Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever (Paperback)

~ Jean Chatzky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Jean's Work:

“Simply brilliant.” —Robert T. Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

Praise for Jean's Work:

“Simply brilliant.” —Robert T. Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307341534
• ISBN-13: 978-0307341532
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #314,287 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another straightforward financial book by Chatzky, October 6, 2006

By	K. Corn "reviewer" (Indianapolis,, IN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever (Hardcover)

Jean Chatzby has a special knack for reaching the average consumer and clarifying seemingly complex, frightening or confusing financial topics. Much of what she covers SHOULD be taught at home or in school but, if consumer spending patterns are any indication, people aren't picking up the information before adulthood...for whatever reason.
This book, as the title implies, will help those who feel overwhelmed and fearful of handling their money. I've watched her on television and read her online columns as well as other books and I really like her newest book.
The book addresses these topics and more:
1. The importance of saving regularly, no matter how little.
2. How even small changes in spending patterns can make a HUGE difference.
3. Getting on top of debt, including credit card debt.
4. Retirement planning.
5. Taking the fear out of investing and showing that one does not have to be a stock market whiz to accumulate savings through investing. Even an amateur with the right portfolio balance can achieve nice, steady gains.
6. The basics of home finance and financial literacy, broken down into a few simple steps.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Guide to financial security for women., April 7, 2007

By	Steve Burns "Life long learner" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever (Hardcover)

The author wrote this book to be directed to women. If you enjoy shopping and hate dealing with finances, then this book is for you. Jean Chatzky will gently guide you with a little prodding to quit whining and get your finances in order.
She believes if you want to get rich, if you want to be wealthier than you are today, you really need to do only four things.
1)You need to make a decent living.
2)You need to spend less than you make.
3)You need to invest the money you don't spend so that it can work as hard for you as you are working for yourself.
4)And you need to protect yourself and this financial world you've built so that a disaster-big or small-doesn't take it all away from you.
This is outstanding advice and I completely agree with her, these have been the keys to building my personal 6 figure net worth.
She also has sprinkled through out "Map to a Million" which shows you what saving and investing a certain amount of money will grow to in 20 or 30 years. Some of the amounts are really shocking. For example start investing 10% of a $35,000 income at 30 years old and you will have $457,254 at retirement, if the employer gives a 5% match it will be $685,881 at 65 years old.(This does not even include raises, and the money gets about 8% a year in stock index funds).
If you are a beginner in personal finance reade this book, it will be a tremendous help. Also read Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey for a book from a male perspective.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary book for the beginner money manager!, March 8, 2007

By	Jen Baker - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever (Hardcover)

If you like Jean Chatzky's approach to handling money on The Today Show, then you'll like having this book as part of an introduction to managing money. She walks the reader through the process of understanding money and how to make it work for you. She also gets to the basics of understanding math (calculating interest, percentages, decimals, etc)in general which is great for the person who suffers from math anxiety. Jean Chatzky demystifies the abstract, the fear of money, the idea that if you haven't taken courses in economics, business or finance, you won't ever figure any of this "money stuff" out. She makes women "get" what many people may not want us to "get". It is empowering.
Thank you, Jean.