After months on the back-burner, I’ve begun to think about a potential Get Rich Slowly book again. The main problem is that there are already hundreds of personal finance books already on the shelves. How would mine be any different? Why would you (or your Aunt Josephine) pick up Get Rich Slowly: The Book and what would she get out of it?
I know what I like in a personal finance book, and I know why I find most of them so tedious. I’d love to hear from you, however. What do you like in a personal finance book? What do you find useful? What do you find un-useful?
- Do you like statistics and reference to scientific research?
- Do you like forms and worksheets?
- Do you like end-of-chapter checklists?
- Do you like personal anecdotes and stories of real-life people?
- Do you like information about the psychology of money?
What’s your favorite personal finance book and why? What do you like about it?
For myself, I do not like forms and worksheets. I hate end-of-chapter checklists. (Even more, I hate quizzes.) I do like stats and research, and I especially like to hear about the psychology of money. It helps me to know that everyone tends to consider sunk costs. And, most of all, I like practical information that I can use to make my life better.
I like books like The Total Money Makeover that offer real-world tips and address actual behavior instead of books written by suits who think my life is such that I can always make the optimal choice.
Imagine the ideal personal finance book. What’s it like?
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Hi. You seem to searching for ideas from your readers. I believe that is where the answers lie. Your credibility as an author will come from your journey with GRS and its loyal following. I would breakdown your book into your personal finance principles and highlight each section with a story from one or more of your readers that explains how by following your principle it impacted their life for the better. Just food for thought. I wish you the best of luck with your book. It will no doubt be a huge success.
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JD: @41 you say “I’m in it because I feel like I have something to say, and I want to say it.” — I think that will go a _long_ ways.
Yes, there are many ways from Seattle to NY. But I think if you start practicing/drafting a handful of those ways, then it some routes will fall out and some will stick. I suspect that your message (whatever it is) has only a small number of ways that it naturally expresses itself. In your head in the shower, or on paper one Saturday afternoon, try your hand at a handful of ways of conveying a particular part — I’ll bet one will clearly be the best way to convey that part.
Combine that with your voice and your slant, and I think it will be fairly clear. You don’t have to present each sub-component the same way, and variety may have some good merits (e.g. if the way you would explain part B to someone is to draw a diagram, then a diagram is a good plan, while the best way that you would explain part D involves simply telling a story, so that’s what you should do. And the chart in chapter 2 while the story in chapter 4 will go a long ways for your readers, in addition to each part being expressed in the way that is right for that part).
Not knowing what your message is, I personally think that one of the most valuable parts of GRS is that it well factors in the fact that we are people. If we all always behaved optimally, then all the other finance books would be redundant and great, but the reality is that we are people and sometimes we do things that aren’t well explained by the numbers. And in fact, sometimes those odd things we do are the best things, just not according to the financial metrics. That’s one piece you know and understand well and is real value here. I’d like to see that message well put and widely distributed. And I’d love to continue learning more about it.
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I think one issue is how do you appeal to a wide range of people who want/need PF info? You don’t want to intimidate the novice, nor gear it to just the underinformed. Maybe some sort of pyramidal organization, where each chapter builds on the previous (for people who start at the beginning) but makes it easy to skip ahead to your skill level.
I’ve only read one or two PF books, but I plan to read several soon, so I can help a friend learn some much needed money skills.
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One word .. SHORT!!
JD, you are one of the best PF writers out there, and you also have a unique, and well-developed, core philosophy (as captured on your ‘about’ page). Make a good concise 100 page book about this (w/o focusing on specific numbers or policies which would tie it to a specific time or location) and it has the potential to be a timeless and international classic.
