Book Description
Ed Slott is without a doubt “one of the country's leading IRA experts” (Reader's Digest). Appearing at a time when virtually everyone is concerned about retirement savings, this authoritative thoroughly accessible book presents an easy-to-follow plan for making money—a lot of money— with your IRA. Slott shows readers how to choose the right financial advisor, manage vital information and deadlines, and create a retirement fortune that will not only benefit the individual, but continue to enrich beneficiaries for generations. This powerful, straightforward tool is the book for Americans interested in creating a fiscal windfall for the future.
Customer Reviews:
IRA for the long term.......2007-06-27
I think I understood the underlying theme of this book, but the author made it more difficult to read and understand than need be. It seemed he was trying to be either clever or funny to the detriment of the content.
Help when I Need It.......2007-01-13
ONly on the first chapter and already learning what I should be doing. Easy to read and understand. With book's help I may be able to save a lot of money.
Concise info on stretch IRA's.......2007-01-04
Ed Slott is considered THE expert on stretch IRA's. Book is aimed at investors who will probably die before depleting their IRA funds. It explains how to structure a stretch IRA to pass this money on to future generations with minimal taxation.
Book is better organized than Slott's previous books. It is very readable. I keep it for a reference and have purchased additional copies for gifts.
Requried Reading for Anyone with an IRA........2006-07-23
This book focuses on ensuring that your IRA is properly set up, so that it can be passed on to beneficiaries intact, effectively establishing a "stretch IRA". The stretch IRA describes an IRA held by a beneficiary, and which will pay out over their lifetime.
This book is very well organized, and the author is clearly very enthusiastic about his subject. He does quite well making his case, that you should ensure your IRA passes intact to a beneficiary, in that it can offer them HUGE tax advantages for their entire life time.
He is also quite good about explaining the steps you need to achieve this. Much of the book is reference material that will not apply to everyone at any given time, but that is not a real criticism. The book is cheap enough, and the sections that apply to all are worth the entire purchase price.
If you have an IRA, and you have any desire to pass your assets along to a beneficiary, this book is an excellent starting point.
Book Description
A rich and lively survey of the great families who rule industry by the acclaimed author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Through perseverance, solid ingenuity, and unwavering determination, family-run companies— dynasties—have dominated wealth and business throughout the last two centuries. One third of Fortune 500 firms are family owned and, in most cases, the ideal of the family business is one synonymous with continuity, watchful leadership, and dedication to success. But what happens when bad behavior, extravagance, and laziness—all very real enemies of industry—are allowed to proliferate?
In Dynasties, bestselling author and historian David S. Landes scrutinizes the powerful family businesses that rule both the financial and industrial sectors across Europe, Japan, and America to determine what factors can cause a dynasty to flourish or fail. Focusing on three areas—banking, automobiles, and raw materials—his cast of characters speaks to the power of the family enterprise: Ford, Rothschild, Morgan, Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and Toyoda are but a few whose histories contain all the drama and passion expected when exorbitant money, power, and kinship intersect. Drawing on his immense knowledge of economic history, Landes offers a new reading of the dynastic business plan of the last two centuries—with surprising recommendations for the coming one.
Customer Reviews:
Uhhh, Ohhhh, Ehhhh, In a word? Disappointing!!!.......2007-06-07
David Landes has written one - not only in my opinion, I believe - of the "must read" book of all times: ''The wealth and poverty of Nations'' . Based on this, You can tell the amount of expectation on every single line he writes, and "Dynasties" unfortunately does not help at all. The book is too long, too superficial, and some times it was really hard to keep on reading. If you are looking for something to chat on cocktails and/or with your colleagues at the cafeteria - there are some interesting stuf in here. In the other hand, if you are looking for some analysis on the familiar enterprises and their evolution (organizational, structural, etc.) - search somewhere else.
Struggled to get through!.......2007-02-04
I had a hard time finishing this book. I kept thinking the book would get more interesting but nothing kept my attention. Part two on automobiles was probably the most interesting part but I still nearly put the book away to read others. I was not impressed with the author's style of writing. He seems to have a fascination with one or two words sentences which became very annoying. I would not recommend this book.
