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I must admit when I first picked this book up I was skeptical.
A quick scan of the table of contents revealed much the same topic areas covered in Bach's earlier books.
It looked like so much repackaging.
Reading deeper however revealed that this book really does offer something different than the past editions.
If you have not read the past editions that may not matter to you.
If you have read any of his past material you will find this material familiar but different enough to justify your time.
Bach uses the same basic principles here that he has used in all his books.
However he adds relevant information to address the fear and sense of helplessness that many have felt since the economic downturn late in the past decade and offers a few new ideas to help people respond.
This book provides a roadmap for someone who has never used his methods in the past as well as those who may have been doing the right things and yet got hit by the downturn.
You can sum up Bach's method fairly simply: clearly understand your finances and manage them consistently and carefully; eliminate credit card debt; create an automatic savings system; eliminate unnecessary expenses (his Latte Factor) to free up money for saving and investing and then save and invest with an eye on the long term rather than worrying about shorter term market fluctuations.
Bach is a market optimist and essentially tells us that the worst is over, following every black cloud is a rainbow and you can invest now at bargain prices.
This book is worth the read unless you are independently wealthy and managing your funds without any concerns or losses.
It is a good check list of the basic things we all should be doing to marry the correct level of sensible frugality with sound investing.
It is also a shot of hope and optimism in what has been a bleak financial environment.
Bach then finishes with a personal "start over" story that inspires and instructs, but I wont ruin that for you - you need to read the book.
Readability/Writing Quality: This book is very readable.
He uses lots of illustrations and stories and breaks blocks of text up with sub headings and text boxes.
Notes on Author: David Bach is a prolific author with over 7 million book sales among his eleven books starting with the Automatic Millionaire.
He is now often on television and makes many public appearances.
He is a renowned seminar speaker and financial author.
Three Great Ideas You Can Use: 1.
You cannot give up on your financial plan even when significant setbacks occur.
You must remain vigilant and persistent.
2.
Adhering to basic principles, such as making your hard decisions automatic, is a key to success in long term saving and investing.
3.
There are many on line resources to help you in this effort.
The book contains many of them and suggests where to find many more.
Publication Information: Start Over, Finish Rich by David Bach (c)2009 David Bach Published by Broadway Books Rating for this Book: Over All Rating: Very Good Writing Style: Easy to follow Usefulness: Very useful Difficulty: Not difficult to understand or apply
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