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I’ll be interested to read your book when it comes out. I hope you’ll address readers of all ages, not just 20 to 30 year olds who have the best chance to follow all the good advice. I know you target all ages in your blog, and I appreciate that as a 45 year old who just this year woke up about retirement. Actually, I *should* be okay because I have a defined benefit pension from my federal job, as well as a small 401k and Social Security (yes, I don’t doubt it will be there, albeit reduced. We were never meant to live off it all by itself.) Still, it was an enormous shock to realize that I hadn’t planned properly (or much at all). I’m from the end of the generation before 401k’s, when we still expected defined benefit plans. That was before they were called that to differentiate them from defined contribution plans (401k, etc.). When the 401k was introduced to my old company when I was 26 in 1989 (?) none of us knew where to put our money, so it mostly went into the safe fund. Mine was there until a few weeks ago. So, I didn’t lose much but I only had $52,000. Add that to the fact that in 2005 I refinanced to a lower rate mortgage (5 7/8) with a shorter term, but a higher amount to pay off credit cards and buy a new car. I thought this was a good deal at the time because the term was shorter and the payment only $100 more than I had been paying on all debt, including mortgage and credit cards. Now I see that wasn’t the wisest thing I’ve ever done. Still, the reader comments and stories in your blog show me I’m not alone and my goal of paying off my mortgage sooner is reachable. That’s what I’d want to see in a book: hope.
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Sorry J.D. I didn’t actually mean that I thought you were only writing a book for the money. I only meant that asking the readers what they like best in a book doesn’t mean as much if it’s not tied to the message. If your message is a detailed plan for how to get out of debt, like Dave Ramsey, then worksheets might be totally appropriate. If the message is motivational, then worksheets might be completely out of place. I think the form will be determined by the overall message more than by what readers say they like.
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I preferred Financial Peace Revisited over Total Money Makeover. TMM seemed fluffy while FPR seemed more focused on getting down to business eliminating debt. Maybe reading FPR first influenced me, but I got a lot more out of that one and didn’t need to hear so many stories of people who’d been there.
Somehow convincing readers that it is critical to change their spend now, think later lifestyle is needed.
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I like short ideas covered in a couple paragraphs. 2 of my favorite books are “Living Fiscally Fit” and “How to pinch a penny until it screams”. They are loaded with basic information and keeps me thinking on staying organized with the finances and being careful with my money. The style is probably for a novice in money management.
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I have only one book that I think so highly of, that I loan it out to people. Many of your fans are probably knowledgible of financial matters more so than many other people. More power to them. Though i read through the many comments this article of yours engendered. But, I start with my friends at square one. Which is why I recommend sincerely to you “The Wealthy Barber”, by David Chilton. It gives in everyday english, practical steps for financial well being. The author assumes he is talking to grownups unfamiliar with technical terms. And I spent more than two decades on a trading floor. And it is a cheap buy on Amazon. More than one person has thanked me for the loan.
Thank You,
Don Barry
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I’d like to see a personal finance book that describes how someone should handle their money (or lack thereof) during different stages in their life (e.g., college, first job, marriage, house, kids, grown kids, retirement). It’s be great if the book also had some type of goal structure describing where I should ideally be at financially at the difference stages.
I’m not too into testimonials, but I love case studies with analysis and background statistics. Like, where did the people in the case study go wrong, what did they do right, how typical are they compared to the rest of society, etc.
A glossary of financial terms at the end of the book is a must.
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So many great financial books out there, but for me showing the very beginnings of how great minds used their knowledge to gain wealth. Nothing pushes me harder than to hear about individuals who knew they could be successful, but just had to work extremely hard.
Jesse W.
http://www.subprimeblogger.com
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You’ve already written my ideal GRS personal finance book, J.D. It began at foldedspace – at least, that’s where it began for me, at the end of a web search for PF book reviews. It continues here. I think of GRS as “The Wealthy Barber” with all the made up stories swapped out in favor of your own.
From where I sit it looks like you’ve found a level of personal detail you’re comfortable disclosing, and your combination of forthrightness and comfort is what I come back for. It gives your book reviews and comment responses weight. It provided context for your changing view of credit cards. It makes sense of the light GRS coverage of the housing mess, compared with bloggers in LA or Florida. It inspires this apartment dweller to read your posts on gardening and canning with full attention.
