Customer Reviews

Don't Get Caught with Your Skirt Down: A Practical Girl's Recession Guide

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is not chicklit! Well researched and iconoclastic view of America's short-term economic future (probable deep recession), and how to survive and survive well. This is Econ and Finance 101 mulched down to understandability and peppered with other useful stuff like blocking the theft of your husband to fixing your own Volvo to learning a second language, preferably Mandarin. Jill's book is going into my research library next to the Merck Manual and James Beard's American Cookery.

I found this book very informative and entertaining. All women should have read this book YESTERDAY! It has so much great information in an easy-read style. This would be a really good gift for college-age students and those just starting out, so they can hopefully avoid some of the financial mistakes others of us have had to address.

I am an information junkie and I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is definitely insightful to hear the blunt layman's perspective of the current state of our economy, versus the mundane and incomprehensible (and sometimes unreliable) version we get in the media.I enjoyed the fact that she recommends solutions as opposed to scare tactics. While I don't agree with everything Jill Keto writes in her book, there is a great deal of information, tips and lessons that can be gleaned from this book, including other recommended readings and websites.Especially to the people that don't consider themselves to be savvy in the field of personal finance - this is a great book.

Jill Keto discusses a sobering topic in a witty way. In her wonderfully informative, quick-read recession help guide, she clearly explains the basics of an economic recession, as well as providing sound analysis and helpful tips so one can sustain through these difficult times.

This highly readable book would make a terrific addition to any modern woman's library, and it is certainly informative. The economics portions are heavy, and that's not a subject I would usually enjoy. But my hat's off to Jill Keto for making a normally boring subject humorous. I am impressed with the uncommon approach to investing, and given that she accurately predicted this recession and events surrounding it (the first version of the book was out last summer) I wouldn't be surprised if her investment picks turn out to be winners in 2009 and 2010! I particularly love her supportive "go-get-em" advice for women running their own businesses. Her fearless approach is inspirational!

Don't Get Caught with Your Skirt Down paints a clear picture of empowerment on the rocky waters of these times. I am so glad that I bought this book and read it. You will be too. Jill Keto inspires with style, fun, and amazing shared stories and practices from her life. I particularly loved the parts about how she manages to get control of her finances and her aspirations even while raising two small children. This book will demystify the financial news and give you major inspiration to maximize your life strategies in these times of rapid change. This is a must read. Jill has gone where we want to go and she's giving us her secrets in this great book. I give this one an A+ for books that are having the most positive impact on me this year.

The author, Jill Keto, believes "the economy is falling apart...but that doesn't mean you have to." She also believes that with knowledge, positive action and common sense we women can weather the storm and may be even come out ahead financially. That's a tall order for one paperback book.

Don't Get Caught With Your Skirt Down: A Practical Girl's Recession Guide is a mini-textbook to understanding the recession of the 2000's. This newly released financial guide was written with her husband as a contributor. Jill Keto is an entrepreneur and mechanical engineer - it is her husband who is the Harvard Business School graduate. This book proves to be a combination of Jill's been there and lived through it writing style and Dan's financial prospective.

If you're looking for a financial thesis on surviving the recession, this isn't it. If you're interested in understanding something about the current economy and what you can do as a woman to survive and maybe even thrive, then Don't Get Caught With Your Skirt Down is a book you'll want to read. The author has aimed her book squarely at today's women - probably women twenty to sixty.

The premise of the book is learning how to understand the current state of the world economy and its affect on you personally and professionally. Over half the book is an economics lesson. It covers how we all got ourselves into this economic mess, why we are going to be here for a while and how to proactively help ourselves out. The author has both economic and practical real-world tips to share.

The main lessons I came across were:
1. Be proactive with your finances - learn to handle your own money
2. Learn to understand the economics of recession and how it affects your life personally and professionally
3. Don't get caught up in the negativity
4. Learn how to modify your lifestyle and appreciate the hidden opportunities
5. Put into practice a viable financial plan

Don't Get Caught With Your Skirt Down asks the question, "Why suffer when you can prosper?" That's a valid point - you have a choice, you can suffer or you can prosper. You can take control of your financial situation and turn it into a proactive vehicle to change your life for the better or, you can suffer through the rough times. Life is full of choices!

This book won't give you an MBA, it will though give you some practical ideas for taking control of your financial life. Don't Get Caught With Your Skirt Down is written for everyday women with everyday lives facing everyday challenges.

I view reading a book this way; If you come away with one new good idea then it was a worthwhile use of your time, money and energy.

If I were to characterize this book as a finance book or a "be frugal" book, I would not be doing it justice.

Her message is: during a recession, it is not business as usual. It's time to foritfy your defenses.

I would call this a survival book. Jill explains in the introduction where the idea came from for the book. She and her economist husband explain what a recession is and how we got here in the first 45 pages. It's not a dry explanation either.

The second part of the book talks about managing expenses, paying down debt, and even starting a sideline business - especially in times of high unemployment. There is more "why-to" than "how-to" in regards to paying down debt. But, I think that's what makes the book timely. For a more detailed plan for paying down your credit cards, check out Mary Hunt's Debtproof Living. A nice companion volume to Don't Get Caught is the Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez which has been updated for the 21st century.

I'm using my wife's acct to write this review. My wife ordered this book, but I picked it up after she kept going on about it. I thought I already knew a lot about what was happening in the economy - I prided myself on it actually. But this book had some fresh insights about why we are where we are, and what's to come. The author backs up her info with some good analysis, and then offers some no BS advice. Ended up being a much better use of time than watching the financial news network or reading the NY Times.

Jill Keto's book was a timely and hotly discussed topic for my Seattle-based book group. As a diverse group of women, we are managing through the book's themes on a daily basis while trying to understand the larger, currently chaotic, economic picture. Jill, with assistance from her economist husband, Daniel, discusses causes of the recession, radically changing the lifestyle choices we've made, and modifying the way women traditionally think about money. Even if you can't fully adopt Jill's intensive prescriptions, this book is sure to cause you to look in the mirror and take stock of how you manage your personal finances. I bought copies of Jill's "Skirt Down" book for my close friends and family members--it's time for a little tough love!