How to Ruin Your Financial Life (Hardcover)

by Ben Stein (Author) "How many of you remember that great old 1950s song called "Forget Domani"?..." (more)
Key Phrases: financial life, Wall Street, Warren Buffett

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Stein delivers a practical message in his own brand of wry, dry humor. Maybe money can’t buy happiness, he writes, "but it sure gives a good impression of a long-term lease." And so, by pointing out the myriad ways too many people wreck their financial status, he illustrates how to attain a life in which—even if you’re not a billionaire—money doesn’t keep you up at night. Running through a series of 55 "tips" (such as "as soon as you’ve succeeded in maxing out your credit cards… get new ones!" and "put all your eggs in one basket—that is, your company’s 401(k)—‘cause only sissies diversify"), Stein backs into explanations for why these oft-practiced habits are so damaging, and stupid. This probably isn’t the only financial planning book one should read, but it is entertaining—and it’s a surefire shot of reality for anyone heading down the well-worn path to financial ruin.
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Product Description
Anyone can write a book about how to get rich. The bookstores are full of them. They rarely work, though, which isn’t surprising since the people who write them rarely know much about money.

But it takes Ben Stein, economist, finance expert for Barron’s, commentator on finance for Fox News, and (fairly) successful investor to write a book called How to Ruin Your Financial Life. Written with the same tongue-in-cheek cheekiness as his bestselling How to Ruin Your Life, this book is a humorous road map showing you how to make something useful of the money that comes in and out of your life. Follow the rules—in reverse gear—and you’re bound to be a lot better off than you are now. Follow the rules as they’re written—and you’re highly likely to wind up in bankruptcy court—as millions do every decade.

Here are some of the rules, just to whet your appetite: Collect as Many Credit Cards as You Can and Use Them Frequently; Compete with Your Friends to See Who Can Own the Most Expensive and High-Status Possessions; Know in Your Gut That Only Suckers Work Hard for Money and That Smarties Like You Only Have to Find an Angle; Remember That Retirement Is a L-ooo-nnn-g Way Off, and Don’t Even Think about It Right Now; Bear in Mind That Only "Little People" Pay Their Bills or Taxes; Don’t Bother to Own Your Own Home Because Home Ownership Is a Hassle...and many more.

This book is a laugh-out-loud way to educate yourself, your children, and your friends about how money really works...and a way to smile while you’re straightening out that mess you call your financial life.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Hay House (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401902413
• ISBN-13: 978-1401902414
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Makes Money Funny, March 30, 2004

By A Customer

Ben Stein's real point is that financial success in life doesn't require being a genius at handling money -- it's about avoiding the dumb, completely preventable mistakes that we all make sooner or later. If I had read this hilarious book when I was sixteen, I would be far richer today. Read it yourself, and then get copies for your kids. It's everything you wish they knew but won't listen to coming from you. If this means you don't have to bail them out of debt later on, the money you save may end up being your own!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book Needed in High School as a Must Read , November 14, 2004

By	Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Considering the impending doom of the American financial situation in years to come, all High School students need to read this book to understand simple economics. One of the biggest complaints about Americans economically is that they don't save. Well Stein's virtually sarcastic way of telling you excactly how to ruin your life financially is amusing and direct such as "don't worry about maxing out your credit cards, you can always get another one and no one will foreclose because people really like you". Written in a way that teenagers will get the message and the humor, direct, short and sweet. This book is within a teenagers attention span, the smart ones will get the message in a few short chapters.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 55 principles to ensure your complete and utter ruin!, May 6, 2005

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Everyone makes mistakes with their money. We use it for foolish things, we spend too much, don't save enough, make dumb investments, and on and on it goes. Most of the time we try not to think about our mistakes and if we don't learn our lessons we end up making the same kinds of mistakes many times. So, sometimes it is good to get a reminder of all the kinds of mistakes we make and spend some time thinking about what we really should be doing to get our financial house in order.

Ben Stein has written "How To Ruin Your Financial Life" in a gently humorous way that lets us see most clearly the foolishness of the decisions we excuse ourselves in making. By writing the book as 55 financial principles you can follow to ensure complete and utter ruin, it is easier for us to recognize ourselves as having done far too many of these idiotic things. I call them idiotic because you will find yourself saying, "What kind of idiot would do THAT!" and then you will remember that it was you (me). So, the learning will begin and things will get better when you do the opposite of everything in the book.

For those that don't get it, the Afterword sets out the fundamental principles in a positive way.

One of the problems with reading little books is that you can dash through them quickly. Don't! Spend time thinking about each of these principles. Better you should take one a day and really ponder it than try to swallow everything Mr. Stein is offering in one sitting. Getting control of your money is too important to leave to happenstance.

Thanks, Mr. Stein!