So I hope that work on a GRS book amounts to editing (no small task given all the material you have to choose from!) and finding chapter breaks.
If you end up needing to write an explicit recipe book, I hope your story stays front and center. Strong authorial voices of experience inspired me to put TMMO and YMOYL into practice, to calculate my real hourly wage, to pay off my debt, to build an emergency fund.
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I loved the Tightwad Gazette book. Its approach was practical, humorous and most of all showed what could be achieved in simple, broken-down steps, mainly via stories and anecdotes about people’s behaviours with a good chucnk of analysis thrown in that did not overwhelm, though sometimes had to be read several times to be fully understood.
Pictures were valuable – illustrations showing what a frugal frig looked like, what bits of furniture had been renovated and how. Since the writer was a graphic designer it was no doubt all in a day’s work to her
.
It’s not the information in charts and work sheets that is dull – it is often the presentation that can be off-putting, especially to those used to more colourful or lively formats.
There is something simple yet deadening about all those black and white lines. It’s unfortunate, but to a creative type it looks like a lot of unpleasant insects. (When you realise, of course that these insects can apprecialy increase your income or life’s possibilities, of course, then suddenly they become a lot friendlier!).
Put the same information in a coloured pie-chart (cherry and cream, please!) or in the mouths of a couple of comic-book characters, or in short anecdotal form with a simple brief description, well that’s very different!
You don’t have to go over the top either. I love reading people’s little stories about what they did and how they did it, but I find I turn off if I need to do a systemic analysis – that is more in-depth, concentrated activity that needs a large chunk of time set aside to deal with it properly.
I find that the skills I need are not so much managing my money – but retaining a sense of purpose for what i need to do. I am quite capable of using cardboard boxes for years and then buying a spiffy chest of drawers or what have you, and being happy with both.
As far as goal-setting goes, it’s different to prescribe where-you-should-be to a person whose life has been turned upside down – financially or otherwise – and has to start again.
Best to point out how to start saving fast or getting the requisite skills to manage yourself, your finances and those you need to relate to in the work and money world at whatever age.
Cheers.
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I agree with Cara – different choices at different stages can lead to astonishingly different results for your readers. That would be education wihtout being condescending…
I also agree that a “Tip per Day” DO THIS could be very motivational.
I guess my organization would be like building a house: here’s the foundation – invest in yourself and have a strong work ethic; get medical insurance; pay off debt; start saving for retirement and other goals young.
The walls and roof: marry the right person; get other insurance coverage to protect yourself; start savings for your kids’ college; don’t inflate your lifestyle.
The cabana and addition: save a lot more than you make, get long-term insurance; when to have fun prudently.
How to make decisions as a couple? How to set your own boundaries? How is saying “no” one of the most powerful financial decisions you can make?
I do like some forms and checklists, for exactly the reason that others may mention – it’s a good way to take a temperature check. One way to personalize the book (rather than in the text, which could get turgid) would be to have different lists and forms for different cycles/pay grades/with kids/without kids.
I *love* things like Money mag’s How Do You Measure Up? articles, which show how much a family of 2/4/6 make, what they spend it on (or don’t), and how much they have saved or set aside.
I think there’s something quite useful about planning retirement savings with real numbers. When I finally did so, after years of savings, I was motivated to bump the savings by another $3K per year now, because even an early start wasn’t the perfect plan.
But DON’T clutter up the chapters with end-of-chapter checklists, or sidebars that are too distracting. Footnotes that say “Turn to page 252 for planning forms” would be fine; huge sidebars with personal anecdotes are distracting and interrupt the flow.
Can’t wait to read it!
Sandi
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Forms and worksheets are okay if they are in a separate practical section of the book. I dislike them at the end of each chapter as it disrupts the flow of reading. I end up not doing them and then I feel guilty about it – worst of both worlds. Whereas if they were in part 2, then it’s all in one spot if I decide I want to do them, without having to read the book again.
