BabyBoomersBlueprint

Take Control of Your Destiny or Someone Else Will

Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category

Smart Guys Finish Rich!

Posted by Janet Giacoma On July - 28 - 2009ADD COMMENTS

Feel like you’ve wasted a lot of time in the past and started too late? Borrowed too much and saved too little? No problem, assures best-selling author David Bach, the national best-selling author of “The Automatic Millionaire”! All your problems can be taken care of, provided you’re ready to listen to some sage advice – time-tested and true. And in case you think that’s all a heap of hooey, just grab your copy of Start Late, Finish Rich to overcome all your worries about your future.

Anyone can “Finish Rich”… that’s Bach’s contention in the seventh book of his ‘Finish Rich’ series. And what he prescribes is, “spend less, save more, and make more”. Yes, that’s common sense, but how do you go about it? Bach tells you how, describing various strategies and tactics to accomplish these three core tasks. Bach’s ideas are already quite well-known, but in Start Late, Finish Rich he delivers some solid advice with a detailed task plan. And you don’t have to scrimp and save either. As Bach says, “dealing with debt doesn’t mean putting the rest of your life on hold”.

Following David Bach’s prescription is as simple as it seems to be, if not more! For example, his interesting ‘double latte’ factor guides you on how to take control of all your daily expenditures. This method will automatically boost your savings, simply yet effectively. No matter how late you think it is, all that matters is the decision to start.

In this book, America’s leading money coach David Bach gives you a comprehensive plan that will help you finish rich, even if you’ve been miles away from the starting line all your life. Start Late, Finish Rich underlines clear-cut tangible strategies on how to shape up your life even when you think it’s too late. Overall, an outstanding read. No frills, and undeniably useful.

If you believe your sagging finances can do with some more expert boost, here are a few more financial resources who can help you get your financial act together:

·    Robert T. Kiyosaki – investor, businessman, author, and motivational speaker
·    WMI – Creating success & wealth in others one person at a time
·    Donald Trump – Business magnate, author and television personality
·    Suze Orman – internationally acclaimed personal finance expert

Until next time,  J.

“Take control of your destiny or someone else will”


Live Your Dreams It’s Never Too Late!

Posted by Janet Giacoma On July - 20 - 2009ADD COMMENTS

“All it takes is the decision to start.”

That’s David Bach’s assertion in Start Late, Finish Rich: A No-Fail Plan for Achieving Financial Freedom at Any Age; yet another bestseller from his Finish Rich Book Series. David Bach comes up with a plan to help you finish rich, even if you’ve started late. All it takes is a well-planned approach. The book is inspiring and easy to follow, since all the information is supported with the help of proven financial principles.

A secure financial future is what is aspired for by one and all. It’s also something which often can’t be obtained overnight. It’s time-consuming and requires sustained efforts. However, if you think that you’ve wasted quite a lot of time in the past; you still don’t have to worry about your future. That’s what best-selling author David Bach promises in Start Late, Finish Rich.

David Bach has helped millions in getting their financial acts together. In Start Late, Finish Rich, Bach emphasizes on the concept of ‘Finish Rich’ which can help a lot of people who have been sidetracked by the unexpected challenges of life. Bach’s earlier best-selling books like The Finish Rich Workbook, Smart Couples Finish Rich, The Finish Rich Dictionary, and Smart Women Finish Rich offer personalized mentoring to the readers, focusing on specific solutions. Start Late, Finish Rich teaches you the age-old principles of spending less and saving more – and most importantly, living life to the fullest.

For those of you who are buried in debt, there’s still hope… says Bach. Real estate is one medium through which you can get rich even by starting small! Bach guides you in finding your ‘Latte Factor’, thereby using it to save money which you didn’t know you had. He provides you with worksheets, step-by-step instructions website addresses, and phone numbers which you’d need to initiate your ‘Start Late’ plan right away.

Throughout Start Late, Finish Rich David Bach has shared the stories of ordinary Americans who are now financially free despite having started in their late thirties, forties, fifties, and even sixties. With David Bach at your side, it’s indeed never too late to live all your dreams. Even if you’ve started late, there’s no reason to think that your future is doomed.

As Bach would say, it’s never too late to grab your copy and live the life you’ve been waiting for! If you’re interested in more smart financial advice, try out the following online resources to turn your life around:

·    Mint.com (www.mint.com) – A free web-based personal financial management service
·    WMI (www.TheAbundantAlliance2.com) – Creating success and wealth in others one person at a time
·    Personal Finance Advice (www.pfadvice.com) – Bridging the gap between saving money and investing
·    SavingAdvice.com (www.savingadvice.com) – A personal finance website that teaches you how to invest, save money and pay down debt

Until next time,  J.
“Take control of your destiny or someone else will”


Plan Mini-Retirements by Outsourcing

Posted by Janet Giacoma On July - 3 - 20092 COMMENTS

You might just do a double take when you first hear about Timothy Ferriss’ “revolutionary” book, The 4-Hour Workweek. If that conjures up an image of a magician talking through his hat, rest assured… you’re not alone.