It was a bit slow........2007-01-10
It seems that Mr. Landes tried a bit too hard to write a book rather then an article. If a good editor worked on this it would have been an intersting article for a magazine such as Smithsonian. Although I bought the book because of seeing if there was any historical perspective, I found that it lacked detail that would have made me connect or say wow.
Average customer rating:
- Amazing compilation...
- Jane Austen - a great read
- Jane Austen: The Complete Novels
- Fine print
- Jane Austen Is Timeless
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Complete Novels of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
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ASIN: 0140259449 |
Amazon.com
Collected together in one volume, The Complete Novels show the development of Austen as a writer and social commentator. From the early optimism and youthful energy of Northanger Abbey to the quiet and subtle art of Persuasion, this collection reveals the breadth of one of the best loved novelists of all time.
Book Description
With scenes from English life and her diversity of light-hearted, witty, wise, or patient heroines, Jane Austen has delighted generations of readers while exploring the social and moral values of the early nineteenth century with elegantly barbed perception. This edition includes all six of
Austen's completed novels--Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Predjudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. Also included are Catherine, a key work of her youth; Lady Susan, which was unpublished in her lifetime; and the unfinished novels The Watsons and Sanditon. All demonstrate
the irony, wit, and skill in characterization, as well as faultless control of tone and narrative, which mark them as timeless classics of provincial romance and intrigue.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing compilation..........2007-08-10
This compilation is absolutely wonderful. It includes all of Austen's novels, also with an unpublished, early novel of hers. I totally recommend it if you simply want to read the novels. However, if you'd like a fancy copy of it you should try something else. This copy is quite simple and perfect for those who like the contents of books, and not the looks.
Jane Austen - a great read.......2007-04-24
I didn't expect to like Jane Austen, but this was a great set of stories at a great price. Happy endings and well written stories.
Jane Austen: The Complete Novels.......2007-03-15
Great book, especially for all Jane Austin fans. Also great for anyone who enjoys 19th century "trashy" romance novels (like I do!) A little more expensive than the paperback edition, but well worth the money. Put together much better and will last longer.
Fine print.......2007-03-12
Print much to small for an enjoyable read and I'm not ready for bifocals.
Jane Austen Is Timeless.......2007-02-12
I love the writing and the wit of Jane Austen,her novels are timeless and very entertaining to read.
The mark of a great writer is the ability to transport the reader into the pages of the book, in essence bring the book to life, Jane Austen accomplishes this feat with me.
I enjoy this era in history, the romance, the innocence, the language, the nuances.
I can't begin to explain how much I'm enjoying myself reading Jane Austen:The Complete Novels, I've wanted this book for so long and finally
I treated myself and bought it and it is so satisfying.
Book Description
Ed Slott's book The Retirement Savings Time Bomb . . . and How to Defuse It taught Americans how to protect their hard-earned cash from the IRS's coffers. Now, “America's IRA expert” (Mutual Funds Magazine) returns with a bulletproof plan for ensuring your IRA's continued longevity, tax-favored, for generations.
In Parlay Your IRA, Ed Slott shows you how to make the most out of your retirement plan. Slott's three-step strategy cuts through the tax laws and provides simple, easy-to-follow instructions for managing your IRA and other retirement income. Learn what you can do to parlay it into a fortune during your lifetime, and what you must do now to ensure that your beneficiaries will have all the options available to capitalize on the opportunity you've created for them to keep your money growing.
Packed with strategies, tips, answers to frequently asked questions Parlay Your IRA into a Family Fortune offers real solutions to making the most of your retirement money.
Learn how to:
* Achieve unlimited tax-free income when you retire.
