You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not [Paperback]

Farnoosh Torabi (Author), Jim Cramer (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2008

Your Good Life Starts Now

Live beyond your means but spend within them.
Take your steady out for that $350 dinner after the big promotion. You might just have to eat PB&J for a week to make it happen.

Splurge when it makes sense.
Buy the designer jeans you can’t live without in your size, at full price. But you better walk away from last season’s must-have sweater, even if it is 75 percent off!

Make more money with your money.
Invest in stocks to make the big bucks and start saving for retirement now.
You want to be debt-free in your swinging sixties.

Have it all . . . just not all at once.
Want a Mercedes more than anything in the world? You can make it happen . ..but probably not while sharing a summer beach house with your friends.

Finally a savvy, realistic finance book for those of us who love our Starbucks mocha lattes and Razr cell phones but don’t want our Jimmy Choo shoes or Bose headphones buried under a pile of burgeoning debt. Twenty-something financial reporter Farnoosh Torabi tells you that you can satisfy your sophisticated tastes and achieve financial bliss.

The key: prioritizing your expenses according to what you want the most—splurging when you can and saving on other things. From sensible grocery shopping (yes, you can have your organic yogurt and eat it, too!) to cyberbanking, empower yourself to live a guilt-free, Gucci- and gadget-clad good life without sacrificing financial security.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Farnoosh Torabi's You’re So Money is the perfect blend of fresh advice and bold attitude necessary to educate a horribly underserved generation about personal finance.”
—Jim Cramer

"You're So Money is the best financial book for young people I have read in ten years.  Farnoosh's style is entertaining, straight to the point and powerful.  You'll laugh as you read and learn how fun it can be to live and finish rich!" 
—David Bach, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and Start Late, Finish Rich

"Farnoosh knows so much about personal finance that I practically make more money just looking at her. And reading You’re So Money gave me the advice I needed to keep my good life rolling."
—James Altucher, founder of Stockpickr.com

“Farnoosh Torabi's book is a hilarious must-read for anyone who wants to live like a king, even if he's just a lowly serf with nothing in his bank account but blighted turnips, and, like, $3000.”
—Ben Lerer, co-founder of thrillist.com

"In a clear and witty way, Farnoosh tells you from experience how to jumpstart your money."
—Susan Beacham, founder of MoneySavvyGeneration

"After I read You’re So Money, I immediately ordered copies to give to my three children in college. The lessons of the book define one of the best courses they could take. Indeed, this is a must read for every college student -- enjoyable, informative, and a powerful guide for the next phase of their lives and beyond."
—James B. Thomas, Dean, Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University

About the Author

FARNOOSH TORABI is a television, print, and Web journalist whose business reports and interviews air on thestreet.com, Google video, and Yahoo! Finance.

Product Details

• Paperback: 251 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307406199
• ISBN-13: 978-0307406194
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Farnoosh Torabi is a personal finance journalist, author and TV personality. The New York Times calls her advice "perfectly practical."

In 2008 she published You're So Money - Live Rich Even When You're Not, a tell-all for young adults searching for financial independence. Her second book Psych Yourself Rich arrives September 2010.

Farnoosh recently wrapped SoapNet's "Bank of Mom and Dad," coaching young women struggling with piles of debt. Previously Farnoosh appeared in REAL SIMPLE. REAL LIFE., a makeover series on TLC, where she helped busy women better understand and manage their financial challenges.

Farnoosh attended Pennsylvania State University - Go Nittany Lions! - graduating with honors in finance and international business. She also holds an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Started out good...but in the end was really disappointed, December 8, 2009

By 

Sabastian Sommer (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not (Paperback)

The first chapter of this book was great; the author has great voice and easily got me hooked. The personal stories are a nice way to make an otherwise dry subject more interesting and entertaining. But as you read the book you find that the author's advice is really just plain common sense. What I really stated to dislike was when she would constantly contradict herself. In one chapter she would say not to buy things on sale and then in another she would say how it's a good thing to buy things on sale. She claims she was able to afford to buy an apartment in New York on a Salary of $50,000 but later you find out that her parents bought it for her using their home equity. She also suggests doing thinks like babysitting to make extra cash, just like her friend who makes $400 on a weekend afternoon babysitting her siblings in the Hamptons, come on! I think if this book offered more realistic not so typical advise for your typical young professional (who doesn't necessarily have well off parents or come from money) would have made this book a must read. I instead caution those willing to spend the money on reading this.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but..., August 21, 2008

By 

Cheryl Ferry (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not (Paperback)

This book has some good tips and ideas, my favorite being to figure out what's important to you before you figure out how to budget your money. Sounds simple, but sometimes we get so caught up in paying off debts, saving and investing, that we forget to live in the moment. I've already made some changes based on her advice, by drastically cutting back on eating out and putting that money towards a trip to Europe next year (so much more rewarding than a few sushi dinners).

One annoyance - she says that renters are wasting their money and that everyone should be a homeowner. Then she proceeds to say that her parents paid for her condo. Who should I ask to help me, my deceased father or my mother who lives off $10,000 in Social security checks per year? Some of us have to do it on our own, and that means paying rent instead of drowning in mortgage payments. I think it's a huge mistake for young people to buy homes too soon. Rent isn't "wasting money", it's paying for a place to live.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, quick read, May 8, 2008

By 

Matthew Gallagher (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not (Paperback)

The perfect book for someone in their 20's getting their first taste of managing their personal finances. It focuses on how to save money and prioritize your wishes in order to get the most out of the money you have.

The best part is that it does not read like a finance text, instead, Torabi uses practical, everyday examples instead of esoteric terminology or useless analogies.

The book reminds me of the old adage, "Some people learn from their mistakes, smart people learn from other peoples mistakes." Read the book to get some financial wisdom instead of having to make your own mistakes. It is the perfect gift for any young person you know.