Customer Reviews

Creating Wealth For The Average Guy

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This slim volume, written in an easy tone, strikes me as folksy advice straight from the heartland---in this case Texas, the homeland of the author, who grew up on a ranch and went on to become a millionaire, lose it all, and gain it all back again.

I've read a healthy number of personal finance books, including those by the big names, and impressively I still came away with this book with tips I intend to put into practice. My copy has more than a few dog-eared pages, with each marked page a portion to complete in my financial life.

For those who thrive on inspirational books and seminars with real-life examples, encouragement to turn things around, and some practical tips, this book is a great match! For those who also want nuts and bolts, hard numbers, and worksheets, though, I'd suggest pairing this book with Smart Women (or Couples) Finish Rich Smart Women Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Achieving Financial Security and Funding Your Dreams (Revised Edition). It also makes at least one assumption that doesn't always bear out in real life; for instance, the author urges the reader to become a certain type of person/employee, noting that he has employed different types of individuals and the ones who bettered themselves have all been rewarded and recognized for their efforts. These employees are fortunate to have such an employer, but in my own experience and the experience of others I've known, this doesn't always bear out... or more commonly, it bears out in the number of compliments they receive (and how much more work is piled on them because their superiors know they'll get it done well), but the *financial* rewards are either slow in coming, slight, or non-existent. This, of course, is not the responsibility of the author but it would be great if he'd explain ways such an employee can deal with that sort of situation should it occur.

I do feel I should note that I dinged this book a star for a rather appalling performance on the part of the publisher. The pages are laid out in a choppy, commonplace sans-serif font (looks like Arial) so large that I had to hold the book nearly at arm's length just to be able to read it. Words are capitalized that should not be, while others are not capitalized but should be. Random words and phrases are needlessly bracketed in quotation marks and printed in italics. I don't think it's the fault of the author, because the publisher's note is riddled with much of the same. This may not matter as much to all readers, but for me this was quite distracting.

But to wrap it up... this book contains some neat analogies, examples anyone can understand and relate to, and makes some very nice points, such as the distinction between good and bad debt in a fashion not utilized by other personal finance books. Aside from the editing/layout flaws it's an easy read (I read it in two sittings), and as with many personal finance books if even one of the author's points are put into practice by the reader, the book will be worth its price many times over. You'll want to loan this one to your friends or at least keep it handy to re-read occasionally just as a helpful refresher or reminder.