills still need to be paid and families still need to be taken care of, but states that dreams can be realized while doing these things through sheer hard work (again, what he calls “hustle”).  

The first couple of chapters deal with his own personal philosophy, and I agree with nearly everything he had to say, especially in his second chapter, which basically says that you should concentrate on what you’re really good at, instead of beating your head against a rock by trying to work at things you hate and have no talent with. Find others to do those things for you, and do what you like and are good at doing.

He’s quick to mention that just because you’re doing what you’re good at or like doing doesn’t mean you won’t be working your butt off doing it. I give him lots of kudos for that one, as I firmly believe that nothing worthwhile comes easy.

The rest of the book is mainly about specific online strategies and tools one can use to promote their brand and get the word out to millions. He mentions several websites and other online resources that anyone who wants a larger online presence should really check out, and in fact I’ve found a few of them rather useful.

Overall I was pretty pleased with Crush It. It had just the right mix of motivational and practical information, and it was just the right length to say what it needs to say,  make you think about it , and then let you  go,  so you can put that knowledge to use.

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This is the second entry in the Founding Principles series. This series is based on a book titled The 5000 Year Leap. The title stems from the fact that before America was founded, technology and society hadn't changed a whole lot over the course of 5,000 years, but since the founding of America we humans have enjoyed an explosion of technology and innovation that until now has been completely unheard of. This was possible through the efforts of the founding fathers and the 28 principles that they adhered to when building the United States. Periodically I will be posting an article about some of these principles to give readers a better idea of how our great country was originally intended to be ran.

 Founding Principle#2: Citizens Must Remain Moral and Virtuous to Retain Their Freedom    

To understand this principle, you’ll have to consider the fact that the majority of the citizens of a country need to possess strong morals and a virtuous nature to remain free. This makes sense considering the officials who are in power are elected by the people. If the citizens are corrupt and devoid of morals, then what problem would they have with electing people who have the same types of beliefs?

Probably the largest difference between the Americans of 1776 and the Americans of today is that the original Americans doubted whether they could sustain a self-governed nation, they doubted their capacity to remain moral and virtuous. Today that doubt is not considered by the general population.

 In their definition of being moral and virtuous, the founding fathers included things such as being involved in your government, staying informed on current events, possessing a sense of patriotism and community, and a commitment to liberty.

The founding fathers also had what seemed to be a curious fear of British extravagance and luxury, believing that if these things took hold in the colonies, then the industrious and virtuous nature of the American settlers would be in grave danger.

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I just finished reading a book titled the 5000 Year Leap.  The title stems from the fact that before America was founded, technology and society hadn't changed a whole lot over the course of 5,000 years, but since the birth of America we humans have enjoyed an explosion of technology and innovation that until now has been completely unheard of.

This was possible through the efforts of the founding fathers and the 28 principles that they adhered to when building the United States.

So, periodically I will be posting an article about each one of these principles to give readers a better idea of how our great country was originally intended to be ran on a day-to-day and year-to-year basis. Below is the first principle.

Principle #1: Natural Law

Natural Law is a philosophy made famous by the Roman thinker Cicero (106-43 B.C.). Essentially natural law is something Cicero believed to be the one "true law", based in large part on the belief in a one true god. Natural Law is the law of nature, and as such its validity is universal, and Cicero believed all other man-made laws should be measured against it.

The tenants of natural law include things such as justice, reason, love for neighbors and others in society, high morals and a virtuous personal nature. Particularly offensive to Natural Law is unjust subjugation and persecution of citizens by their government or other groups of citizens.  

Natural Law may be easier to understand if examples from our own American society are given. Below are concepts that were derived from Natural Law by our founding fathers.

1. Unalienable rights

2. Habeas corpus

3. Limited government

4. Separation of powers

5. Checks and balances

6. Right to bear arms

7. No taxation without representation

For something that most Americans know nothing about, we sure did derive a lot of our most basic beliefs and laws from it.

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I know this is an endeavoring financial blog, but let me digress for a moment, if you don’t mind.

I’ve been reading a book. One written over fifty years ago, which consists of more than 1000 pages (full of very, very small print, I might add). I share this with you not to toot my own literary horn, but to illustrate that even though the things I just said are true, this particular book has enjoyed a massive surge of profitability at bookstores nation-wide recently.

The book is titled Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

Long, deep story short; it’s about an America that has lost ambition, that attacks entrepreneurs, and demonizes anyone who thinks of their own welfare and profit over the general welfare of all society. More specifically, it follows the actions of various successful industrial CEOs that fight the good fight against big government, anti-business legislation, and society’s overall belief that retaining the wealth and success that one earns through their own honest hard work is the very definition of immorality.

Creepy Predictions

The reason I bring this book up is that, aside from it simply being an entertaining book, many of its 52 year-old themes are becoming eerily relevant in today’s America.

Socialized industries, distribution of wealth, financial help for those who don’t deserve it and do nothing to better their situation… all of these things were written about 52 years ago, and each one of them is happening today, in our society right now.

The Poor, The Downtrodden…

Let me shed a little more light on the America Ms. Rand has created in her book; it’s dirty. It’s poor. The feeling one receives from reading this book is of a country completely past its prime, its greatest glories and achievements lost to legend, many even choosing to believe they are legends, that nothing that magnificent could ever actually happen anywhere on Earth.

The rhetoric of the common person focuses on the fact that circumstances are not their fault, that there could be no way for them to be personally blamed for any of their own problems. It’s always someone else’s fault for the members of Rand’s fictitious, but potential, America.

Gone are the notions of personal responsibility, hard work, individual rights, and the entrepreneurial spirit that once made America so grand, replaced with progressive notions that have done nothing but slowly bring down American success and prosperity to the level of its lowest citizens, so that no one is possessing of an “unfair” amount of wealth, luxury, success, or even pride.  The very spirits of Rand’s Americans are defeated, depressed, and simply pathetic.

There’s Always Hope

There is hope however, for the fire of the human spirit can never be completely extinguished. To discover what that hope is, you’ll need to read the book.

Perhaps it’s just me, or perhaps Rand can really spin a good yarn, but I found myself completely sucked into this book, for hours and hours at a time. It probably helped that I feel very strongly about what America is and is not doing right nowadays, and as you can probably guess, I feel it’s doing more wrong than right.

The thing that makes this book compelling and oddly scary is this; a government, viewed as a single entity, can be brought down, can be rebelled against, but only if it’s people are willing. What happens if what you’re fighting against is a society that has accepted its situation, that has lost all passion, convictions, and drive…a society that is willing to slip away into obscurity, in the name of some supposed high-minded ideals that really only exist to mask one’s own true nature of laziness and addiction to luxury and ease?

Ayn Rand has been right about things in the past, such as the decline of communism, which occurred after her death.  She’s currently right about many of the social issues of our day, despite being dead for 27 years… will she one day be right about the state of the future America and the spirit of its citizens? 

Who knows? Who is John Galt? (you’ll understand if you read the book)

Long post this time, I know. And I haven’t even finished the book yet.  

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=ar2de0RP4ebo

http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/04/the_economy_nee_1.html (a very short debate on the economical implications of Rand’s work)