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I’m a writer who has spent the last year reading a lot about personal finance. What I like best are personal stories and writers who take the time to explain difficult financial concepts in a simple, easy to understand format.
I also like financial books with shorter chapters. That makes it really easy to pick the book back up later and flip to a chapter if you need a refresher.
Write the book!
Deborah Johnson
A Writer’s Voice: http://litchick73.blogspot.com/
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I liked a workbook Suze Orman did, and it had a lot of worksheets—HOWEVER, they were used to track bills and expenses on a monthly basis for the year, and it sure was helpful (and interesting) to see all those figures that were specifically MINE laid out like that. Makes for easy planning and budgeting even though it takes a little work.
It seems like that would be the issue- are you writing for someone willing to put in some time, effort, and sweat equity to get rich slowly or are you writing an easy read for someone you hope the info just sticks in their mind and they eventually act on?
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Who is William T Spitz??
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I loved what another commenter said about a book revolving around behavior.
Might not a 2-book set be appropriate? One about behavior, with a second smaller book with specific strategies – more practical stuff?
OTOH, the best money-behavior connection book IMHO is Your Money or Your Life. What can you do to top that, or put a new spin on it?
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I think one thing that is sorely missing in the genre is a finance book that discusses investing for people who have never done it. I would love to read more about how people started and your personal story would be great. Most personal investment books are either about retirement, require a LOT of money, or are simply completely over my head.
I agree the psychology is interesting and personal stories are helpful. Worksheets are awful, but a variety of suggestions on how to reasonably manage money is helpful. I like to hear how average people (by that I mean not wealthy but not living paycheck to paycheck) manage their money.
You have suggested some very good books as models. You might also take a look at Stephen King’s “On Writing.” As a writer you can appreciate this book, if you haven’t read it already. I have re-read it several times. His approach to explaining his personal path and his craft is phenomenal.
On a side note, I think you have picked a great time to consider a book titled “Get Rich Slowly.” I think people are open to this concept like never before. Maybe play this up. ~ Kay
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I like personal anecdotes in self-help books, but they have to seem like they’re not made up by the author. Including last names helps that feel – even if there’s a footnote somewhere explaining that names have been altered to protect privacy. There’s just something about a story explaining how Ted paid off his credit card that doesn’t feel as authentic as a story that explains how Ted Johnson paid off his credit card.
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I see some people have brought up the question of what else could be said in a book that you haven’t said on your blog.
As somebody who has written using both mediums, my advice is this: Please do not let this concern stop you from writing a book. Even if there is *no* new content in it, you’ll still be creating something of value.
The reason? There are countless people out there who read books but who do not read blogs. (Many still don’t even know what they are). Assuming that you feel that your message provides value to the people with whom you share it (and it’s obvious that you feel that way), you should write a book.
Share the GRS message with as many people as you can.
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The thing that keeps me reading your blog is that you make personal finance accessible, you don’t put yourself above the audience. Reading about how even the people I look to for personal finance advice face challenges helps keep me motivated to curb my spending and take the time to save money.
I think the personal touch, relating things back to your own life, is the strength of GRS, and it’s what’s missing from a lot of personal finance books. The other real strength of GRS is that it ties managing money into other aspects of living a healthy lifestyle, like eating well, managing stress and being honest in your relationships. It gets across that managing your money isn’t some kind of really specialized activity, it’s just part of life.
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First and foremost, for people who haven’t followed your story on GRS, you have to make them know that you wrote the book because you have walked in their debt-filled cement shoes and found a way to survive – that you’re not just writing a book for the money, but because you’ve been there!
Give lots of practical advice. Where I can put down the book and go make a change right away. That will lead to not only returning to the book again & again, but also to telling everyone else about this great thing I found in this great book.
Good luck! If I’m still in debt when it comes out, I will be excited to check it out from my local library!
