Rating: 
Summary: What was he thinking?
Review: I must agree with the other reviewers. I purchased and read this book in good faith. While some of his ideas are re-statements of ideas I have found elsewhere, some of his suggestions, once one does the math, just don't work well for someone who is focused on building wealth AND living an appropriately nice lifestyle. Take this book's advise with a grain of salt and definitely read it with a calculator in hand.
Rating: 
Summary: Great advice
Review: I shouldn't be surprised that there are a lot of negative reviews. Personal finance is exactly that....personal...and with the personal factor involved people will have different ideas about what they like and don't like, etc. I think the thing that gets overlooked about the ideas Edelman shares in this book and his others is that if you want an index fund or a short mortgage, you can still do that. I don't think the effectiveness of the kinds of techniques and ideas Ric promotes should immediately be shot down just because you like index funds and he doesn't. Are you going to shun dollar cost averaging your index fund as well, because Ric hates index funds and likes DCA? Well, now you're just being silly.That's why I think this is an extremely valuable book. No matter what you want to do with your own finances, there is something here to help you. Maybe you don't like his approach to investing, but you may find his ideas on saving for college indispensible. Maybe you're just curious about what a municipal bond is, or how it behaves. It's an extremely malleable approach to personal finance. It's more goal-oriented than return-oriented. It focuses on the long term, regular joe investor, not the day trader. And one last thing about the author. I don't know if any of the other reviewers live in the DC area and get the oppotunity to listen to Ric's radio show, but Ric is very fair-minded about how he presents his financial planning firm. He repeatedly advocates shopping around for the firm that can help you best, and certainly doesn't think that he is the only game in town. He brags about his achievements and the success of his firm, but so what? Wouldn't you rather take advice from a guy widely recognized as top-notch in the industry?
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Summary: Excellent source for savvy investors!
Review: I thought the section about keeping a mortgage was especially interesting. It makes sense to re-vest equity.
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Summary: Great book Ric!
Review: Like Ordinary People, Estraordinary Wealth and Discover the Wealth Within You, Rc Edelman challenges common dogma (and ignorance) and puts a breath of fresh air on personal finance.The argument on having a paid off home or keeping a mortgage is much like the buy term insurance and invest the difference that started in the 70's with Art Williams. You are better off carrying a.mortgage and investing the difference. A good mutual fund will grow at 20%-25% per year which in 4 years means your money doubles. I don't know of houses that double every four years. A paid off mortgage is like money in a shoe box, it makes you feel good, but does you no good.Controversial, you bet. Does it work, absolutely.
Rating: 
Summary: A New Perspective
Review: More than anything Mr. Edelman is a good salesman. His books are a soft sell of his investment services firm. I enjoyed reading his take on real estate investment and of course he thinks more highly of stocks and bonds. (Duh, what service does he sell?) The book's reference guide style is Ok although some readers may not like it. It was worth checking it out from the library but it's not an investment bible and there's no need to buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of interesting ideas -- and annoying footnotes.
Review: Mr Edleman has written a timely book with current ideas for financial and estate planning. He gets carried away with cutesy footnotes, however,and these are distracting. I stopped reading them about halfway thru the book. A good book nonetheless and worth reading. I ordered a copy thru Amazon for my daughter and son-in-law. (Note to Ric: Get an editor with a meat axe to clean up your gratuitous footnotes and your book will be vastly more readable. :)
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Summary: Edelman is a controversial guy
Review: No doubt that Edelman is a very controversial guy--just check out these reviews. However, Edelman is also very knowledgeable and very accurate. He accurately called the Index Fund fallout as early as 1998. HE WAS WIDELY CRITICIZED FOR THAT. But as someone who listened to him, I am glad he was so perceptive!Likewise, Edelman suggests to carry a mortgage vs having a paid off mortgage and invest the difference. As another astute reviewer commented, this is a lot like the old term vs cash value life insurance debate. Which is better?Cash value is generally the better value for the insurance salesman. Likewise, a paid off mortgage is not doing you any good because it is a liability and provides no income. Better to put that extra mortgage moneyin good investments that can grow 20%-25% per year.Edelman may be controversial but his advice is right on.
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Summary: I'd rather follow the old rules
Review: Okay, I refinanced and took out $100,000 in equity. Now my mortgage is for $300,000 and I invested the $100,000 in mutual funds -- and they lost more than half their value over the past two years. I thought it was "easy" to earn 10% AND MORE in mutual funds. I mean, if I can get 10% on my funds and have a mortgage at 6%, I'm ahead 4% right? Not if my stock funds lose money. Not anymore! I guess I can take a tax loss. Well, that was all made up. I would never be so stupid! My mutual funds have lost value, but my mortgage is still nice and low. I put money in mutual funds that if I lost it, woulld have NO IMPACT on my future plans. I would NEVER take money out of my house to invest. I know, I know, Ric says that the money is just sitting there idle in the house. Well, that's where I want it. When and if I sell the house, I'll put the money in my pocket then. I stopped putting into the mutual funds for now because I don't want anymore losses. I may even cash out and buy some real estate. Foolish? According to Ric, yes. Yes, I know, the market always goes up over the long term. People who had money in the market before the crash of 1929, if they still had their stock would be rich today. Right. And they'd be over 100 years old, too. I don't have time to wait for the market to take its time recovering. Ric said that the rules have changed since "your parents' day."
No, they have not. Mom and Dad paid down their mortgage, invested cautiously and spent what they could afford. They had enough to take care of themselves until they died and they even left a little for me. I like their way. That's what I'm doing. They owned their home plus a vacation home, traveled a lot, had plenty for their needs and neither of them ever earned more than $25,000 a year. I wonder how many of the positive reviewers of Edelman's books are actually successful and financially secure people. I think guys like Ric sell hopes and dreams. I know someone who thinks Ric's books are just great, and he's lucky his wife won't let him take the equity out of the house, too! I'm not trying to execute some fancy moves and get a lot of money that I havent' really earned. That's what is appealing about so many of these financial guru types: they encourage the average person to think that with a few easy moves, he/she can make a killing. Let me tell you, from true experience, the rich work harder than anyone. No, I don't mean they punch a time clock and slave for 10 hours a day, but they do work, work, work, and they work often longer hours and with more pressure than anyone who just holds a job. The ONLY reason I am as successful as I am, and I am quite successful, is because I worked very hard and put money that I earned into real estate. I saved and I thought about everything I did before I did it. I asked myself was I doing this because everyone else did, or was it really a good idea? When I was honest with myself, I made money, when I wasn't, I lost. End of story.
Rating:
Summary: not a bad read
Review: Ric Edelman certainly does not break any new ground with his book but he does provide ideas you would not normally consider. I found this book to be good idea generator when formulating one's financial future.
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Summary: Ric was the first major author to recognize "range pricing!"
Review: Ric Edelman gives refreshing insight on looking at things differently when it comes to money, real estate, taxes, inheritance, etc. His rule #17 in his best selling book is to price real estate in a range instead of just a fixed price and by doing so, arrive at a market driven price in a shorter period of time, with great results for r.e. broker, seller and buyer. This technique has been enormously successful in San Diego, where it was first test marketed and is now practiced by every major real estate firm to the tune of over $4,000,000,000 in just the past two years. I enjoy "out of the box" thinking and Ric's book is a delight!
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