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Rating: 
Summary: Good Investing Section
Review: I am a recently divorced mother of two and didn't have a clue about investing. I read this book because it was written by real people who aren't financial experts. I guess I thought I might be able to understand it and that it would deal with issues I face. I was right. I liked the book and have loaned it to my sister and she likes it too. It's a quick read and it held my attention throughout. Now I'll need to start reading some of the other books recommended in this book. Thank you Tooheys, for sharing your experiences and showing me how it's done.
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Summary: good book for some, not for others
Review: I am so surprised people liked this book! The advice was so obvious and simple--who doesn't know this? There was much useless info--how to organize your bathroom, don't spank your kids...what does that have to do with finances? I returned my copy because it was in poor condition but I would have tossed it anyway.
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Summary: Common sense living in a non-sensical age
Review: I find myself returning to this book periodically for inspiration. You don't have to be a wage slave forever. If you are willing to live well within (or drastically under) your means, you can accumulate enough wealth to chart your own course in life. The Tooheys give a number of concrete examples of ways to cut expenses. They also call into question a number of the assumptions we make as a result of our brainwashing by modern media. For example: Why does a family really need more than one full bath in a house? To someone fully immersed in our culture's consumer rat-race, the Tooheys are going to seem a bit radical. We are all a bit too accustomed to focusing on convenience and immediacy rather than long term cost. Try to keep an open mind and remember that the best things in life can't be found in a shopping mall.
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Summary: Wonderful and real
Review: I have been on a true quest to educate myself and my husband about finances. We need to plan for retirement and still be able to enjoy this stage of our life too. I have read a lot books and talked to several experts and was always left with the "too late, too bad" feeling. This book was so well thought out and the advise so "doable" I feel I have at last found the proper tool to get (and keep) our financial life in the order I have been looking for all this time. This is a real treasure of information presented in such a friendly format even my hesiatant husband read it cover to cover. My husband has stayed away from all the other books I have read because he did not want to be scolded or dictated to, this book is like having a long talk with that favorite uncle ----information but not judgements or unreal suggestions. Thank you Bill and Mary!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent ideas on saving and early retirement
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the book which gives new ideas about how to handle family finances so that a job doesn't take priority over your freedom and family. In answer to a previous reviewer who wondered how their investments faired in the bear market, according to the book they invested in Vanguard index bond funds which are based on secure bonds like the US treasury bonds so I suspect that they still have their money and some extra as well.
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Summary: Average Family with Above Average AdviceIf
Review: If you ever wonder whether anyone really follows the advice in financial magazines, read this book. Bill and Mary Toohey were avid readers of MONEY but wrote to the editors, suggesting that their advice didn't help families with several kids and a modest income. The editors asked the Tooheys for their best financial tips. This book includes the Toohey family strategy for saving and investing and also for recognizing the importance of traditional family values. The book includes sound and simple advice that works for everyone. The Tooheys write for the majority of Americans who recognize they will never be millionaires.
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Summary: Exactly What I Needed
Review: This book was easy to read, interesting, and tells me what I need to know to achieve financial freedom. I plan to recommend it to friends and family. If you want freedom and don't know where to start, buy this book.
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Summary: end of the bull market?
Review: We've been budgeting, investing and paying off debt for a few years, but we've been anxious to speed the process up and start accumulating real wealth. This book was amazing, because it did several things for us:
(1) It got us motivated! We realized we didn't have a definition of financial freedom, or any goals set. We just wanted to "get out of debt", whereas now we say "we want to be out of debt by the time we're 45". Without a goal or plan we had no light at the end of the tunnel! Now it's there.
(2) We learned a few new things. For example, we'd always built a certain percentage of savings into our budget. We were putting a cap on our savings! Instead, we should constantly be looking at ways to lower our spending, which will automatically produce higher levels of saving and investing.
(3) We learned we didn't have to feel guilty about not wanting to "skimp". Our family of 5 likes to eat out--at McDonald's or Friendly's. Nothing fancy. But we always felt guilty. Well, the Tooheys showed us that you can still enjoy life while living below your means. Same goes for hiring a decorator!
(4) Last but not least, we got a great bibliography of books to read, that will hopefully fine-tune what we already know. Bill and Mary, we can't thank you enough for your insights. You wrote the book as if we were sitting across the table from you, and it sure felt that way. Now we really feel as though we can be financially free, worry less, and give/spend our money as we wish and God directs. Thanks!
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