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My favorite book is The Wealthy Barber. Granted – I’m biased in that I lived most of my live in southeast Michigan where the book takes place. Location aside – it was a book that spoke to the common man – Joe the Plumber so to speak. I’m not as big of a fan of statistics. Partly because I find them boring. Stats are good on the web where they can be easily updated. Once you put them in a book it doesn’t take long for them to become dated. Honestly, you definately need to do it. Sure there are hundreds of personal finance books, but there are an equal number of diet books, raising baby books, cook books and even trashy romance novels, but that doesn’t stop people from continuing to write them. Sometimes you can say the same thing in a different way and it will click.
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I kind of put business books and personal finance books in the same writing category in my head, but I looked over at my bookshelf and realized I like the business books better: Good to Great, Freakonomics, and The Long Tail. To me, they all have a Big Idea they convey with grace, short chapters, clear organization, real statistics and research, and anecdotal and sometimes goofy stories to make me emotionally connect with the message too.
As Adrienne pointed out earlier, the medium is part of what attracts us. How do you embody that interaction along with your humility, and ‘do what works for you’ mantra? I mean, how do you engage someone long enough in a book to help them figure out what their system is and make them feel like that was your gift to them? Sounds hard.
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Since you liked Dale Carnegie’s _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ copy his technique of outlining what is in the chapters, headings for subtopics and a summary of what was presented. According to _Your Memory : How It Works and How to Improve It_ by Kenneth L. Higbee headings are a powerful technique for making your book easier to remember. You can also use some of Dale’s tips on how to be a leader to improve how you present your material:
Begin with praise and honest appreciation – For example congratulations for choosing to take control of your finances.
Talk about your mistakes before criticizing (or giving your advise?)
Ask questions instead of giving direct orders
Use encouragement, claim the fault is easy to correct
Make the other person happy about doing your suggestion.
As for content, I would suggest laying out the basics in the first chapter. Then use the rest of the book to inspire your readers with personal stories that show: It’s possible, and worthwhile to follow your advice. I think most people are really in need of hope that they really can get out of debt, control their finances, and get rich slowly.
I really enjoyed the _Millionaire Next Door_ and the _Wealthy Barber_ for their motivational aspects, both highlight that anyone can achieve financial success with time. The Boggleheads guide to investing is my favorite when it comes to actual investment advice- it’s packed with information, but I think someone has to be in the right state of mind before they could really make use of this book.
-Rick Francis
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One thing that I look for in a personal finance book is a cover that doesn’t look like it’s from the early 90′s. Design Sells. Hire someone to design your book that knows what he or she is doing.
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I really like to read personal stories. They give me a way to compare my situation to other real life scenarios and also provide some inspiration.
I don’t do complex worksheets. I like simple formulas to gauge how I’m doing. A book with a complex system is not going to help someone who is already overwhelmed by their finances.
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Hi JD,
I think great stories and the psychology behind finance are great ways to go. I think you need to think about whether you want to do a perspective changing book or a tips & how-to book. Heck, write them both. But I think they almost need some separation. Or write 300 pages of stuff in one book.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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See a GRS book should be telling us the main philosophies about money that you have. A chapter for each of your mantras or key points eg *do what works for you* would be awesome, with stories, statistics, and psychology stuff to back it up.
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I enjoy the practical/real-life stories (and those are the kinds of things that publishers like to use to promote books) but as one person commented, they really do need to feel real. Your story should be part of it, but reinforce your own experiences with the experiences of other folks (otherwise its too easy for a reader to think “yeah, whatever, his experience doesn’t relate in any way to mine–or anyone else’s.”)
The sections of the blog where you offer up a question/quandary from a reader, and ask the readers to respond, is great; this really reinforces that there are patterns in the problems we have, that there are patterns in how to resolve those problems, but there are still various ways to approach resolving the problem. If there’s a way to translate that into a book project, I think that would be very appealing.
