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Book Reviews

Grow Your Money – A Book with Good Investment Tips

Grow Your Money; 101 Easy Tips To Plan, Save, And Invest by Jonathan D. Pond

Grow Your Money is written by an expert financial planner and it contains advice on everything from budgeting to investing to estate planning. It is geared towards Americans because it has in depth sections on the various types of IRAs and other American financial products, however, this book covers many other topics that are not specific to any particular country such as accumulating wealth, home renovations, and getting out of debt, to name a few.

I like the layout of the book and how the author makes complicated topics easy to understand. He breaks the book down into sections each pertaining to a single idea so that you can easily find the topics that interest you. There are some interesting quizzes throughout the book to help you to determine what kind of investor you are, and whether you are a spender or a saver. I especially like the famous quotes he has on about every second page.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about saving and investing their money, especially for Americans as there is a lot of great information about Roth and Traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs, and 401(k) plans.

June 29, 2009

Book Reviews

Shameless Shortcuts – A Great Book of Ideas to Save You Money & Time

Shameless Shortcuts: 1,027 Tips and Techniques That Help You Save Time, Save Money, and Save Work Every Day! Edited by Fern Marshall Bradley and the Editors of Yankee Magazine

Most of us don’t have a lot of extra time and money to waste, so when I heard about Shameless Shortcuts I decided to check it out. I am totally impressed with this book! It’s divided into 18 chapters each discussing a different theme.

Examples of some themes include:

“Shop Smart, Shop Fast” , “Don’t Forget To Exercise”, “Going Places Without Going Crazy”, “Managing the Morning Madness”, “Great Garden Shortcuts”, and “Hassle-Free Holidays All Year Round”.

As you can see from some of the chapter titles above, the book discusses a wide range of topics compiled by experts from various fields. There are some great tips for getting exercise, for cooking quick and healthy meals, for yard work and landscaping, and much more. It’s a must-read for anyone looking for ways to save time and money.

Here are just a few tips in this book to get you started:

-When shopping at a garage sale, don’t act disinterested or you won’t get the best price, because the seller won’t know that you might be receptive to a better offer than the listed price. Just tell the vendor what you are looking for and if they don’t have it they may be able to steer you towards someone who does.

-If you are sick and tired of having to remove snow from your vehicle windshield, all you need to do is drape a heavy-duty garbage bag over your entire windshield and hold it in place by closing the front doors on the edges. If you do this before every forecasted snowstorm you will never have to brush off your windshield again.

-Spray your dog’s paws with cooking spray before taking your dog for a walk in the ice and snow. It will provide a protective coating and keep snow and ice from accumulating between the toes.

June 13, 2009

Book Reviews

Save Money & Make Your Home Safe – Read Organic Housekeeping

Read Organic Housekeeping Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity by Ellen Sandbeck

Have you ever stopped to think about the cleaning products you use around the house? Or about the chemicals you use on your lawn to get rid of those nasty dandelions? Believe it or not, a lot of the products we use are highly toxic, and some have been known to cause cancer and other health problems. If you are interested in learning about alternatives to these toxic products, check out Organic Housekeeping.

Organic Housekeeping is full of great ideas for keeping your home clean and poison -free. There are tons of tips on food preparation, cleaning, landscaping, and a whole lot more. The author provides expert advice on how to prevent fungi, mold and mildew from growing in your home, as well as provides fire prevention and safety tips. The book is easy to read and somewhat humorous, too, which makes it interesting as well as informational. I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning about keeping your home clean and safe through the use of primarily organic products. A lot of the tips found in Organic Housekeeping will save you money and time, too, which is an added bonus.

To give you an idea of the type of information found in this book, here are some excerpts:

-“Fatty foods such as cheeses and meats will absorb some of the plasticizers from plastic wrap and plastic bags. If you want to minimize your exposure to these chemicals, when you bring your groceries home, remove the plastic packaging and wrap all your cheeses and meats in freezer paper or waxed paper before putting them in a plastic bag or container.”

-“Don’t buy precooked lunch meats, cooked shellfish, or smoked fish that are displayed in the same case as raw fish or meat. The cooked food may have become contaminated by the raw meat.”

-“Many common foods can double as cleaning products. Vinegar, salt, baking soda, lemons, cabbage leaves, potatoes, mayonnaise, olive oil, apple peels, ketchup, and vodka can all be used for cleaning. If it’s safe to eat, it’s certainly safe to clean with!”

June 1, 2009

Book Reviews

Read Rich Dad Poor Dad – It’s A Great Book!

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money -That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki

Want to read the Rich Dad series? I would recommend you start with Rich Dad Poor Dad. It is the true story of Robert Kiyosaki’s experiences with his 2 “fathers”. One is his real father who earned a high salary but didn’t know how to manage his money, and the other is his best friend’s father who didn’t have a “secure job” with a high salary, but had the financial know-how to use OPM (Other People’s Money) to make wise investments that made him into a millionaire. This book will certainly get your attention because it will make you question what you likely had drilled into your head as a child. Most parents encourage their children to find secure jobs and to buy a house and a car, but don’t tell them how to properly manage their money. Robert suggests that there really is no “secure job” and that a house and a car are not really assets. Rather than working for someone else and helping them realize their dreams, he recommends working for yourself and buying assets that produce positive cash flow. This is a great book to read if you want to learn more about making your money work for you

May 18, 2009

Book Reviews

Forbidden Advice by Reader’s Digest – A Great Resource

Reader's Digest Forbidden Advice is a great book Reader’s Digest Forbidden Advice: 1,703 Rarely Divulged Secrets to Save Time, Money, and Trouble by Jeff Bredenberg with Camilla Cornell

Forbidden Advice is full of all kinds of “insider secrets” that experts from various fields share to educate readers so they can make wise choices and not waste their money and time on things that aren’t worthwhile. I especially like the section on organic foods. They tell you what is really worth buying and what is just a scam. There are also some great tips on how to improve your kitchen and bathroom, how to repair furniture, how to choose a cell phone service, and so much more.

It’s great how they put something in there for everyone so no matter what stage of life you are in, you will find this book useful. Along with household, gardening, and landscaping tips, there is a lot of information about retirement planning, finding a lawyer, choosing auto insurance, – the list is endless. I highly recommend that you check out this book. It’s definitely worth your time as there is sure to be something in it that will spark your interest, and ultimately save you money.

To give you a little taste for some of the content, here are some interesting things I discovered by reading this book:

*Buy organic eggs even though they are more expensive than regular eggs. They are much higher in omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for your mental and physical health.

*Go cell phone shopping at the end of the month when sales personnel are more likely to give you a discount because they need to meet their sales quota for the month.

*To get the best possible customer service, the best time to shop is around 2PM. The morning staff are still available and the evening staff are starting their shifts. The worst time is just before closing or within the first 45 minutes of opening because then they are either thinking about going home or trying to get things set up for the day.

*Airlines release booking schedules 330 days in advance so you can book early for peak travel times. Booking early is especially important if you are planning to use any type of reward miles.

May 13, 2009

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