Smart Women Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Achieving Financial Security and Funding Your Dreams [Paperback]

David Bach (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 8, 2002

With hundreds of thousands copies in print around the world, Smart Women Finish Rich, by renowned financial advisor David Bach, has shown women of all ages and backgrounds how to take control of their financial future and finish rich. Whether you’re working with a few dollars a week or a significant inheritance, Bach’s nine-step program gives you tools for spending wisely, establishing security, and aligning money with your values. Plus, in this completely revised and updated edition, David Bach includes critical new long-term investment advice, information on teaching your kids about money, Internet resources, and new ways to attract greater wealth–personal and financial–into your life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

David Bach's Smart Women Finish Rich is a homage to the financial wisdom of his grandmother; it's also an excellent foundation for women who are starting to get their financial lives in order. Bach's approach to money management is rooted in years of investment seminars for women and his work as senior vice president of investments at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. During that time he recognized that "people rarely know what is truly driving them emotionally when it comes to money." In response, Bach has written a guide to money management for women based on his belief that "financial planning is as much an emotional issue as it is an intellectual one." Are you considering your values in your work and investing? What part of your daily work is driven by your goals in life? Is your latte habit preventing you from accumulating substantial wealth? Bach addresses tax strategies, wills, insurance, retirement plans, and investments in a highly accessible manner. Smart Women Finish Rich ably bridges the gap between simple saving strategies and preparing for widowhood and financial independence. --Brad Doll --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Inspires women to start planning today for a secure financial future. Every woman can benefit from this book . . . Bach is an excellent money coach."
--John Gray, bestselling author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

"David Bach is the one expert to listen to when you're intimidated by your finances. His easy-to-understand program will show you how to afford your dreams."
--Anthony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; Rev Upd edition (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076791029X
• ISBN-13: 978-0767910293
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Business & Investing > Investing > Introduction

More About the Author

David Bach has helped millions of people around the world take action to live and finish rich. He is one of the most popular and prolific financial authors of our time with nine consecutive national bestsellers, including two consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, Start Late, Finish Rich and The Automatic Millionaire as well as the national and international bestsellers Fight for Your Money, Go Green, Live Rich, The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner, Smart Women Finish Rich, Smart Couples Finish Rich, The Finish Rich Workbook and The Automatic Millionaire Workbook. Bach carries the unique distinction of having had four of his books appear simultaneously on the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and USA Today bestseller lists. In addition, four of Bach's books were named to USA Today's Best Sellers of the Year list for 2004. In all, his FinishRich Books have been published in more than 15 languages, with more than seven million copies in print worldwide.

Bach's breakout book The Automatic Millionaire was the #1 Business book of 2004, according to Business Week. It spent fourteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was simultaneously number one on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Business Week, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. With over a million copies in print, this simple powerful book has been translated into 12 languages and has inspired thousands around the world to save money automatically.

Bach's newest book, Start Over Finish Rich launches in December 2009. With its ten crucial moves you must make in 2010, Start Over Finish Rich provides the essential tools for readers to get back on track financially and recapture their dreams of a richer future.


Bach is regularly featured in the media. He has appeared six times on The Oprah Winfrey Show to share his strategies for living and finishing rich along with regular appearances on NBC's Today and Weekend Today shows, CNN's Larry King Live, ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly, The View, CBS's Early Show, ABC News, Fox News, and CNBC. He has been profiled in many major publications, including The New York Times, BusinessWeek, USA Today, People, Reader's Digest, Time, Financial Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Working Woman, Glamour, Family Circle, and Redbook. He has been a contributor to Redbook Magazine, Smart Money Magazine, Yahoo Finance and AOL Money. In 2009 Bach, was a regular on the Today Show Money 911 Segments and a contributor to ABC's Good Money.

David Bach is the creator of the FinishRich® Seminar series, which highlights his quick and easy-to-follow financial strategies. In just the last few years, more than half a million people have learned how to take financial action to live a life in line with their values by attending his Smart Women Finish Rich®, Smart Couples Finish Rich® , and Find The Money Seminars, which have been taught in more than 2,000 cities throughout North America by thousands of financial advisors.