To echo Adrienne’s suggestion, I think a real strength to what you’ve done here is to demonstrate that there are many different ways to skin a cat/save a buck and finding that in at PF book would, I agree, be refreshing.
Simple formulas are interesting and helpful (I’m thinking the recent discussion of real wage) and could/should be profitably incorporated into the book. More detailed worksheets could be turned into pdfs and both included as an appendix to the book (for the person who wants to be solely paper-based) and posted somehow in connection with the blog (so if I want to print out 25 copies of the worksheet for setting up spending plans or whatever, I can, and you can update if/as necessary, which will probably be more often than your book would go into subsequent editions.)
I like to see basic stats and credible research to back up the personal stories/anecdotes, but prefer not to get bogged down in detailed discussion of whatever financial expert had to say about X because quite frankly, I don’t imagine the financial expert is experiencing the sames kinds of things in the same ways that I am. (But if you can get a certified financial expert to share on-the-record his or her story about struggling with credit card debt or something similar, that would be interesting reading!)
Finally, I beg you: please DON’T simply make your book a reproduction of the blog. “Books” that have taken this form (and I’ve read several in a different genre) are pretty annoying to read, even if you’re completely unfamiliar with the blog that launched the book. In any case, why would someone pay for content they can get online free–especially personal finance content? What you want is something that is mutually complimentary–so readers here will still want to pick up your book because it has something new, and readers of the book will still want to search out and subscribe to the blog because of different content/different presentation.
But… I’d expect any editor you’re thinking of working with on this will be telling you similar sorts of things. And I may be biased as a person in the book business, but please please please work with a reputable publisher and editor. There’s a lot to be said about self-publishing, and it’s not all bad, but publishers really do add value and if you get to work with one that is a good fit for your project, you’ll be glad you did.
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Personally, I like stories about people with financial issues (big and small) who found creative but practical ways to solve them. What’s attractive about your blog is that it’s easy to read and provides new information regularly. I think a page-a-day type concept would be good, but you could organize it such that people could do a whole section one day a month or week, skip ahead or go slower if needed or skip parts they understand (like credit cards if you don’t use them) altogether.
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I like chapters on a subject to start out as if I had never, ever heard of the subject before. One or two sentences summing up the most basic “DUH” aspect of the concept. If I have heard of the subject before, I’ll skim to the details. If I haven’t, I don’t spend the entire chapter angry at you because I feel lost.
An example (and why I love your blog so much). I’d read my Suze Orman and actually went back and re-read parts of Young Fabulous and Broke. And I had no idea what an IRA actually was. I got the tax business, I got the find a broker with low fees business, I got the fact that I really needed one. But it took your examples on GRS for the lighbulb to finally go on that it’s essentially a bucket and I can fill it with lots of things (not just a single stock or mutual fund or bond category). Really simple, right? Amazingly, no. I have that series of entries bookmarked to review. And for that you have earned years of warm fuzzy feelings from me
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J.D., I think a GRS book is a terrific idea — as long as it doesn’t disrupt the blog.
A few thoughts:
• Absolutely agree that your personal story is the hook that draws people into the blog, and it will do the same for a book. You have bootstrapped yourself into a remarkable example, and it’s especially encouraging to read about average, normal people who have radically bettered themselves with no more resources than those available to the rest of us.
• In terms of organization, your blog has taken shape in (what I think are) some fairly distinct sections, with many “chapters” in each. You started in debt. You broke even. Now you’re in a position to make some serious choices. That’s three main sections, as I count ‘em.
The philosophy has been consistent throughout (which is what you need in a book), but the questions you have confronted and the strategies you have needed (debt snowball, for example) have evolved. And there are your chapters.
• I also think your serious strength is your ability to translate ideas into a clear concept. A Roth IRA is a bucket that I can use to carry many different kinds of investments? I can’t tell you how many times I have encouraged friends to start investment savings and used that exact metaphor.
