10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'Must Have' Guide for Everybody!, August 21, 2006
This review is from: Everybody Wants Your Money: The Straight-Talking Guide to Protecting (and Growing) the Wealth You Worked So Hard to Earn (Hardcover)
Boy, does that title ring true! I also noticed on the cover of this book the wording, "Because that hand in your pocket... isn't yours!" You and I know that everybody wants your money in one form or another. However, I discovered some new ways while reading this book that I just finished. It is Written by David W. Latko, who is the co-host for the national radio program, "Money and More". Impressively, David Latko ranks among the nation's top one percent of financial advisors. I can just imagine how 'in demand' he is. He started off in a middle class neighborhood and moved his way up by helping people.
Where do you usually turn for answers with questions regarding investing, real estate, divorce, automobiles, identity theft, and so much more? If you say your family, friends, neighbors, or your own financial advisor, then you REALLY need to read this book to make sure you are steered on the right path. Looks can be deceiving. Do your homework, starting with this book, because it is YOUR money and YOUR financial future you are looking out for. No one else has such a vested interest in your finances as you need to, except for the slime balls mentioned in this book that you have to watch out for who want your money.
David not only presents practical advice in this book. He also shares memorable stories that yank on the heartstrings and gets your blood boiling. Think you are safe from your own family members who are to inherit your money? Think again and take a look at the story examples in this book. If nothing else, you will at least be aware and prepared just in case.
This book would make great gifts for everyone in your life. What better gift can you give them than to make sure they don't make wrong financial decisions that can destroy their future? I'm going to be buying and giving this book to some of my own family and friends as gifts. I am keeping mine to refer to and share with my children when needed. This book is definitely worth it!
... Story example: Willa and Tony, a retired couple who had a horrific experience with their first financial advisor. They came into some money. They had no idea what to do to invest or what to do.
So they solicited some advice from other retired friends. One of them had received a postcard in the mail a week before, and he passed it along to Tony and Willa. It gave the name and number of a financial advisor who worked in a branch office of a major brokerage which they knew of from hearing about it on TV.
In short order, their new advisor "handled" their prosperity problem. He put them into a range of investments that Willa and Tony did not clearly understand. Then, after a month or so of frenetic activity, he stopped calling-or returning their calls.
With their frustration mounting, they mentioned their problem to a person who happened to be a client of Davids. Turns out the other advisor had locked Willa and Tony into investments that carried staggeringly large up-front commissions; others carried long-term (and expensive) surrender charges.
There was little that could be done. The couple were tied into investments that could not be changed without taking a significant financial hit, in the case of Willa and Tony, it was more than a $26,000 loss.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Missing Information?, April 20, 2006
This review is from: Everybody Wants Your Money: The Straight-Talking Guide to Protecting (and Growing) the Wealth You Worked So Hard to Earn (Hardcover)
I purchased this book after seeing the author interviewed by Ron Corning on ABC World News Now. The subtitle of the book, "The Straight-Talking Guide to Protecting (and Growing) the Wealth You Worked So Hard to Earn" is only partially true. While there is an abundance of information in the book on PROTECTING your money, the GROWING (your money) part is woefully lacking. Latko provides very little specific information about exactly where to invest your money, depending on your age, income, family situation, etc. Mostly, Latko tells readers where not to invest it. He does not divulge any investment strategies. You will have to hire him (or someone else) as your personal financial advisor to get that information.
Aside from that, the information about how to deal with your broker or financial advisor is helpful. There is also some good information on buying versus leasing a car, buying versus renting a home, how to deal with real estate agents, and the finances of divorce. However, the section on identity theft breaks no new ground and offers no new information about how the prevent ID theft. In fact, Latko quotes an FBI agent as saying: "I can give you some tips. But as a practical matter, nobody has figured out how to stop these people. And between us, it is going to get a lot worse." Well, thanks a lot for that!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A winning guide which tells how to stay in touch with what you've already got, June 20, 2006
This review is from: Everybody Wants Your Money: The Straight-Talking Guide to Protecting (and Growing) the Wealth You Worked So Hard to Earn (Hardcover)
Most books talk about how to earn wealth, not how to protect what you've already got: enter EVERYBODY WANTS YOUR MONEY: THE STRAIGHT-TALKING GUIDE TO PROTECTING (AND GROWING) THE WEALTH YOU WORKED SO HARD TO EARN. Now, here's a winning guide which tells how to stay in touch with what you've already got. Chapters come from a self-made multimillionaire who came from a lower-middle-class family and today manages over $100 million in client assets. They speak of how brokers, financial advisors and others get their hands on your money, how to avoid scams and pick pros you can trust, how to manage divorce and wills to keep money options in the best possible places, and more. From common scams and con games to understanding how financial predators work, EVERYBODY WANTS YOUR MONEY doesn't require a million in the bank: even small-scale investors will learn from Latko's wisdom.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
