Rating: Summary: Vapid Dribble Review: Well after reading the introduction and the first two chapters, throw the book away. After the first couple of chapters all the book does is repeat ideas the reader has already been informed of the book should be fifty pages, and not 250!
Rating: Summary: Are frugally patient millionaires your neighbors? Review: Most people hope to be millionaires. They dream of it, think of it. Yet, few are aware of the the different traits that many of these share. From the perspective of the general public, it may be interesting to see how they view life styles as integral to their road to financial security. These concepts are important not just for adults, but for teens as well as they see the reason for building for future goals and dreams. Almost buried towards the end of the book are some excellent reasons why to achieve this level of financial security. According to the author,"Money [is] icing on the cake of life". The real things that matter such as " good health, longevity, happiness, a loving family self- reliance, fine friends. These fascinating facts contained in this book will lead you to think, not so much whether your neighbor is a millionaire, but how are you doing with your own path.
Rating: Summary: An interesting and informative study. . . Review: . . .of who really holds the wealth in our nation -- and how they came by their money.This is not the sort of book I have typically reviewed for Amazon.com. I'm a clergyman and an academic -- not a financial planner, etc. However, like everyone else, I want to be able to retire comfortably, provide for my children, etc. What this book does is demonstrate, by use of example, case study, and extensive research, the qualities which are necessary to obtain and hold wealth -- and these qualities dovetail neatly with many of the same qualities that, as a minister, I try to instill in my congregation. (Not for the purpose of obtaining wealth, but for the purpose of making better people) Although not a religious book in any sense (the authors are not out to make religious or moral judgements) I found it interesting that the keys to achieving wealth included a commitment to marriage, family, a moderate lifestyle, hard work, education etc. The authors have provided a wonderful service in scientifically demonstrating the very virtues our grandfathers would have considered basic common sense -- but that our generation (and I include myself here) seem to have largely forgotten.
Rating: Summary: Totally Down to Earth, Packed with Lots of Great Info Review: What a great book. He has has gleaned information, opinions and attitudes of self made millionares. He does NOT give vague, useless anecdotes and examples about himself and other people who made lots of money when they already had lots of money.(Rich Dad, Poor Dad)
Rating: Summary: Take care of the pennies - the pennies will take care of you Review: I do not live in America, but the same principles of wealth and success outlined in this book also apply in my country and many other countries around the world. Stanley and Danko have really done their homework on this one. It is highly unlikely the majority of people who read this book will ultimately achieve the status of millionaire; however, many readers will certainly be more penny conscious once they have read it. Even if the final analysis means you are not "oozing and dripping wealth," most people will agree they would like to be financially secure and have "a nest egg" for their future. What this book does emphasize is the importance of living within your means. We all know people who give the appearance of being millionaires when in truth, their liabilities far outway their assets. On the other hand, there are those who scrimp, scrounge and have achieved wealth but would not part with a penny to save their souls. Somewhere down the middle lies balance and harmony, and this great book tells how some of the most financially successful people have achieved and held onto their wealth, and still managed to walk that middle line. This book would be a great addition to high school curriculum. While schools teach many facts, there is little emphasis placed on teaching young people how to manage money or survive "in the real world." There are a multitude of people walking among us who have spent half a lifetime trying to figure out the science of earning, managing and saving money and are still are no further ahead. Anyone and everyone can benefit from this excellent book. It combines basic principles, common sense and adds the voice of experience from those who literally are "The Millionaire Next Door.
Rating: Summary: Worth a Read Review: I am an avid reader of "motivational" and "success" books. This book is one that I would classify as "worth a read" Stanley and Danko drive home some hard truths in this book, and expose the mistakes a lot of us make in our perceptions of who really are the millionaires. Not the hyperconsuming lawyers or doctors out there living in exclusive neighbourhoods, but rather the average mum and dad, running their own business, who have learnt how to save their pennies, and invest them wisely. This is not a "rags to riches" book in the sense that it does not cover the inspiring stories of people such as Ford, Disney and Edison. But books on these topics are now dime a dozen. "The Millionaire Next Door" gives us a different perspective on who really are the millionaires out there and how they got that way. It should be noted that frugality is an often repeated word in this book. One thing I do disagree with the authors about, is that once a person does have considerable wealth, I believe that they should enjoy it. After all, life is an adventure - if you've achieved your goals of being financially wealthy, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Rating: Summary: mixed thoughts, but overall pretty good Review: At first thought, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out, or anyone who is new with the concept of budgeting. It may rank up there as probably the second best gift you can give to someone for their college or high school graduation (money is always #1!!!) Anyway, the reason I have mixed reviews is because of the books length. While it isn't a big book, half of the book could be chopped off. Does the work redundancy mean anything!!! The authors, who did a good job of making a point, went beyond being thorough, and beyond being wordy. The book more or less says to not spend what you can and save as much as possible. I recommend to read about 2/3 of this book, and then pass it on to someone else. You will be better for it, and they will appreciate it.
Rating: Summary: Boring... Review: If this book got summarized in a Newspaper article, it would have been acceptable. But it was a long boring book, that I could not finish..! In summary this books talks about certain Millionaires (who are a majority by the way) who made their furtune by being cheap!
Rating: Summary: I would give this book Zero stars if I could! Review: This book was terrible - a magazine article made into a book as another reviewer mentioned. Basically they tell you to live below your means, and to save every penny you can by purchasing used cars, houses in middle class neighborhoods, buying cheap clothing, etc. Beyond being frugal, they didn't tell you how these millionaires invested their money, or how they handled charitable contributions, or anything like that. They basically repeated over and over to be frugal, save money, teach your kids how to be frugal and save money, and that was it. Plus they threw in many hard to read charts....
Rating: Summary: Good advice, but won't make you rich. Review: If you're looking for a book that tells you how to get rich, look elsewhere. No book can tell you that. What this book does offer is some great advice and case studies of those who have made (and maintained) wealth. This is not a book for dreamers who enjoy get-rich-quick type fiction. It reminds us that wealth is made over lifetimes and sometimes generations, not over night. It reminds us that a penny saved is a penny earned and that living above our means is a short-lived lifestyle. It's hard work, common sense, and discipline that make wealth. The same virtues will help you keep it. What I especially liked about this book is it's dedication to families. Being a parent, I needed advice on how much is too much and what example should I set. This book offers advice on helping your children grow to be wealthy not simply be inheritance. It tells us that buying a house for our kids is a great way to help them. But, buying a house in an exclusive area will force them to "keep up with the Jones'" at an early age and rob them of the financial freedom the house was meant to provide. The book also gives us a peek into what it would be like to be wealthy. I always pictured myself retired ASAP. But it seems that once you have the money, you don't think of work as a negative thing. And millionaires are much more likely to drive Jeep Cherokee's than a Ferrari or Mercedes. Give this book a read. It will make you think in a different way. I found it really helped me set realistic goals that I have been achieving. I'm not a millionaire, but I will be someday. I won't owe it to this book, but I will have used it as a reference.
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