* Pass more assets on to loved ones and other beneficiaries
* Keep retirement assets in the family for decades, even generations, and pay minimal or no taxes
*Protect your retirement account from creditors, divorce, bankruptcy, lawsuits, or other problems that could expose it to loss
*Use a Roth IRA to build a tax-free fortune
* And much, much more
Customer Reviews:
excellent source of information.......2007-01-12
I found this book to be very helpful in my financial planning for retirement...it gives easy to follow steps,suggestions,ideas and guidelines for maximizing your IRA's,401k's and retirement funds. Ed Slott has provided us with another excellent source of information for the everyday Joes like me....he does not overwhelm you with minutia and needless facts and figures...By reading this book you may not become an IRA guru but it will enable you to ask the right questions to your professional financial planner.I have passed it on to my family members to read and make their financial plans accordingly.
IRA Bible.......2006-11-04
The author is easy to understand and makes this highly specialized material fun to read. I refer to this book and Mr Slott's other book, "The Retirement Savings Time Bomb" as my IRA Bible's. This is a must read for financial services professionals and consumers with money in IRA accounts.
Excellent information on Trust and IRAs.......2005-11-26
Ed does a great job on giving you detailed information of how to stretch your IRA assets for the next generation. He also does a great job of including information on how to write your trust so that you can control your assets beyond the grave. This is mainly important for clients who have lots of assets in their IRAs or for people who just pass away before they use their IRA assets. Since you don't know when you are going to pass away, I think it is important to get your trust and your IRA beneficiaries set up as soon as possible.
One downside of this book is that Ed seems to sell more of his stuff - his newsletter and his training. If you read his books, I think you have most of the information you need unless you run into very complicated situations. If that happens, then I would suggest getting a good financial advisor, CPA, and an estate planning lawyer to assist you.
Little added.......2005-09-04
Ed Slott repeated alot of what was included in "The Retirement Savings Time Bomb...", so I was not as impressed with this book. You can get 98% of what to do in the "Time Bomb". But if you really want to save all your money to your kids and their kids, it should help you.
Parlay Your IRA into a family fortune.......2005-08-02
Very good information. Is vital information that would be very useful to anyone with a large IRA and a significant number of beneficiaries.
Book Description
Following the successful debut of the Parent's Tao Te Ching--which Hugh Prather praised as "pure gold"--William Martin now reinterprets the Tao for couples. "The love relationship between two people can be the most rewarding and enlightening adventure possible," Martin writes, and he imparts the Tao's spirited, sage advice for everyone on that adventure. "Not since The Tao of Pooh has Taoist wisdom transmogrified into something so practical, gentle, and good."--from the foreword by Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Customer Reviews:
A beautiful way to start the day.......2006-09-13
My lover and I often start our day by reading a chapter or two to each other from this gem of a book. It reminds us of the gift and importance of our love, brining smiles to our faces and tears to our eyes.
Beautiful, simple, practical advice.......2004-07-20
This is a beautiful piece of work. Everything just "made sense"! We combined several passages for our wedding reading, and our reader barely was able to choke out the words! :)
Lends a vision of what is worth waiting for..........2002-12-20
Each time I think it's time I settled for something less than fulfilling in life I sit down and read through this book. It calms my soul. It realigns my senses to what it is I'm truly seeking in life and in a partner. I have given this as a wedding gift to those who I think have the mind and soul for such small wisdom as this. I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks to be complete before entering into a relationship or who seeks understanding of why their past relationship failed. It has helped me to keep clarity of mind.
Wow.......2001-11-08
This book was a wonderful gift from a friend. I used to beat my self up when I couldn't follow the advice of the many self help books I have. The Couple's Tao Te Ching really changed the way I looked at my behavior because it didn't tell me how to behave. I memorized this passage because it has been helping me through this global, troubled time: "The world will never know love, respect, kindness and tolerance until you experience them in the safety of your love. When you do, it will." It means a lot to me. It's more than just about a relationship with another person. It makes a lot of things clear.
Words to nurture and connect with your "Couple Spirit".......2001-05-28
I have a library full of books on relationships and improving communication. Those books (like Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, etc.), tend to be read quickly with their advice being filtered through my brain for ideas to tweak our relationship. This book is refreshingly different. If you want to involve your brain by thinking about the deep meaning of the words, you can... or you can just hear the words and feel them nurturing your heart and spirit. Each page offers beautifully written verses to provide quick inspiration or a thought to meditate on for as long as you like. This books is a great addition to any library and makes a wonderful gift for any couple.