But guess what, cut to the core and Ferriss actually delivers!  Contrary to conjectures, the book is a complete package of path-breaking ideas and examples. It is far from a stale prescription of ‘how to add spice to your life’. Nor does it promote any kind of unfounded ideal. It simply attempts to inspire you, give you ideas on how to automate or outsource boring life tasks, and drive you to come up with products that can drive passive income.

Ferriss has actually tried educating people so that they can become more productive and effective by limiting their workweek. After all, who wouldn’t love to cut back on working and roam all over the world… visit the most wonderful places, and pursue pet hobbies and a host of other recreational activities? The 4-Hour Workweek discusses new and innovative ideas that can help one in doing what he/ she wants to… and at the same time ensure a steady flow of income.

The book also discusses a number of other interesting concepts, such as ‘How to convince your boss to allow you to do your work from home’! Ferriss advocates using the power of globalization, technology and available brainpower to come up with various solutions that can help in simplifying work. He provides the roadmap for your dreams and goals to materialize. Ferriss’ concept of simplifying work is based on the principle of 80/20 (e.g., 80% of revenue is generated by 20% of customers).

The ultimate message conveyed by The 4-Hour Workweek is that, instead of planning a giant retirement at the end of your working life, putting together a bunch of mini-retirements can be much more beneficial and productive. Here’s Ferriss’ recipe for those who’ll have it all, “…the New Rich aims to distribute ‘mini-retirements’ throughout life instead of hoarding the recovery and enjoyment for the fool’s gold of retirement.”

If you’re convinced and want to maximize your life’s potential,  check out Lifehacker and Zen Habits for some excellent time-saving tips and tricks, and simple productivity ideas.  Also, take a look at my post “Timothy Ferriss Says – DEAL With It” for more outsourcing suggestions.

Until next time,  J.

“Take control of your destiny or someone else will”


Timothy Ferriss says – DEAL with it!

Posted by Janet Giacoma On July - 1 - 20091 COMMENT

“Escape the 9 to 5, live anywhere, and join the new rich!”

Big words… And that’s Timothy Ferriss’ promise to you in his ground breaking book The 4-Hour Workweek. As intriguing as its title, the book takes you on a journey of redefining and rediscovering yourself. The 4-Hour Workweek is more than just another self-help guide… it offers you a DEAL that’s almost too good to be true!

Here’s Ferriss’ DEAL for you in a nutshell, based on the four pillars of Definition, Elimination, Automation and Liberation:

  • Define your objectives. Decide what’s most important to you. Set specific goals. Answer the question, “What do I really want?”
  • Eliminate daily distractions to free up your time. Be effective, not efficient. Focus on the most important 20% of what you need to do… simply ignore the rest. Reduce interruptions and chuck out the information overload. And yes, learn to say “No”!
  • Automate your cash flow in order to increase your income. Outsource the mundane tasks in your life — appoint a virtual assistant to take care of daily tasks. Create a business model that runs on auto-pilot.
  • Liberate yourself from all conventional expectations. Think “out of the box”. Design your work to boost mobility, so that you can do your job wherever you are, whenever you want!

All the four aspects of DEAL may seem to be difficult to master, but follow Ferriss’ roadmap and you can accomplish many of the positive results that he promises. A perfect blend of all the four components of DEAL can help you live your life in a way that is both self-sustaining and fulfilling.

Pearls of wisdom:
Timothy Ferriss has developed a knack for shattering conventional wisdom every step of the way in The 4-Hour Workweek. Here are a few nuggets for you to chew on:

  • Ask yourself, “If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?”
  • Learn the art of non-finishing. This is all about the sunk cost fallacy: just because you paid $10 to see Pirates of the Caribbean 3 doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to watch the entire thing.
  • If you can’t define it or act upon it, forget it.
  • Life exists to be enjoyed — the most important thing is to feel good about yourself.

If you’re interested in outsourcing your life just like Ferriss suggests, here’s a handy list of online marketplaces where you can find the perfect virtual assistant for you:

1.    www.elance.com
2.    www.odesk.com
3.    www.scriptlance.com
4.    www.ework.com
5.    www.guru.com
6.    www.freelancers.net
7.    www.getafreelancer.com
8.    www.allfreelancework.com
9.    www.project4hire.com
10.  www.contractedwork.com
11.   www.getacoder.com
12.   www.rentacoder.com
13.   www.staffinseconds.com

Until next time,  J.

“Take control of your destiny or someone else will”