When I started writing Your Money: The Missing Manual, I had problems finding a focus. I couldn’t figure out who my intended audience was. To get over this hump, I eventually hit upon a cunning plan: I would write the personal-finance book that I wish I’d had back when I started my personal-finance journey. I’d pack the book full of the info I’ve found most useful over the past five years, and include links to my favorite books and websites.
Well, I have to say that my target audience of one — me — loves the book. Maybe that’s immodest of an author to admit. And I know that not everyone thinks the book is as useful as I do. Plus, some readers don’t like all of the links (and they especially don’t like the TinyURLs I used). I get that. But in the nine months since the book was published, it’s become a permanent reference for me.
Personalized personal finance
My copy of Your Money: The Missing Manual is with me constantly. When I’m writing, I have it by my computer. When I’m traveling, it’s in my bag. It’s beat up from frequent use. Favorite pages are dog-eared. I’ve begun to jot notes in various sections, too.
For example:
- Last week, I spoke with a reporter about energy use. To prepare for the conversation, I scribbled in the margins of the book’s “Pay Less for Power” pages.
- Today, I interviewed Jim from Bargaineering for an upcoming column in Entrepreneur magazine. As I asked him how to use credit cards wisely, I jotted his answers in the margins of the credit chapter.
Elsewhere I have notes about buying used cars, lending money to friends, and how to be happy. Because the book is always by my side — and when it’s not, I feel anxious — it’s becoming packed with personal notes. It’s becoming even more useful with each passing day.
Make your own manual
After having done this for a few months, I’m hooked. I think this is a fabulous method, and I want to recommend it to others.
I’m not suggesting that you need to use my book (though I’d be honored if you did), but find some personal-finance book that you refer to often, and begin to take notes in it. (You might use Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, for example, or Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You to Be Rich, or the classic Your Money or Your Life.)
- If you read something at Get Rich Slowly or Five Cent Nickel or The Simple Dollar that gives you an aha! moment, get out your personal-finance book and write a note in the appropriate section. (Or maybe take a note on a blank piece of paper and slip it into the book.)
- If something happens to you in day-to-day life, and you want to remember it for the future, take the time to write it down in your book.
- And if you want to really personalize the book, use the blank pages at the front and back to keep a list of financial goals. If I were to do this (and I may), I’d jot my goals on the inside of the front cover, and I’d track my progress (monthly? quarterly?) on the inside of the back cover.
This is a great way to build a customized financial reference, one honed to your own individual needs. Take the best from your favorite author, and mix in the best from Real Life. In time, you’ll have written your very own personal-finance manual!
GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.
This article is about Books, Money Hacks, Tools
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
Discover is a paid advertiser of this site. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.
SEARCH FOR RECENT ARTICLES
Is there an ebook version? I don’t really do paper anymore.
loading....
I’ve always had an urge to write a book, but for some reason I’ve never considered writing about my passion, Personal Finance!
You’re right, there are tons of people that would love the information, and I would have a blast writing about it!
I already have a notebook (a real one with paper…) filled with article ideas; why not organize them into a book to help others?
Thanks!
loading....
Neat, neat, neat idea. That might also help me actually take the step to do some of the “aha” things I read. Thank you.
loading....
Hey JD,
I like the ideas you mentioned here. I do this for most of my investing books, but I’m probably not as organized and so have handwritten notes in just about every book I own. I couldn’t honestly say that I then know where anything is, but it is nice going back and rereading things and finding out thoughts that you’ve had before, because often you’ll forget them.
loading....
I did this with a book when I was at University – I used slips of papers between the pages.
Be warned! I eventually broke the binding!
Maybe you could have an edition printed which is only printed on one page to the opening?
More room for notes…
My, the second edition will just write itself!
loading....
This is a great idea! Although since I have gone the digital route with most of my books, I will probably just write the notes on my phone.
Oh and J.D. – I think writing for yourself worked out well! There are certainly lots of other people who are in the same situation you were a few years ago that will benefit from the book. I’m giving away my copy to some friends (as soon as I see them again).
loading....
That’s a great idea! Possible buying 2 books! You for the shelf to be kept in pristine condition, and the other one as a notebook/ reference book!
Hmmm, I just might try that!
loading....
I use evernote (evernote.com)to do this. With my droid phone I can make voice recordings or take pics and save to evernote. While on my laptop, I can highlight and save info on evernote instead of bookmarking a page. If I am using a friends laptop, I can save it to my account online. Then I can search it all from one place.
All that and it’s free. It’s the best tool I have used for the last half of 2010.
loading....
Your method of figuring out what to write about works for a lot of different types of writing. Also, it sounds like you’re building up quite a bit of info beyond what you covered in the book, so maybe time to extract all those notes in the margin and write a sequel?
loading....