Customer Reviews:
Compelling.......2007-07-26
Since the book was written by a Vanderbilt, I dubiously expected a sanitized version and was delightfully surpised to find the author was brutally honest about the characters covered. This book was engrossing. I could not put it down. The portion about the Gloria Vanderbilt custody case was particularly engaging - what a piece of work the maternal grandmother was. But the book as a whole was a gem - I devoured every page and was sad to see it end.
I do agree with the previous reviewer who said a genealogical tree would have helped to refer to when reading about the characters and keeping track of how they were all related to each other, especially since the family was so fecund and so many of the men had similiar names. I think it also interesting the author does not mention precisely which branch of the family he is descended from. So perhaps he is trying to maintain some of his own identity. But all in all, this excellent read has whetted my desire to read more about the Vanderbilts, as well as other East Coast aristocratic families.
Neo-Cons and Especially Cheney Should Take Heed of the Vanderbilt Past.......2007-07-08
A decided warning is given to present-day Neo-cons by Arthur T. Vanderbilt II in his book, FORTUNE'S CHILDREN. That warning, Don't Lose Your Soul for Money and Power, seems lost on the likes of Cheney, Bush, Libby, Rice and the military-oil-industrial complex that run the United States today.
FORTUNE'S CHILDREN depicts what happens when your heart is over-ruled by grasping greed and conspicuous consumption. The original Vanderbilt, the Commodore, mistreats his children and lives a money-grubbing life like Dickens' Scrooge, and uses nicknames to control his children (Sound familiar, quasi-President Bush?)
After the Commodore's death, most of the remaining Vanderbilts use their power and money to build huge pleasure palaces in Manhattan, Newport and in other posh spots, with their wives often dominating their husbands' lives, spending their money on foolish "high-society balls" and ignoring or micro-mis-managing their own children.
Forgetting that their own lives allowed them freedom, many of the Vanderbilt wives manipulate their children, fixing their marriages, allowing them little freedom of thought, and censoring their outside communication with the world. The domestically-weak Vanderbilt men hide away on pleasure ships, devote themselves only to business and often adopt a cold attitude toward their offspring that mimics the mean and cruel Commodore.
Dick Cheney, our real president, might see himself in these pages, as he runs a secret-happy administration, allows no-bid contracts on work in Iraq, leaks damaging information on his enemies and an innocent CIA agent, and stiffens his face into that horrible scowl.
Dick, you should know your power can't last. Why don't you take your health problems to heart and realize what Vanderbilt (and God) is telling you?
Dick, you can't take it with you.
by Larry Rochelle, author of ARROW, HOME SCHOOLED and TEN MILE CREEK.
Fascinating book about fascinating people.......2007-07-05
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am passing it along to friends. Only one item confused me: the author refers to the daughter of William H. Vanderbilt as ELIZA Vanderbilt Webb. We have been to Shelburne Farms where they refer to her as LILA. Can anyone enlighten me on this?
Great Book!.......2007-01-14
Written by a Vanderbilt about the Vanderbilt family - truly interesting and hard to put down!
Looking Inside the Gilded Age.......2006-08-28
"Fortune's Children" is a page turner - and an eye opener. Mr. Vanderbilt has done extensive research to document the lives and ambitions of this larger than life, very conflicted family. After visiting Biltmore, I wanted to know more about the family behind the fortune, and this is the book that lays it out - historically, intelligently, fascinatingly. I was only sorry when it ended.
Average customer rating:
- Fortune is a Woman
- Kudos to Elizabeth Adler.
- Great Book
- Fortune doesn't favor this novel...
- Outstanding Tale of Strong Women
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Fortune Is a Woman
Elizabeth Adler
Manufacturer: Dell
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0440211468
Release Date: 1992-12-05 |
Book Description
The three met in the aftermath of San Francisco's devastating 1906 earthquake--the Mandarin Lai Tsin, a runaway American heiress, and a young Englishwoman. Against all odds they made their dreams come true, building one of the world's largest trading companies and most luxurious hotels... They had only each other--and bloody secrets to bury even as they rose to dizzying heights, wary of love yet vulnerable to passion in its most dangerous forms... The Mandarin would pass his multi-billion-dollar empire only to the women in the Lai Tsin dynasty--along with one last devastating truth....
