Wealth Without Risk [Hardcover]

Charles Givens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Having made and lost two fortunes, popular financial guru Givens says he now has the keys to successamong them, no-nonsense use of credit cards, tax-favorable self-employment and home ownership. Another suggestion: regular investment of 10% of income for 20% annual return through mutual-fund switching among stocks, bonds and the money market according to a formula linked to the daily-published prime interest rate. (He explains separately the tax consequences of this system.) The author also cites, among many such nuggets, a little-known government-backed "parent loan" to help pay for college through near-campus real estate (students always need rooms, right?). Or how about buying local mortgages one-on-one for a 30% "guaranteed" return? One eyebrow raiser: in a general insurance-industry bashing, Givens claims life-policy beneficiaries should be entitled to collect both the policy's face value and its accumulated cash value. With charts, graphs, source lists and anecdotes, this is a top money guideentertaining, exciting and full of new ideas.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Givens assembles the ground rules of his fourth self-made fortune into 268 "strategies" for personal finance, taxes, and investment. His finance rules convey very helpful advice on insurance and credit, and a one-track plan for raising college money: Buy your child a house. Tax tactics stress heavy use of both common and exotic deductions, and the tax-saving virtues of owning a business. Investment ideas range from the prosaic, such as mutual funds and home ownership, to the questionable, such as tax lien purchases and the use of margin accounts. Clear descriptions of many unusual strategies make this work marginally useful for public libraries. Justine Roberts, Univ. of California at San Francisco Lib.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1988 Edition edition (December 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671619381
• ISBN-13: 978-0671619381
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The All-Time Best SELLING Personal Finance Bible!, September 24, 2005

By 

Chuck Kimbriel "Happy Amazon Customer" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wealth Without Risk (Hardcover)

While many books have been written about personal finance, none have had the initial and lasting impact as has this great classic by the late, great Charles J. Givens.

Wealth Without Risk came out in late 1988, early 1989. No one knew these strategies. Nobody knew how to reduce their auto insurance. No one that you could get a lower interest rate on your credit cards just by asking. No one ever thought about using their home equity as an income stream. Only A.L. Williams people where teaching the folly of investing in (w) hole life insurance.

Nobody knew how car insurance and automobile dealers were ripping people off. And no one knew how to really use their 401 (k) plans at work or their IRA. Tell someone you opened a self directed IRA and they would say "what the heck is a self-directed IRA?" They thought it was like a missile that was aimed at you!

Nobody knew that you could make 20% in mutual funds and invest without paying commissions. And only a handful of us knew about tax liens certificates and discounted mortgages.

There were a few other financial authors out there like Venita Van Caspel and Robert Allen. Only Allen came close to offering the results Givens offered and Allen was limited to real estate investing (I highly recommend Robert Allen as well)

Although I would recommend the newer More Wealth Without Risk over this older version, the original Wealth Without Risk is also packed with information that can positively impact your bottom line.

Don't be surprised if you find resistance with certain financial people. Even though this book came out over 17 years ago, little in the financial world has changed. When people have their hands in your pockets, guess what their primary interest is? HINT: It's not in your best interest that is for sure.

Givens may be gone but he has left a legacy that has lived on. Like other great books, Wealth Without Risk will continue to sell for decades to come.

RIP Chuck and thank you!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and Powerful Information, April 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wealth Without Risk (Hardcover)

Where do I begin? I had a tiny, home-based business at the time, when I bought this book. I lived in a tiny house in a miserable Northern State that I will not mention. At that time, 10 years ago,I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing when it came to my money. I needed serious help! 10 years ago, I bought this book. This book, along with Charles Givens other books, "MORE Wealth without risk" and "Financial Freedom" have been my financial bibles for the past 10 years. Along with my own hard work and determination, my business has grown substantially and these books have seriously played a role as a building block for what I now have today. A beautiful home and a pool in sunny, tropical FL. My dream life and dream home. I cannot believe this book is out of print! I still refer to this book today. A few of the topics are outdated for 2000 but the overall message is unavoidable and timeless! "Wealth Without Risk" is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme. It simply covers the financial basics in simple English and is well written. I am guilty of a short attention span and the chapters of "Wealth Without Risk", "Financial Freedom" and "More Wealth Without Risk" are short and to-the-point. Everything from uncrupulous car dealer and life insurance schemes to advice on taking business deductions. I have learned from this book! Scads of simple, down-to-earth answers to common questions you were afraid to admit that you did not know. Alternately, in my opinion, Givens lost his steam with "Super Self". I bought it and was wholley disappointed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great wealth building book!, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wealth Without Risk (Hardcover)

I bought this book 10 years ago. Wish I would have bought it 10 years sooner. As I began to apply Mr. Givens strategies, I found myself experiencing mixed emotions; excitent & joy for the fast and dramatic results that I experienced and disgust and disdain for being misled by leading institutions. I saved $32,000 in my first six weeks. That should tell you what this book was worth to me. More importantly, I am continuing to save by following the strategies. I am one of those "fools" that dropped the uninsured motorists from my auto policy. Haven't carried it in ten years. When my agent told me what the benefits of this cr*p was I asked him what was the possibility of cashing in on uninsured motorists. He said, "About the same as winning a million dollar lottery or getting struck by lightning-TWICE" Sorry folks, I just don't feel that it's worth the price. Mr Givens, thank you for allowing my family and I to really live and achieve WEALTH WITHOUT RISK!