Customer Reviews

Seven Years to Seven Figures: The Fast-Track Plan to Becoming a Millionaire

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

The first few chapters of this book had my mind working overtime and I was feeling inspired. That was great. Then I started reading the section of the book (i.e. almost the entire book!) where they tell stories of how people made their millions. The farther along in the book I went the more annoyed I became because almost every story related to direct marketing and copywriting. What about the rest of us! Then I read in the table of contents that there is a chapter on how an accountant made millions. Finally! I am CPA. So with eagerness I read the chapter, only to throw it down in disgust one page later when the accountant began telling how he made his millions in copywriting. Thanks a lot. I don't want to be a copywriter or be in direct marketing. That is the reason for the 3 stars. The book did have useful information on how you won't become rich by being an employee, but this isn't news to me. So I guess the only real benefit I received from the book is a little motivation and I set the intention to be worth 4 million in 7 years. I really didn't need the book for that...

If you are a subscriber to the free newsletter then this is nothing more than a lot of repackaged/repurposed content you have likely read-over and over and over. I purchased it [like everyone else] with the "bonus" offers [which were also lackluster and rehashed unlike many others in the past]. The most impressive thing about this book is the mini publicity stunt they are creating to push it to the number one spot.

Now, for specifics....there are few to none. It begins by a general "who is Masterson", talks about how great real estate is for the long term, why you need to make $150k per year or more, how much to save once you reach that level and then relates several stories of people who did just that in one form or another.

As other reviewers have already mentioned, the information on real estate is dated at best. Sure, they make mention of the fact that they don't promote buying right now but rather to take a long term approach and keep your eyes open for those great bargains [yeah-you and hundreds of millions more].

The other less than insightful points include making yourself an invaluable employee so that your boss will give you a raise and/or bonus etc to the six figure plus category. Build your own business is the next response...again, the numbers demonstrate the vast majority of wealth comes from real estate and owning your own business. It also demonstrates that owning your own business is a risky endeavor that often results in less total earnings than a full-time job. Of course, having a network of high profit friends in a niche industry can sure help but if you aren't one of those folks then don't expect it to be as easy as it sounds.

In fact, this is really more of a motivational 'rah rah' The majority of the book relates the stories of several people who "made it" in seven years. Big deal. For my money, I STRONGLY prefer the new $1,000,000 Blueprint magazine which features several interviews each month of people from all walks of life who created a thriving small business.

Having been a long time subscriber and general fan of both the Daily Reckoning and the Agora Publishing mini empire, this is one of the few times they have Failed to deliver anything of substance and very little of interest. The $15 price tag is probably still to high even with the crummy bonus offers [more rah-rah and fluff].

Give it a few weeks, this book will be on the discount bin and thousands of copies available starting for a penny!

Hey, if I'm correct then maybe Agora should consider hiring me...an obviously invaluable prospective employee who actually knows how to deliver!

The book gives no great insights into making seven figures in seven years. In some respects the stories are of the lives of those who made seven figures in seven years are a bit too general. The entire book is a lot of very general information. There are some subtle and some not so subtle plugs for his newsletter, ETR. The newsletter is actually probably better than the book.

There was one omission that seemed rather startling. When he talks about how you would live on different income levels, there was specific mention of housing, transportation, utilities, upkeep, routine maintenance, food and household supplies. But nowhere was there a mention of insurance - for cars, health or life. That seemed to be a major oversight.

Some specific good advice, "Don't try to outsmart the markets." Even though he was talking about the stock markets, that is great advice for any market.

He also gave some great advice on how to relate to employees. Most entrepreneurs are "go to" or "get it done" type people. And they often do not allow their employees to grow because they are doing the work for them. He gives a good couple of pages of advice on how to get more out of your employees.

I have a lot of trouble with one particular sentence. Masterson writes, "And when our parents become old and feeble, we put them in state or private wards with other people's parents so they will not burden us." I find this offensive. There is a growing problem with the elderly today. Our ability to keep people alive has outrun society's ability to deal with an aging population. No doubt there are some who do not want to be burdened. But the vast majority of people I know with elderly parents are more concerned with providing the best possible quality of live for their parents. For many it is simply not possible to take care of them and the parents are not capable of taking care of themselves.

I just finished reading "Seven Years to Seven Figures: The Fast-Track Plan to Becoming a Millionaire." The book's framework consists of 8 success stories from people who have reached 7 figures in 7 yeasr or less. And from the stories, you're supposed to take away lessons that will help you accomplish the same. Although it only took me 2 days to read the book, I can save you even more time. Just read the "AFTERWORD" section, which is only 5 pages, and you have everything in the book you're supposed to learn. It's a succinct summary of the whole book.

There's nothing new here, no great insight. How to become wealthy? Make a plan, work hard, and follow through. How to become wealthy quickly? Either get a high income job or start your own business AND invest in real estate. THAT, is the gist of the book right there.

Another thing that bothered me about the book is the author's constant promotion of his company and related products. The whole book is one long sales letter advertising his e-zine company and info products & programs disguised as a book. The 8 success stories are akin to the "testimonials" you see online everyday touting info products, with one of the success stories actually going into detail about a copywriting program the author's company regularly promotes. (I know this because I am a subscriber to his free e-zine.)