Sweeping from the turn of the century through the 1960's, from the Orient to San Francisco and New York, Elizabeth Adler has written a magnificent novel of new wealth and old privilege, family passions and secret shame, of women surviving, triumphant, in the riveting saga of romantic intrigue.
Customer Reviews:
Fortune is a Woman.......2007-08-23
I read this book as part of our book club's monthly selection. I really enjoyed the book from beginning to end. The book keeps you very interested by its twists and turns in the character's lives. The ending is amazing!
Kudos to Elizabeth Adler........2007-04-17
I am an avid reader and have read an untold number of books in my lifetime. Never have I enjoyed a book so much that I read it twice--Until I read Fortune is a Woman. An amazing story of survival and triumph in the face of many tragedies. I hope you will read this book and enjoy it as much as I did.
Great Book.......2005-12-19
This is the first time I have written a review, but just had to say this book was excellent. My friend has been recommending it for years, but I finally got around to reading it. I couldn't put it down, and now I'm sorry I finished it. I read "The Secret of the Villa Mimosa" which was good, but definately not as good as this one. I definately recommend this book!!!
Fortune doesn't favor this novel..........2004-12-29
Elizabeth Adler comes out with another book that misses the mark, but not by much. Better than "Property of a Lady", but not as good as "Leonie", "Peach" or "The Rich Shall Inherit", "Fortune is a Woman" is a stereotypical woman's book. It's "Fried Green Tomatoes" on opium. Francie Harrison is the neglected and abused daughter of a San Franciso millionare, who is the epitome of cold evil. At 18, she is finally free from his abuse, and a saintly waiter takes her in. We can guess what will eventually happen to him. This saintly waiter has a sister, Annie Aysgarth, who is treated like a servant by her distant father. The waiter also has a "best friend" who is bisexual, and murderously jealous. Eventually, the 1906 earthquake happens, and Francie's life is shaken upside down. She meets an enigmatic Chinese man named Lai Tsin, and together, they start a business empire that brings them both riches, while Annie makes her fortune and becomes Francie's best friend. Years later, Francie's hotheaded brother makes trouble for her, and the scene is set for revenge, blackmail, and murder. After all this has occured, Lysandra's story is told, and we see her struggle with her role as a powerful businesswoman who has fallen in love with a tempermental artist. She goes in search of her grandfather's "secret", and then she discovers a wild, improbable story of survival. It's too unbelievable to recommend. Too many men are portrayed as monsterous.
Outstanding Tale of Strong Women.......2004-08-02
When it comes to multi-generational novels featuring strong women protagonists, Elizabeth Adler excels. In this particular novel, she also exposes the reader to a different culture and language as the story moves between Hong Kong and San Francisco's China Town as well as Nob Hill.
Francesca Harrison is the abused daughter of a wealthy San Francisco banker and Annie Aysgarth is an English woman searching for her runaway brother. They meet in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 1906 that rocked San Francisco. They are befriended by Lai Tsin, another earthquake victim, and the three form a lifelong friendship that takes them into the 1960's by way of overwhelming tragedies and glamorous triumphs.
This book revolves around strong women who refuse to be destroyed by what fate deals them but create their own fortune, both personal and financial, in a riveting rags-to-riches tale told as only Elizabeth Adler can.
Well-drawn secondary characters, plot twists aplenty, and an amazing ending that will totally shock you combine to make this a must-read novel for fans of women's fiction.
Amazon.com
The Reichmanns' astonishing saga began in Hungary and swept through Austria, France, and North Africa before achieving apotheosis in Canada, where the secretive, ultra-orthodox Jewish family founded Olympia & York Development, the greatest real estate empire in the world at its peak in the 1980s. The company's collapse into bankruptcy in 1992 is a modern cautionary tale of biblical proportions, rendered by business journalist Anthony Bianco in lavish detail backed by formidable research. Interviews with various family members enable the author to plumb personalities as well as profit motives; their decision to cooperate is justified by his careful fairness.
