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93 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Save Your Ten Bucks, March 17, 2008
This review is from: How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary (Paperback)
Don't buy this book for the simple reason that the author doesn't "survive on a teacher's salary", according to his own narrative.
Most of the time period covered in this short book, the author "survives" on two teachers' salaries because his wife also works. In addition to their two-teacher income, they earn money on the side by tutoring and working for relatives. In a few brief periods when one of them was not teaching full-time, they received money for teaching part time, keeping someone's child in their home and collecting disability. There are loans from grandma and a home improvement loan to supplement their income. The fact of the matter is that Danny and his wife are rarely without additional streams of income. At one point, Danny leaves teaching altogether for a more lucrative job selling flooring. At the end of the book, Danny goes back to teaching.
So what does Danny teach us about surviving on a teacher's salary? Never rely on a teacher's salary. Have two...and then tutor on the side. Work for relatives and friends as well. Sell a house. Borrow money from grandma. Collect disability. Work part-time. Publish and sell a book. This is how Danny does it.
To end on a slightly more favorable note, Danny does some smart things with his money which are worth emulating but you don't have to buy his book to learn how to do them. Danny suggests his readers check out books by David Bach. I would add that you look to Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Buyer Beware!, January 30, 2010
Despite my initial reservations, I chose to purchase this quick read in pursuit of practical advice to achieve my personal goals of supporting my future family on a teacher's salary.
Unfortunately, I must admit that Mr. Mangrum is spot-on is his assessment of this ten-dollar waste.
Over the course of eighty-four pages, Mr. Kofke writes with poor precision, abandons his own commitment to "survive (and perhaps thrive)" on such a salary, and offers the occasional money-saving suggestion of an ethically questionable nature:
In one such example, the author and his wife manipulate their disability insurance to escape $2,293.33 of a $2,318.50 hospital bill following the birth of their first daughter.
The book's greatest worth lies in the author's references to financial literature by David Bach. Personally, I would recommend investing $9.99 in Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness ($17.99 on this site). Dave offers direct, biblical, effective, "proven" (as the book states) financial advice that would serve a working man well in any profession.
For the record, I do appreciate Mr. Kofke's contribution to the understaffed field of special education...
...but I beg you to refrain from adding his book to your cart. Tate Publishing should be ashamed for endorsing such literature.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed, March 27, 2010
This review is from: How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary (Paperback)
This book was not worth the money I spent on it. It was a narrative of the author's experience. It was misleading. There were times when it was about 2 teacher's salaries and 3 times his grandma lent him money. I think he will do well in sales because of the title but will disappoint many buyers. The author will add to his savings but poor teachers will be conned out of $13.00 for a book that has no practical use for them.
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