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Rating: 
Summary: An uneven book, but recommended nonetheless.
Review: I enjoy personal finance books. Call it a sickness, but I do.I like Mr. Johnson's emphasis on simplicity: a stock index fund and a bond index fund are the only investing vehicles most people need. And trying to buy individual stocks is a fool's game. Okay, great. But he treats immediate annuities with scorn (in a chapter called "Stupid Investment Tricks") even though they are the simplest and safest way to make sure some of your retirement money stretches out over your lifetime. Johnson handles this task with disciplined withdrawing of principal, which, while more efficient, is definitely not the "simple" solution. He also recommends timing taxable events to correspond with the tax year. While I agree with that, it felt awfully complicated for such a small payout, especially for a book with this title. Imagine finding ten pages of multivariable calculus in the middle of a 6th grade math text. The section on insurance, however, was great. He uses his actual insurance bills and explains the terms, and then describes what he does and doesn't have covered and why. I've never seen a personal finance book do this before, and it helped me a *lot* more than just reading some more theory. I was going to give this book only three stars, but the insurance chapter alone bumps it up to four. Now if only his college funding chapter hadn't stopped just at the very moment it got interesting.
Rating:
Summary: An uneven book, but recommended nonetheless.
Review: I enjoy personal finance books. Call it a sickness, but I do. I like Mr. Johnson's emphasis on simplicity: a stock index fund and a bond index fund are the only investing vehicles most people need. And trying to buy individual stocks is a fool's game. Okay, great. But he treats immediate annuities with scorn (in a chapter called "Stupid Investment Tricks") even though they are the simplest and safest way to make sure some of your retirement money stretches out over your lifetime. Johnson handles this task with disciplined withdrawing of principal, which, while more efficient, is definitely not the "simple" solution. He also recommends timing taxable events to correspond with the tax year. While I agree with that, it felt awfully complicated for such a small payout, especially for a book with this title. Imagine finding ten pages of multivariable calculus in the middle of a 6th grade math text. The section on insurance, however, was great. He uses his actual insurance bills and explains the terms, and then describes what he does and doesn't have covered and why. I've never seen a personal finance book do this before, and it helped me a *lot* more than just reading some more theory. I was going to give this book only three stars, but the insurance chapter alone bumps it up to four. Now if only his college funding chapter hadn't stopped just at the very moment it got interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT ideas about living well, retiring young.
Review: Money Made Simple is a plain English guide for normal people with normal incomes, if there is such a thing, to make the most of what they have, and turn it into something more over time. The book has great tips that anyone can follow about getting out of debt, where to invest, minimizing tax liability, finding hidden bargains and all kinds of ways to save and make money. But the best part is it's FUN to read. It's very conversationally written, it's humorous, and it skewers a lot of the mumbo jumbo so many of the so-called experts will use to convince you that you can't possibly grow some wealth out of an average income without some hired gun expert to show you the way. This book should be required reading for anyone who ever wonders where the money went at the end of the month, or how the heck they're ever going to retire or pay for the kids to go to school. I told my wife that if I keel over from a heart attack or get run over by a truck tomorrow, all she needs to do is read this book and follow its advice, and she and the kids will be fine, financially at least. The author, Stacy Johnson, is a CPA and former stockbroker who now does syndicated personal finance reporting for about 90 TV stations across the country. He really does have some great "inside knowledge," particularly about bad investments to stay away from (things he used to sell), and the holes in the wonderful-sounding sales pitches you'll hear if you're looking for the right place to grow some money. (Disclosure: I'm the news director at one of the TV stations that airs Stacy's reports. I buy Stacy's TV news reports to air on my station. I met him once at a convention for about three minutes, and I speak with him by phone two or three times a year for a minute or two at a time, but we're not acquaintances otherwise. I have no financial interest in the success of Stacy's book, and he's not cutting my station any special deal to say nice things about him here.) Stacy shows how to organize your finances, and keep things simple without creating a bunch of extra work. In fact, he shows how you'll probably spend less time being organized than you do being disorganized. And you can jump right in on Day One and do the things he recommends. He doesn't advise you to become an expert at picking stocks or anything like that. Just the opposite, in fact. He's specific. He names names, telling which companies he does business with, and why, and he tells you some to stay away from. Which insurance coverages are redundant (or just a terribly bad deal), and ways to cut middlemen out of transactions. All kinds of great stuff like that in a whole bunch of categories ... retirement plans, real estate, vehicles, vacations and more. And best of all, unlike SO MANY of the other finance books I've read, he's not trying to sell you anything else. He does mention another book he wrote a time or two when he lifts a quote from it, but that's it. He doesn't try to push you to a website to buy a bunch of pamphlets and guides and books and games and whatever. You buy the book and the information's there. Nothing held back to get you to buy something else. You'll save more than the cost of the book within 24 hours of reading it, and if you stick with it, it really could change your life. I'm really sold on it and taking the time to write this review because it makes great sense, and I really think it can help a lot of people. Get it!
Rating:
Summary: Money Made Simple
Review: Straight forward (easy) approach to managing money. Stock Brokers and other investment professionals are going to hate this book because it shows you how to invest wisely and cut out their fees. You get to keep the difference! Oh, some pretty good humor too. Buy it, read it, and prosper.
Rating:
Summary: Truly simple
Review: This book title is perfect as the author has made it simple to understand investing terms. Though I have an understanding of credit and budgeting issues, investing has always been harder for me. This book is a great resource! It is educational and entertaining! Anyone who does any investing should keep a copy to refer to if you haven't previously been on close terms with investing topics.
Rating:
Summary: Truly simple
Review: This book title is perfect as the author has made it simple to understand investing terms. Though I have an understanding of credit and budgeting issues, investing has always been harder for me. This book is a great resource! It is educational and entertaining! Anyone who does any investing should keep a copy to refer to if you haven't previously been on close terms with investing topics.
Rating:
Summary: The Only Book on Money You'll Ever Need
Review: This is easily the most accessible, reliable and entertaining book I've ever read on money management and investing. Anyone can understand it, and everyone could benefit from it enormously.
Rating:
Summary: The Only Book on Money You'll Ever Need
Review: This is easily the most accessible, reliable and entertaining book I've ever read on money management and investing. Anyone can understand it, and everyone could benefit from it enormously.
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