• I frequently use your blog posts as a discussion starter with my husband, my sister, my friends. I can see a GRS book as a terrific book club selection. That said, I think it might be cool to have some thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter (or in a reader’s guide in the back), that loosely follow the questions that you and Kris asked yourselves as you started along this path.
(edited to add) My husband and I actually have a two-person book club for finance books (and marriage books), and our favorites are ALWAYS books with questions at the end of each chapter or section, because it lets us compare answers.
Good luck. You’re doing terrific work here.
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I know that (like any other self-involved person, and let’s face it we all are), I look for myself in the book. Lots of anecdotes help because I can find someone like me. “This person’s just like me, and they did this…” We all know we need to budget, but where can we cut corners and where should we not. Am I doing the right thing deferring my med school loans and paying off my credit cards? That sort of thing
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Personally I like financial mentality inside secrets, case studies and personal stories. I only want to do what other people are doing if they have a system that is beneficial. Diagrams and charts don’t do it for me. I’m a smart person but the quadrant diagram in Rich Dad, Poor Dad is about as much as I would want to think about. Keeping things simple is good. Suze Orman bless her heart. That whole box of paperwork she put together would make my head spin!
Although there are a lot of finance books floating around you should produce one regardless. If you can put just one tiny spin on it (besides GRS blog related) and introduce a concept that no one is talking about that is what will make it stand out.
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I’d say definately stick to the psychological and behavioural side of things. It’s one thing to write down a sheet with numbers and another to apply your behaviour in accordance. If i remember correctly, the reason why i kept coming back to the blog is that you bridged that gap quite effectively. More often than not through your personal anectodes.
The basics are simple, they work and run between the lines of every other financial book. Applying them may be your niche.
Just my 2 cents.
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I love how motivational those Smart Women/Couples/Start Late/Finish Rich books are. Every time I read one, I feel really pumped up and optimistic.
I love Eric Tyson’s books (he did Personal Finance for Dummies and Mutual Funds for Dummies and more). I like how explains why something is a good idea, or why something else is a bad idea. He also is very honest in addressing pitfalls, bad sales practices, bad deals and other obstacles we all want to avoid.
Love the Millionaire Next Door books for the information they give about how real people really make it happen.
I think a Get Rich Slowly book is a great idea, a winner, with lots of wide appeal. A person can start from anywhere in life with anything or nothing and put the behaviors in place that are really transformative. It’s the journey. Learning to live below your means and work toward goals changes how you value things, time, family, work. Well you know JD, I’m preaching to the choirmaster – you blog about it all the time! Best of luck in writing your first book… (could be a series)….
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Hi JD,
I agree with Filip. Application is key and is often what is missing in PF books. Granted, application is all in people actually taking the ideas from a book and applying them, but maybe you can write a motivational book with good simple easy to apply tips that people can use.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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I absolutely loved Smart Women Finish Rich. It got me started on my retirement planning and other financial planning at age 22. Great advice on all sorts of things like insurance, types of savings, returns, risk, etc. A fantastic motivator because of its “values” approach (what is important about money to you?) BTW, any man could get the advice he’d need from this – it’s just tailored to women because we spend less time in the workforce, make less money than men, die later, and tend to leave financial stuff to our husbands (yay us!)
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I hate worksheets, but LOVE personal stories – but they should be used to illustrate things, not as learning tools in themselves. I like bullet points and lists to sum things up, and like the psychological bits too.
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I think you should pretty much write the book in a way that is natural to you. Authenticity is hard to beat. At least that is the way I see it. Regardless, you already have a style that has a huge target group, so continuing along that path is perhaps not a bad idea.
My target group is different and I don’t think it will ever be as large as yours.