Book Description
The epic rise and spectacular fall of the devoutly religious and secretive family that was one of the ten richest of the world. The Reichmanns is filled with fascinating characters, epic scope, and an illuminating look at the world of the ultra-orthodox. 16 pp. of photos. 608 pp. Author tour. Targeted ads. Online promotion. 35,000 print.
Customer Reviews:
I recommend the book.......2005-05-22
The Reichmanns
The book, "The Reichmanns; Family, Faith, Fortune and The Empire of Olympia & York" by Anthony Bianco is a 668 page mind boggling tale of a family dynasty that came from nowhere and rose to one of the most wealthy families in the world in one generation. The book explains how through Paul Reichmann's insatiable drive and willingness to parlay the profit from each successful project into a much larger endeavor, their wealth exploded to over $10 billion at the peak, just before risking everything on Canary Warf on London's East End.
At times it's a bit of a fight to get through the sections that are not related to business and real estate, but those sections give you a good idea about the family's morals and values and bring you closer to understanding their thinking.
A memorable section is when they braved the NYC real estate slump of 1976 - 1997 and purchased eight skyscrapers from the Uris Building Corporation for $46 million down. Within a decade the package would have a value of over $3 billion.
The book is packed with similar anecdotes that both inspire and encourage someone wanting to build a real estate fortune of their own.
By Kevin Kingston author of, "A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate"
Details of a lost culture and a lost business empire.......2001-06-24
The book discusses in great detail the Reichmann family's role both in Jewish culture over the last couple hundred years and in the real estate developement business over the last 40 or so years.
The part I liked the best was the descriptions of 18th and 19th century Jewish life in the "oberland"(sp?) of Hungary. A lost culture, thanks not only to the Nazis but also to Jewish Emancipation.
In a way, it is inspirational, as it shows how one family managed to integrate a healthy, traditional religious expression with philanthropy and business acumen. It also shows that you cannot understand what makes that family "tick" without understanding the rich culture and religion of orthodox jewishness.
The greatest strength of this book, in my opinion, is that it is a _history_ of the family and its business, religious, philanthropic, and cultural dealings. It isnt the hagiography that so many business biographies in the popular press tend to be.
Paul at the helm.......2000-06-09
As the Reichmanns anticipate another rush to the top of the heap we shall watch with amazed eyes as this family woos our imagination, yet again! As renowned as the Reichmanns have been there are still followers of scrappy success stories that do not know much about what this family, with brother and son Paul at the helm, contributed to New York City's skyline. The World Financial Center was a creation of their delicately named Olympia & York. Read this from beginning to end so that you can grasp the rise and fall and now, again, rise of this amazing family. As is usually indicative of most business minds through time, the children are not as capable as the original "originators" themselves.
Better than a soap opera.......2000-05-03
For those interested in real estate development, I recommend skipping through the first half of the book and starting at page 256. From there on it is fascinating reading on the possibilities of development for those with seemingly infinite capital on hand. Paul Reichmann's passion, drive and high tolerance for risk makes for better reading than most novels.
Inacurate and Unfair!.......1999-07-11
Though well researched and well written, the author accepts rumour as facts, and thus published reports of personal misconduct which are totally false. It does not do justice to the tragic story of the collapse of the fortunes of a family that was world reknowed for their kindness and generosity. For those that were acquainted with the true facts, and recognize the Reichmans as the great men that they truly are, this book is a travesty.
Amazon.com
Bill and Mary Toohey are about as average as a couple can be. They live in Iowa, pull down about $65,000 a year combined, and have three children. What's not average about them is that they have a net worth of about a half-million dollars. They've paid off their mortgage, and they paid cash for their cars. Their oldest daughter graduated from college with no debts and with money in the bank. How did they manage? It takes a book to explain the particulars, but the executive summary is this: They lived on about half their income, and saved and invested the other half. Part of their plan is simply saying no to impulse purchases such as soft drinks and candy bars. (They show how they accumulated $26,733 in eight years by investing the money they didn't spend on junk.) Their strategy involves, in part, shopping around for the best price on their big-ticket purchases. (They take you step by step through a few transactions, from research to purchase, so you can do this yourself.) But the biggest part is living small. They have a modest house (one bathroom). They don't try to keep up with the Joneses. Their investment strategy is very simple, mostly stock index and bond funds. By never trying to be more than average, they made themselves extraordinary.