I love this idea! I read a lot of about money in the course of a day, so it would be useful to jot these ideas down.
I think this is one of my “ah ha” moments.
loading....
That’s a great idea. (And does this mean you’ll have an article in Entrepreneur? Let us know when it’s out, if so.)
loading....
This sounds a lot like what people did in the Renaissance. You might recall Hamlet hearing something interesting and deciding to jot it down in his book.
loading....
Your Money the missing manual is on our Christmas lists to give to relatives just starting out.
loading....
Will do! I will start with the GRS post about sacrificing convenience which I have bookmarked in my Blackberry and read once a week. (Guillebeau says a blog post can’t change your life, but that one changed mine.) And then there was that post about shopping behavior and switching from “selecting mode” to “buying mode.” Oh, and the one about why your income is so important. These are the classics I will use to start my own manual!
Here are the links if anyone missed these great ones:
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/09/27/swapping-convenience-for-low-costs/
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/08/10/stopping-shopping-momentum/
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/12/06/why-your-income-is-so-important/
loading....
J.D. – I have read most of the popular personal finance books but only kept two for my personal library; your book and Work Less Play More by Steve Catlin. Thanks for the excellent blog and book!
loading....
and they especially don’t like the TinyURLs I used?
Interesting to hear that people have complained about this. Personally I thought it was a great idea, but I wondered how many people are familiar with tiny urls. If they aren't familiar, then they might not trust the shortened urls.
loading....
Great idea. I haven’t really found my personal finance book yet. I’ll keep looking, but I might have to write my own.
loading....
I am at a different age and stage of life from most of you, and the book I have notes written all through is ‘Retire on Less Than You Think’ by Fred Brock.
I’ve never seen a reference to it on GRS; maybe I’m the only grandpa here.
loading....
Most of my books are ebooks, but I can still, thankfully, take notes in it. I like the idea of coming up with my own personal finance manual, especially since a lot of the things other talk about don’t necessarily speak to a 20 year old.
loading....
Personally I love your book, its my favorite finance book and I loved all the links because I’m the type of person who likes to look up what an author researched, I don’t like it when authors claim something then don’t give any references to back up what they’re saying.
I do think its best to read it as an e-book which is how I bought it so its easier for me to read it, I get how if you bought the physical book, it would be annoying, but personally i liked it.
I think you did a great job writing that book.
I also liked that it wasn’t religious or new agey and that it didn’t ask you to do dumb exercises like some self-help books make you do. I hate those. I also think they’re a waste of time.
Yours and Ramit’s books are the ones that I go to again and again. You should write more books. Maybe something besides PF? You’re a really good writer and I really think you should write another book.
loading....
I already do something similar. I have a personal financial notebook, just a normal blank (lined) notebook from the dollar store. I even made it a fancy cover by taking an image of the “Personal Finances for Dummies” book and crossing out “dummies” and replacing it with my name (har har).
I write down all the aha! moments when reading PR blogs or books in it, and I also write down my financial decisions, actions and plans. I can flip back and see why I made X decision, or what bits of advice made the most sense to me at the time.
loading....
Really good idea – simple, yet customizable for everybody. One can do this with their own blog pages as well.
loading....
I really like this, JD. I have my own “Long-Term Financial Goals” document that I have crafted and tweaked over the years using financial advice from the best on retirement ratios, a spending budget broken down by percentages,debt advice or payoff order and rules about buying all types of insurance. I’m most proud of being able to time line each and every financial step, which I feel is the trickest for all of us.
Let me know if you want a copy! Your readers might appreciate it.
loading....
Good idea (taking notes), but as a qualified librarian the thought of writing on the actual pages mortifies me
loading....
That is a good idea. I cannot tell you the number of times I had a great idea or an aha! moment and I did not write it down.
Then sometime later I tried to remember that great thought or idea but when I did, it did not have the same punch as it did when it first came to me.
So I am making it a point to keep a pen/paper with me at all times, so when those great thoughts come pouring in, I can capture it!
Thanks.
loading....
Great idea, or you can do what I do…I read all of my favorite personal finance sites through an e-reader (I use Google Reader), and if I find an article I really like, I change the tag so that it is tagged for future reference in Google Reader if I ever want to go back to it. It’s been a very handy tool.
loading....
I do a similar thing at work. For every job I have, I create a job manual. This way the person who comes after me has a reference. And it’s a lot easier to write this reference as you’re learning things yourself than to try to remember everything just before you move on.
And it turns out the main person who ever uses it is me. I love how once I ask someone a question once, I never have to ask again because I’ve got everything I need in one place, organized by me, so I can easily find it.
I should also write manuals for my personal life–a finance manual would be good; a house-care manual would be good, too.
loading....