Make Money, Not Excuses:
Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever
by Jean Chatzky

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

Let's be clear. This book is intended for women. The financial and other advice is sound for men as well but the focus is on women.

This is evident in the tone of many of the examples - loving to shop, fear or dislike of dealing with numbers and finances - the usual clichés about women and finances. Since I know too many women who are more financially astute than many men, it was difficult to buy into the whole need for a book geared toward women. But it may help those who have relied on men their entire lives for financial decisions.

Much of solid financial advice is pretty simple. It's doing it that can be difficult. Chatzky summarizes the road to wealth into 4 steps:

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. 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.

As she says, "Everything else is just window-dressing."

I listened to the audio instead of reading the book and liked how she separated some of the key points into 2 distinct areas. When she introduced a topic, she would preface it by saying, "Say it and feel smart." And then give an example of a woman saying the phrase to others.

The other recurring advice was "Don't Bitch" and she again would give an example or advice to make the point.

The book is a good introduction for women, and men, who have not spent much time on their finances. It covers the basics in a readable/listenable way and the author works hard not to intimidate.

What are you reading?  Let us know at dan@greatlakesgeek.com