It's hard to imagine that many people will be able to follow their entire program--that one-bathroom house will probably stop most readers in their tracks--and some of their ideas about cheap entertainment seem a little far-fetched. For example, if you're thinking of taking the children to the circus when it comes to town, they advise, take them instead to watch the circus troupe setting up tents and feeding the animals. Imagine the family fun when the kids go to school and realize all their friends got to see the actual circus. Still, there should be plenty of useful advice in this Guide to Financial Freedom for any family. Most of it is simple and makes intuitive sense, and the Tooheys' breezy, conversational writing style makes you feel as though you were sitting with them in their (small) living room while they shared it. Best of all, their plan clearly works. A half-million in savings on a middle-class income is a pretty good leg to stand on when offering advice. --Lou Schuler
Book Description
Bill and Mary Toohey are average middle income people from a small Iowa town. Bill has been employed for 23 years as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Mary has worked for 20 years as an Office Manager for a small psychological firm. They started saving and investing in 1991 when their net worth was $63,000.
Eight years later their net worth was
$467,000. In other words, their assets increased by an average of more than
$50,000 per year during that period while their income (not counting dividends and capital gains) averaged about
$65,000 per year. But it wasn't always easy. They have three children, Colleen (24), Tim (22), and Meghann (14). Tim has been severely disabled since birth and despite the challenges of helping Tim cope with his chronic illnesses, the Toohey family has been able to achieve financial freedom on a modest income. They were able to build a sizable nest egg in eight years while encountering some of life's biggest expenses during the period. They helped to pay for their daughter's college education and wedding, paid cash for a new car, and made several expensive home improvements. Despite those major expenses the Tooheys still managed to save
46% of their gross income and were listed among the "Best Personal Finance Managers in America" in the December 1994 issues of Money magazine. The Tooheys' story, in an article written by Bill, appeared in the April 1997 issue of Money magazine. Mary co-authored an article published in the February 1998 issue of McCall's magazine. In May, 1997 Bill was invited to speak at Money magazine's Elgin Project seminar series. Money magazine "adopted" Elgin, Illinois and brought in speakers with expertise in personal finance. Former President Bush kicked off the event.
How did they do it? How do they think? How do they live? Is it possible to save so much and still have a decent life? Can my family do this? Get the answers to all these questions and more in a book written specifically for families with children who don't earn big bucks.
Customer Reviews:
The Average Family's Guide to Fincanical Freedom.......2007-05-13
The book is a great information guide to fincanical freedom
A lot to like but some major inconsistencies.......2006-04-02
I like this book a lot. I have read it twice and both times I feel like I learned something. The major point of this book is to spend less as a way to save more. Tackling all areas of your life the authors show you how they were able to save in each area. The major problems I had with this book was the general sense of inconsistencies. I'll give you two: First, the authors report they make a very modest income and yet they report being able to budget a massive amount (or what I would consider a substantial portion) of money to pay for items in cash. These items include appliances, cars, computers, etc. After I attempted to create a similar budget, I immediately realized that this would not be possible. They report that they no longer make a house payment and this might explain how they have the money to save for all these items, BUT they also report that they now channel their house payment into investments.
Second, the authors report that they have two cars that they replace every 7 years by paying cash. However, later in the book, Mrs. Toohey reports in a table regarding maintenance that she inserted "hypothetical" miles when it came to car maintenance that even though "hypothetical," the 230,000 miles that she put in the table is an ideal b/c Mr.Toohey obtained a lifetime replacement warranty on the exhaust system. I don't know about you, but 230,000 for people who live close to work in seven years is not realistic.
