accounting

Ric has good insights into a breadth of topics, none of which are novel to the world of people that work in the financial services arena. This is an easy read that is ok for most people. Becareful of some of Ric's advise though, carrying a large mortgage is not a huge deal however don't go too far with his advise and over buy when you purchase a home. You should always pay yourself first, save a set dollar amount every month and invest it for your future, don't get caught up trying to beat the Jones's...you will always loose in the end. Finanlly, my last piece of advise...you don't know what you don't know until someone tells you something you don't know. You aren't a tooled financial advisor...don't be affraid to seek professial advise. There is a reason we are out there, we know things you don't and things that can't be put into a book such as Ric's books and others of the like. By the way, the most complete personal finance book I have ever read is Your Complete Guide to Money Happiness by Henry S. Brock. I recommend this book to clients, friends and family, it is an easy read packed with great information...check it out!

The reason I give this book two stars is that it emphasizes the potential rewards of risk without emphasizing a responsible, balanced approach. Other publications, such as the bestseller, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and excerpts from The Millionaire Next Door communicated more clearly that what separates the financially independent individuals from those who are trapped in the paycheck-to-paycheck rat race world is that the former are made up of compulsive savers and investors while the latter are made up of compulsive spenders who entrap themselves by spending increases that correlate with pay raises.

Author Robert Kiyosaki at least hit the nail on the head when he said that the road to financial success is to increase your ability to build interest income, a goal well highlighted in Dominguez and Robin's Your Money or Your Life, by building assets and reducing liabilities. In fact, his terms made investing in the stock market appear a whole lot more attractive an option than what this book, with its bits and pieces of anecdotal evidence, could ever begin to express.

Sorry, still 2 stars. The way that the chapters were laid out did not strike me as being overtures of a road to victory for every person. Why? Because, unlike other reliable sources, such as Kiyosaki's works, it does not go deeply enough into the process of thinking about what defines financial intelligence and what the financially intelligent thing to do would be for a given situation.

With the quick jump to placing a seemingly blind faith in investing the stock market and with the few stories of how several became "successful" with his strategies (and they may be financially sound), this book resonated the pitches of a snake oil salesman.

Ric Edelman is, perhaps, an intelligent man, but don't confuse this "Yadda, Yadda, Yadda" with "Yabba Dabba Doo"!

This book provides a good survey of where to start thinking about your investment possibilities, and offers some good advice on what to do and what not to do. The most valuable part of the book is the personal experiences shared by the financially successful individuals at the end of each chapter. I agree with another reviewer that this booked was basically a sales brochure, however, it offers some good advice. Recommended if you have no clue what you're doing but know you have to do something ASAP.