I agree with a previous reviewer who said that the motivation for writing this book was undertaken purely to increase the author's wealth and popularity by putting the proceeds of sales in THEIR bank accounts. This book was definitely more fluff than substance. Save your money.

I was very interested in reading this book from the title and the book flap, however, after plunking down money and reading it in all of about a day and a half (reading sparadically), I found it to be very disappointing.

You want to save money on this book? I have two suggestions - buy my used one, or read the highlights in a bookstore. It won't take you very long to get message.

In case you don't want to follow either of those suggestions, here is a quick summary: to make 7 figures in 7 years, make a HUGE income, then invest it in real estate, the stock market, or start your own business. DUH! And if you are really lucky, you can succeed like one of the eight case studies in the book. There is nothing here to show you how to do it!

Unfortunately, this book, like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" is meant as a motivational tool (usually by multi-level marketing and pyramid scheme pushers) - it provides a lot of "Rah, rah! You can do it!" at the expense of giving any details of the realities of making money.

G. K. Chesterton said, "To be smart enough to get all that money you must be dull enough to want it." Dull is exactly what one would become, if they follow the advice of this (and other like-written books). The reality is that, more likely than not, in order to build immense wealth, one must spend a substantial amount of time away from family and friends - not just the standard 8 hrs + driving time, but 12-16 hrs each day. Even time spent at home would be consumed with looking for prospects and future clients, at the expense of your loved ones.

The other negative about this book involves a bit of bad timing - the real estate market, so touted in this book, has (at best) plateaued for the time being. Do not expect a rebound in real estate for a while - just long enough for all those short-term adjustable-rate mortgages and low-/no-interest loans to come due or have their terms shift dramatically. Really, the only future in real estate is in picking up the foreclosures of all those who speculated and lost their savings and credit ratings due to ill-advised ARMs.

If you want to see the future of this book's lessons, see the bond market books of the 1980s or the tech stock books of the late 1990s.

Too little real info and too late for the market. There's a reason the old maxim, "Slow and steady wins the race," is still quoted today - 99.98% of the time, it is true.

This book was written like a well constructed sales pitch from a copywriter. First the book tells you that you can't become rich as an employee and goes into to detail to explain this. OK, so most people already believe that to be true. Then, the largest chunk of the book goes on to describe how 8 people have achieved their riches. Lastly, the book says that it is a must that Baby Boomers follow the 7Yto7F plan... and leaves you hanging and leads you to subscribing to an e-zine newsletter! Which, then asks you to enrol in more 'training' on how to become wealthy. Very frustrating as I was hoping for a 7 year plan that didn't ask me to throw all my achievements in life into an incinerator and go into business for myself and risk it all. By the way, I am an employee, and I do have a 7 figure in 7 year plan. It isn't easy, but it isn't as risky, either.

I found this to be a book with very generic, run of the mill, get rich quick advice with very few practical tips. Personally, I prefer books that are more research oriented and fact based rather than just motivational hype and fluff as this one was.

I was sorry I spent the money on this book and sold it at a local used book store right after reading throught it. Instead of this book I would recommend reading The Millionaire Next Door, The Millionaire Mind, Millionaire Women Next Door, Getting Rich in America, and Eight Steps to Seven Figures.

I read this book in one day, and I was very dissapointed.
The book really is about 8 stories of individuals who made a million or more within 7 years. It does not offer any practical system or technique to make that million in 7 years except "make more money" (duh!) or "start your own business" or "invest in real estate! The stories are fine, but most of us have completely different situations and will not be able to apply what others have done...I always think any book is worth it if you get one good idea, so you probably can get one or two good ideas from this book, but that's about it. Do not expect anything beyond that because it does not deliver...

Well, I'll be danged, just when you think you have read them all, along comes another one - another book telling us how to become millionaires...in seven years, no less! Unbelievable, I have been reading these books for 40 years and my bank account still doesn't have seven figures (well, actually yes it does; they are just not all on the same line!) They might have been if I hadn't wasted money on these catchy, over-cliched books. Alas, my interest in finance superseded and I always did have a penchant for fairy tales. We are in an era when much of society is desperately in search of a job and a pay cheque, most of whom would be happy just to be able to put food on the table. For those of you fortunate enough to be on a different path and quite capable of attaining "seven figures", you will find what is written here common sense and nothing more - most of which you already know or you would not be in your current financial position.

Before my retirement, my career was in business and finance and there are only two segments of this book worth reading - how to attract customers (much could be added to what is written here) and investing in real estate. As for the rest of the book, well, it is a matter of opinion. Masterson reminds me of a terrific motivational speaker; one who can create hype even if half of what we hear is a bunch of fluff and malarkey. Millionaires in seven years...or seventy for that matter? A dream for many, yes. A reality for most of us, no. I, personally, know a few millionaires but none made it by reading a book - any book. While others were sitting on their posteriors, reading books on the subject and dreaming, the potential millionaires were getting an adequate education and working their butts off from sun up to sun down. For most, seven figures comes through hard work, business sense, smart investments and/or inheritance.

Masterson and Trump would make quite a team. They have a lot of wealth but neither has mastered what it is like to live in the real world. Was their motivation for writing a book undertaken for YOUR benefit, or was it undertaken to increase their wealth and popularity by putting the proceeds of sales in THEIR bank accounts? You be the judge.