A renowned motivational and financial speaker, Bach regularly presents seminars for and delivers keynote addresses to the world's leading financial service firms, Fortune 500 companies, universities, and national conferences. He is the founder and Chairman of FinishRich Media, a company dedicated to revolutionizing the way people learn about money. Prior to founding FinishRich Media, he was a senior vice president of Morgan Stanley and a partner of The Bach Group, which during his tenure (1993 to 2001) managed more than half a billion dollars for individual investors.

As part of his mission, David Bach is involved with many worthwhile causes including serving on the board for Habitat for Humanity New York and co-founding Makers of Memories, a charity organization dedicated to helping women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

David Bach lives in New York. Please visit his web site at http://www.finishrich.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 132 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent investment book May 10, 2002

By Ariel Pawlak

Format:Paperback

I am a 29 year old mother of a two year old girl and my husband and I have our own business. I knew absolutely nothing about investing but I felt that we were getting older and we needed to start thinking about saving for the future. This book has opened up a new world to me. We have very little money and I was scared to risk or needlessly spend what we do have. This book has shown me how to secure our financial future. Before this book I never even considered getting life insurance. After reading this book, the first thing I did was go out and buy a term life policy so my daughter will be protected in case anything happens to my husband or myself. My insurance agent was so impressed at what I knew about life insurance that he told me that 95% of the people he sold insurance to did not have my insurance buying knowledge. I learned everything I knew about life insurance in 20 minutes from reading this book. This book lays out in terms that anyone can understand how to protect your family and make your dreams come true. Being a small business owner I especailly appreciated Davids advice for those of us who are self employed. The best part of this book is the section that shows you do not have to be rich to save and invest. Even those of us with modest incomes can achieve our financial goals. It's all about make wise spending choices. The wisest choice of all would be to buy this book! I can't really say enough good things about it. The only part missing for me was a section on investing for college. I was looking for some advice on how to invest for my daughter's college education. I also bought Suze Orman's book Road to Wealth and this topic is covered quite thoroughly in there. Actually whenever I have a financial decision to make I read the topic in David's book and then follow up with Suze's for a second opinion. They always seem to agree in their own ways and I feel like I am making the best decision I can to secure my family's financial future.

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm FINALLY motivated to put my financial house in order November 6, 2004

By Susan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm turning 40 next year, and I've done a fair share of reading/research on retirement planning -- not a lot, mind you, but a fair bit. Much of it was dry, boring, or just plain incomprehensible. As a result, my savings and investing were haphazard (at best), and my record keeping was, frankly, pathetic.

"Smart Women Finish Rich" has motivated me like nothing else has. I don't know if it's because it's easier to understand and doesn't through a lot of jargon around, or if it's because Bach is so personable and seems genuinely interested in his readers.

What really lit the fire underneath me though were the various charts he had illuminating the value of compounded interest, using time to your advantage, etc. Now, this is something we all "know" at the intellectual level, but the way he presented it was enough to get me off my rear and working on putting my financial house in order.

In the past several days, I have set up my filing system, reviewed my IRA account, requested and reviewed my credit report, opened an account for my "emergency fund" and scheduled automatic deposits, and made a plan for paying down credit card debt. In the next week I'll get the ball rolling to contribute to my employer's 401(k) and get estate planning done for myself and my husband.

I can't say enough good things about how this book has helped me put my financial priorities in order. The reduction in my anxiety level over money is amazing. Well worth it!

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It's helpful, yet cheesy May 3, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I learned a LOT from this book. I didn't know much of anything about investing until I picked it up; know I feel foolish for the years I spent not really knowing what a mutual fund was (it's not really that complicated). Bach is good at clearly explaning the issues without relying heavily on jargon. And the book is full of astonishing charts & graphs detailing how a little bit of savings, invested early enough and wisely, can become a huge pile of money. He also gives tidbits of very helpful advice about related issues, like planning for retirement (start early!), creating a living trust, and insurance needs.

I recommend this book for women (or men) who have little or no knowledge of financial planning. His advice is very basic and simple. It's an easy read, too - I finished it in about 2 hours.

He breaks up his chapters into life stages - reasonably, he advises different strategies for a women in her 20s than for a women in her 50s. I'm young so I read the entire book avidly, but I suspect that an older reader might benefit more from a book directed exclusively to her needs.

One thing really irritated me about Bach's style: he continually gives these (obviously fake) examples of women who burst into his office crying and in the poor house because they acted contrary to his advice. If you have a very low tolerance for simple-minded anecdotes, look elsewhere.