Customer Reviews

The Motley Fool You Have More Than You Think : The Foolish Guide To Personal Finance

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

the same great motley investment lessons, but unfortunately awash in a sea of wordy babble and silliness. save yourself some money and download the free '13 steps' PDF from the motley fool website -- you'll get 80% of everything in this book, and you'll get in in 60 pages instead 300, for free! that last 20% you can find on the motley site anyways. i haven't read the other motley books but if you're heckbent to buy a book i've got to believe 'the MF investment guide' is better than this.

This book is one of the better beginning books for getting your finances straight and generally taking control of your money. It's very entertaining while giving good advice on money management, reducing debt, and where to put your money for investing once you've taken the steps necessary to pay off those darned credit cards. It also helps to dispell some of the mysticism surrounding common investment vehicles (like mutual funds, stocks, etc.) and puts them in terms that the average Fool can understand. I would definately recommend it for someone who is getting started or doesn't know much about how to keep what they have and make more with what they've got.

This book was a great read - I think tha's probably one of the benefits of reading a book on finances written by two English majors.

Pros:
- Helps you understand where to start in your personal world of finance. I especially enjoy the fact that there is an especially abhorrent attitude towards debt (i.e. - pay what you owe before you every try to put that money anywhere else).
- These guys don't promise any fast cash, but employ a methodology that tends to scream, "slow and steady wins the race!"
- The advice is sound, and there isn't any threatening terminology to find yourself lost in.
- Like I said before, it's a great read. You aren't necessarily reading a manual written by guys who want to lay out the bare facts. You will be reading an entertaining and thoughtful tome on how to have fun with the way you think for your financial future.
- The authors don't seem to assume any drastic steps here - just being smarter with what you have.

Cons:
- While the book helps you start in your personal world of finance, it still leaves a lot for you to figure out on your own. In the end, I was still wandering around the Internet trying to find more information. The book shows you a good direction in which to move, but it doesn't necessarily show you the door in.
- The book isn't written for everyone. The authors admit this throughout their writing also.
- Shameless self-advertisement - but it's funny at the least.

My general perspective:
(Third time, at least) This is a GREAT book. Even if you don't think that you can trust yourself to make a deposit in a savings account, give this book a chance. It opened my eyes to see that there are a lot of people out there making a lot of money and doing very little to merit their worth. These guys aren't business or marketing majors, but their experience speaks through the written word. They won't lose you in a milieu of doublespeak, but sort of hold your hand in understand how you can be your own money manager - and I like that.
This is a work that is for the ordinary man - the sort of fellow that doesn't feel like working his way through a financial dictionary just to understand a book on personal finance. I found this book in my local library - and that's $11.20 you can take straight to the bank!

The financial advise in this book is plenty sound, but at times simplistic. I did get huge mileage out of the car negotiating advise (the book paid for itself almost a thousand times over) though! Generally, the book has an enthusiastic, pep-talk feel to it that will make the late starter feel much less panicked, and the early bird alot less intimidated.

For someone like myself who is just beginning to take an interest in investing and finance, this book was wonderful! It is written in a humorous, fun way that truly keeps you interested in what can be very dry content. It got me excited about keeping more and making more money! If you have advanced knowledge in investing, it may be too basic for your level. If you're just getting started, read this book! You'll love it.

It's amazing that I have owned this book for such a long time and NOT reviewed it. What an oversight as it certainly is one of my most highly acclaimed books regardless of category.

Much of the information still sticks with me today. Whereas the book is about investing your money wisely, it just does not talk about the stock market. Most important of all, David and Tom Gardner (The Two Motley Fools) discuss how to keep more of the money you earn. This can be done by avoiding excessive gambling and overindulgence in your State Lotteries. Also this can be done by failing to pay yourself first as illustrated in the chapter entitled The Ten Most Common Financial Mistakes. Gosh the example of the multiple uses of one's shirt is hilarious.

Although the Gardner's have their biases when discussing investment vehicles, the humor shines through as well as some common sense. Truthfully, Mutual Funds do have their purposes for some people in some scenarios. However, the reasons against Mutual Funds are certainly noteworthy. The approach to constantly research and adjust one's portfolio is strongly encouraged here which a big plus is.

Most important of all, the tone of the book is not filled with heavy jargon. The handy glossary in the back of the book smoothes out any questions that a reader might have. And the light hearted humorous approach makes this book FUN! Therefore, run down to your book store and pick up this gem immediately.

This book is very easy to read and is entertaining to boot. It's full of practical advise on how to invest, handle debt and even buy a car. I used their method of buying a car with great sucess.

On the cover of this national bestseller it claims to be "The Foolish Guide to Personal Finance," I would have to agree the Gardner brothers have made the subject of personal finances an enjoyable and witty read.

I recommend reading the following chapters of this book:

"And a Bunch of People Want What You Have"

This chapter discusses why casinos, sports betting, lotteries, and credit card debt are hazordous to your wealth. I think this should be required reading for every young adult in america. This chapter needs to discuss smoking, drinking, and drugs as well, but the investment guide for teens already covered that.

"You Can Get and Keep More Than You Think"

This chapter discusses some banking basics, how to get a good deal on a car (well worth the price of this book), how to save money when purchasing a house, insurance information, and funding for college.

"When not to invest" is also a good chapter since it tells us in common sense when we should and shouldn't be in the market.

"The Ten Most Common Investing Mistakes" are highlighted mistakes with good examples which a lot of people do.

"The Fourteen Things You've Learned Here" is an excellent summary of the book, if are considering this book I suggest reading this chapter and the others mentioned above.

In short I think this is a great book especially if you listen to and follow what these brothers recommend.

Reed Floren

The Motley Fool- You Have More Than You Think- is full of sound advice that really got me interested in finaces and investing. The book basically presents two key things- fundamental concepts of investing and saving your money, and information on the best ways to go about doing that, when you don't have the slightest idea on how to do it. The key information in this book could probably be very much compressed down, but it's really not too difficult to make it through the 300 pages. In fact, pretty much each chapter presents one main idea and expands upon it, it's a very easy read. David and Tom Gardner, when not relentlessly plugging their website, fool.com, set out to make the book actually funny and interesting to read, and I think they managed to do it. I never want to have a credit card after reading this book. The biggest strength of the book are definately the step-by-step instructions on how to save money whilst making big-ticket item purchases like cars, homes, and college tuitions. It's a great resource for students and parents.

I found it very helpful and humorous at times. They certainly try to keep learning about your own personal finances informative and proactive.