Rating: 
Summary: Excellent-this book is must reading for everyone!
Review: Every now and thena very, very special book comes along with a "aha" and this is such a book. Many people are spending their way through high incomes---keeping up with the "JONE'S" high profile lifestyle's encumbered with high debt and zero savings. I worked for a millonaire one time who said"Money buys clothes, clothes don't buy anything!" He advised us to buy our "toys" clothes, cars, vacations etc. off profits of profits and never spend principal! This mans nt worth was well in excess of $350,000,000. I would also recommend three other books; "RICHEST MAN IN BABLYON" by George Clawson, "WEALTH WITHOUT RISK" and "FINANCIAL SELF-DEFENSE" by Charles Givens. Remember, it's not what you make, it's what's left over that counts. If you spend all of your money on your lifestyle, guess what? You'll always have to! Good reading, excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I was very happy to see so many good reviews of this book. I had Prof. Danko in college (Marketing) and bought the book out of curiosity. The book was just as wonderful as Prof. Danko's classes. Now I look at all my neighbors and friends and try to determine who are the ones with $1 million in the bank. I am unfortunately a spender and will now try to change my ways.
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Summary: If you look like "It".... well, then we assume you have "It"
Review: I really enjoyed the book. It taught me lots and gave me a new insight. I jumped over some of the "car by the pound stuff" etc. It was interesting to know that there are many people who try to "LOOK RICH" and yet only have one to two months of salary in their savings. I now look different at the guy in the Porche with the expensive clothing and the watch to match it. Why? Well, because they most likely are UAWs (Under Acheivers of Wealth) trying to impress their neighbor,... you know,.... the neighbor with the construction truck in the driveway,... the Wealthy Guy!
Rating: 
Summary: But is it living?
Review: The basic principles endorsed by the MNDs (live below your means, save, invest, and don't waste your money on ostentation) are sound, and I agree that we'd all be better off if we followed them. On the other hand, there's nothing intrinsically admirable about being a millionaire, and it's possible to follow these principles and still be a scumbag. It's high time we in this country got over our focus on "how much ___ you have" and learned how to LIVE WELL -- and that has more to do with your attitude than your bank balance.
To me, a good life includes meaningful work, solid relationships with your family and friends, participating membership in your community, a rich mental, emotional, and spiritual life, and a living situation that supports all of these. Some MNDs have these, and some don't. I'm far more interested in hearing about people who live well -- whatever the size of their bank balance -- than in many of the self-absorbed, money-obsessed misfits chronicled in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome!
Review: Absolutely the greatest book! They should make classes in colleges to teach thrift. Yes, this book is about basics (like live below your needs, etc.), but in a very inspiring manner. I love this book. Greatly recommend to everyone. But dont forget to enjoy your life ;-)
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING PORTRAIT & INSPIRING HOW-TO!
Review: This is an outstanding book. It brought back the maxims that my late PAW father took with him. More importantly, it reinforced my new beliefs that living well below ones means is a great idea. I just got diagnosed with a serious illness and had I not been living well below my means (50%) then I would be concerned about survivng on my disability and half pay. As the child of a PAW who seriously carried the whole thing too far (after he died I found his "miser file" with articles on how H.L. Hunt brownbagged his lunch, the strange economies of the millionaire inventor of Rubic's Cube", etc.). This made me angry when I was younger and I misspent my youth as an UAW. But what about my PAW dad? I can say that he really enjoyed life. He loved to drive from store to store to save a nickel. The day he got me a car (his last gift) I had to tell him he shouldn't take the bus to the dealership in downtown Los Angeles to save on the gas of bringing two cars home if he was paying cash for the car. What did he do with his scrounged wealth? In addition to threatening his children with: "If you____, I'll cut you out of my will". He gave a tremendous amount to charity and worked tirelessly for causes he believed in. He traveled extensively but lived modestly. Most of all, he was never worried about money. I see all these reviews that castigate people for "wearing sadly out-dated clothes", "driving an old car", etc. Dear friends: If impressing people with your posessions makes you happy - do it and enjoy your UAW standing. But some of we PPAW's (Potential PAW's) prefer the security of knowing we no longer have to worry about daily living because we've re-designed our lives to move from UAW to PPAW. I thank the authors for recreating my dad's wisdom for me so that now when I want to emulate him I have their book to guide me.