So it was little things like this that made me wonder if they were just writing things that sounded good. There are no inconsistencies in the truth. Otherwise a decent book...3.5 stars.
Wonderful and real.......2004-12-02
I have been on a true quest to educate myself and my husband about finances. We need to plan for retirement and still be able to enjoy this stage of our life too. I have read a lot books and talked to several experts and was always left with the "too late, too bad" feeling. This book was so well thought out and the advise so "doable" I feel I have at last found the proper tool to get (and keep) our financial life in the order I have been looking for all this time. This is a real treasure of information presented in such a friendly format even my hesiatant husband read it cover to cover. My husband has stayed away from all the other books I have read because he did not want to be scolded or dictated to, this book is like having a long talk with that favorite uncle ----information but not judgements or unreal suggestions. Thank you Bill and Mary!!!
Excellent ideas on saving and early retirement.......2004-05-08
I thoroughly enjoyed the book which gives new ideas about how to handle family finances so that a job doesn't take priority over your freedom and family.
In answer to a previous reviewer who wondered how their investments faired in the bear market, according to the book they invested in Vanguard index bond funds which are based on secure bonds like the US treasury bonds so I suspect that they still have their money and some extra as well.
Common sense living in a non-sensical age.......2004-01-09
I find myself returning to this book periodically for inspiration. You don't have to be a wage slave forever. If you are willing to live well within (or drastically under) your means, you can accumulate enough wealth to chart your own course in life.
The Tooheys give a number of concrete examples of ways to cut expenses. They also call into question a number of the assumptions we make as a result of our brainwashing by modern media. For example: Why does a family really need more than one full bath in a house?
To someone fully immersed in our culture's consumer rat-race, the Tooheys are going to seem a bit radical. We are all a bit too accustomed to focusing on convenience and immediacy rather than long term cost. Try to keep an open mind and remember that the best things in life can't be found in a shopping mall.
Book Description
The Gilded Leaf is the riveting, dramatic saga of the R. J. Reynolds tobacco family, one of America's richest and most intensely private clans. R.J. was the original founder of the company that became part of RJR Nabisco, which in 1988 was involved in the largest business takeover in history. Spanning three generations, the Reynolds's story moves from the triumphs of founder and corporate genius R. J. to the dissipation, scandal, and tragedy that plagued his children and grandchildren. There is a redemptive close, with grandson Patrick Reynolds founding Smokefree America and becoming a leading anti-smoking advocate.
The Gilded Leaf presents, for the first time, a complete account of the family who captured, spent and redeemed the American dream.
Customer Reviews:
Smokin'!.......2007-06-27
Excellent tale of the Reynolds family. The authors have written a wonderfully engrossing tale of wealth, privilege, tragedy, & heartache. Highly recommended!
Quite an Eye Opener.......2007-01-10
This past summer I visited Winston Salem and was given a great tour of the area from a person who's granddaddy was a friend of Dick Reynolds. During the tour he was telling me a lot of the history of the town which I found very fascinating. When he told me that Patrick Reynolds had written a book about the family, I just had to read it. It is hard to believe when you read it that it is a true story as it reads like a novel that would have made one heck of a TV saga. I found it very educational, interesting and very entertaining. I'm so glad I bought it.
Praise for The Gilded Leaf.......2006-06-13
'Fascinating ... Illuminating ... stunning detail.'
Chicago Tribune
'Fascinating insight into the evolution of a family over three generations that is simply a good read ... panoramic sweep, bitter irony and tragic touches.'
Detroit Free Press
'Fascinating insider's view of three generations of the R. J. Reynolds tobacco family ...compelling.'
Richmond Times-Dispatch
'An altogether fascinating story [that] quickly builds speed and interest and becomes an absorbing story of fortune and misfortune.'
Washington Post Book World
'Readers of this captivating account may need to remind themselves that it is not fiction. There are colorful characters, a family rising from humble beginnings to attain fabulous wealth and power, scandal and tragedy wrought by excess -- and an irony-laden finale.'
Publishers Weekly
'A courageous and worthwhile book. More than an entertainment, it documents the danger of parents who confuse money with love.'
New York Times Book Review
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