Personally, I almost despise made up examples about “‘Bob’ that works as a …” to the point of putting the book back. I rarely find anecdotes useful, especially if they involve events that can no longer be replicated (such as flipping real estate at opportune times). I definitely do not do quizzes or worksheets. What I generally look for in a book are ideas that I have never seen before or new or more clear ways of expressing ideas that I have seen. Otherwise I’m wasting my time
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I agree about behavior, mainly. Once you get past the basic nuts and bolts of spending plans, shopping with a list, paring away unnecessary crap. etc, it all comes down to behavior. For me, it’s dealing with something you touched on on one of your posts: The Idea of Having. For the past three months, I’ve been wanting a Beretta Neos. (a cool little .22 pistol) I certainly don’t NEED it, I already have a shotgun for home defense, and I know I probably wouldn’t go shooting with it once I got it. Still, it’s a struggle at times to deal with the idea of just HAVING it. So, I believe strategies for dealing with this and other forms of compulsive and impulsive spending would be very helpful. Also, how to get your spouse “on board” would be REALLY helpful. I wish I could do that!
P.S. I usually skip over the anecdotes to get to the techniques…
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If you want the book to be consistently interesting to both your readers and you, try as much as you can to write about what interests you. It’s what motivates you, and it’s why you have a large audience for your blog.
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I like checklists and bullets, particularly to summarize chapters. I am loving reading _The Credit Diet_ right now, but wish there was a summary at the end of each chapter, and/or some worksheets I could copy.
Simplicity is KEY.
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Well, it looks like you’ve got quite a few comments on this books, but I’ll add my 2¢ anyway.
First, To answer your questions: Yes.
I think it depends on the book. Some books are meant to be motivational and what’s motivational to some people is not necessarily motivational to others. Other books are meant to give you actionable steps. Still other books try to use stories to make it real and get the reader to assimilate the store in order to bring the personal change necessary. Some books are meant for entertainment, some books are meant for learning. What’s your goal? Infotainment? Entertainment? Teaching and Learning?
–I guess one of your goals would be to sell as many books as you can to help the world as much as you can while helping yourself. In that case, look at some of the successful books and follow their patterns. Another idea, is to take another genre, and apply it to yours. For instance, Home Improvement books provide some design inspiration and recipes for following up on that.
Now onto what I would want to see: I want to see actionable steps. I like how in Scott Berkun’s Making Things Happen book, he’s got actionable exercises I can do at the end of each chapter. I like in the Power of Focus book, that each chapter gives me homework to do to achieve that level. Too many personal self-help books don’t make it concrete how we can put the new thing we just learned into action. Although I don’t want to see blah checklists and forms, I do think there is a benefit to having some way to provide the user concrete actionable steps to putting into practice the good financial habits. Make it easy for me to assimilate the new habits. I think Leo does that pretty good in his book the Power of Less.
I hate picking up a diet, exercise motivational book, and over 75% of the book is recipes. If I wanted to buy a recipe book, I’d buy a recipe book. If I want to buy a motivational book, I’ll buy that. I don’t mind some recipes, but often times the recipes are too esoteric. So, be clear from the beginning what kind of book you want to be.
I like reading about stories. The Motley Fool books (Read You have More than you think), and the Debt Proof Living have good inspirational stories. Millionaire Next Door too. Even Rich Dad, Poor Dad was powerful due to the stories. We can also say Who moved my cheese, and The Go Fish book, or Patrick Leoni’s books. The stories help make learning about a bland topic less arduous. Although, sometimes its too hard to make the leap from the story (moving cheese) to the real world (dealing with real change).
I’m also a fan of the Harry Beckwith books. He’s got very short chapters mixed into multiple parts or sections in the book with definite actions one can take. — The Cohesive is nice which I think is hard to do. Yet, It works for him. It’s a great bedtime book, One can read the short chapter, leave it go, and come back the following night or the following week even, and learn a new lesson.
I hope that helps, and Good Luck. I have been debating on writing a book for a while too. The key, I think, is the dedication required to write the thing in the first place while keeping your audience’s best interest in mind.
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For me books with checklists at the end of each chapter work better and also having forms for when the book is finished is a great touch. This makes the reader feel that you want to be there even after they have read your book.
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