Rating: 
Summary: Common Sense leading to Controversial Reactions
Review: Millionaire Next Door is an absolutely excellent recap of the American opportunity. As a Financial Planner in the Chicagoland area, I will definately recommed this book (and lend this book) to all of my clients - young or old. While many of the principles in this book are nothing more than common sense, it is extremely important to see these values in print and supported by first hand data. Was the author's scientific method 100% sound - NO. But it does not matter, this book contains the values that will allow one to create wealth from lack of wealth in this nation, at this time, and in to the immediate future. There is nothing new about the premises of living below your means, not keeping score through leveraged material possessions, saving your money and investing wisely? In order to achieve anything, sacrifice is required. I feel those who are exposed to, but do not endorse, the priciples in this book may be victims of themselves: Sadly lacking the discipline needed to do something which may not always be easy and may not always be fun in order to acheive a higher end goal. One question may remain: What is the fun of being rich if you have to scrimp along the path to achieving your wealth? - because in the end money buys what all of us in America really crave the most - FREEDOM
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but very repetitive and dry.
Review: This book was highly recomended by retirees several of which were prominent professionals and retirees who were examples of the "PAWs'" and "UAW's" described in great detail in the book. Although the infomration was well written, documented and substantiated, I found it to be most repetitive. For example, the charts and statistical summaries were more than adequate to provide a complete picture. To go into a blow by blow discription of all the same datat that was most self explanitory made the reading very repetitive ad dry. Even though the book explained the "first" gneration and "second" generation wealthy, it did not devote enough time or attention to the demographic changes facing our society. Many more seniors with or without accumulated wealth to adequately provide insight into where society is headed. Boom, Bust Echo by David Foote would have been a good cross refernce souce of information.
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Summary: You have missed the point
Review: This book is not about "how to become a millionaire", rather "what the average millionare is all about". I did not buy this book to gleen Buffetologous knowledge--and, to that end, I was not disappointed. I wanted to see the trends. My grandparents have lived the lifestyle of frugality that is touted frequently thoughout the book. They saved when they were younger, and while they valued their children"s educations (and funded them), those children were not constant recipients of "economic outpatient care". The assumption that these two people accumulated for accumulation's sake is erroneous. They travel extensively in their golden years. They have enough money to face (just about) any emergency, seen and unforeseen. They intend to die broke. Their children are not professional heirs, bacause they have been taught BY EXAMPLE how money should be regarded. I, too, as a Gen-Xer, who socks away 20% of my gross, intend to live frugally young (which is a good example for my own kids), and will party when those kids are old enough to cherish me, but no longer need me. May they aspire to great heights as well. If you did not "get it", too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Ebenezer Scrooge Next Door
Review: "You, too, can be an Ebenezer Scrooge!" As far as I'm concerned, that should be the subtitle for this book. Yes, I believe whole-heartedly in living beneath one's means, but not to the point of becoming a miser. MND paints a ghastly picture of someone with a 12-year-old car, sadly outdated clothes, and a puny house in an average neighborhood...but hey, he's clutching a seven-figure bank account balance, so what does he care if he's miserable!! I believe there is a happy medium between one extreme of an overextended spendthrift and the other of a tight-fisted miser declaring "My favorite charity is me!" I know this is possible because I am an example of it- at 26, I sock away 15% (and most windfalls) to my nest egg which is on track to hit a million while I'm in my thirties, yet I also travel and splurge occasionally on little luxuries. I believe in the best of BOTH worlds, but MND seems to purport that this is not possible. Believe me- it is!!
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