Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever

By Jean Chatzky

Book Overview

Get Rich, Don't Bitch "I don't have time to deal with my money." "Managing money and investing is too intimidating." "I'm not a numbers person." "My husband takes care of our finances." "I'm just not good with money." Jean Chatzky has heard all the excuses for why women don't deal with their finances. She used to make them herself. For the first time, Jean tells you how she made every financial mistake in the book-not paying her bills, going into credit card debt, letting her 401(k) lapse-before finally making the decision to take control of her money and her future. Whether you've made these mistakes or you want to avoid them, if you're ready to take charge of your financial life then this is the book for you. In it, Jean shares these valuables lessons: Where to start How to decode financial jargon (it's easier than you think) How to get over your "I'm not smart enough to deal with money" feelings Why being a "good-enough investor" will make you more money in the long-term (while trying to be a "great investor" will drive you crazy) Why you might think you are bad at math, and why that doesn't have to be true How (and where) to save your money Why women make better investors-and higher returns-than men Jean is famous for her ability to explain money and investing. In a clear and accessible way, she breaks down all the scariest parts of dealing with money-from investing in stocks to saving for your retirement-to make them doable, easy, and yes, even enjoyable. She also includes throughout a "Map to a Million," great tips on easy and quick financial changes you can make immediately . . . that really add up! Are You Ready to Be Rich? If you want to get rich, if you want to be wealthier than you are today, you really need to do only four things. That's right, just four things. You need to make a decent living You need to spend less than you make You need to invest the money you don't spend so that it can work as hard for you as you're working for yourself And you need to protect yourself and this financial world you've built so that a disaster-big or small-doesn't take it all away from you Everything else is just window-dressing. The fees-and how to avoid them. The advisors-and how to hire them. The deals. The scams. The ins. The outs. They are all interesting. Some of them are even quite important. But until you have conquered the heart of the matter, they are all minutia. The four cornerstones, by contrast, are the meat and potatoes of your financial life. If you do those things today, you'll start getting rich tomorrow. And once you feel set financially, you'll be able to start focusing on the truly important things in life. -from the Introduction From the Hardcover edition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307341526
• ISBN13: 9780307341525
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Crown Business
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Necessary book for the beginner money manager!

If you like Jean Chatzky's approach to handling money on The Today Show, then you'll like having this book as part of an introduction to managing money. She walks the reader through the process of understanding money and how to make it work for you. She also gets to the basics of understanding math (calculating interest, percentages, decimals, etc)in general which is great for the person who suffers from math anxiety. Jean Chatzky demystifies the abstract, the fear of money, the idea that if you haven't taken courses in economics, business or finance, you won't ever figure any of this "money stuff" out. She makes women "get" what many people may not want us to "get". It is empowering. Thank you, Jean.

Make Money Not Excuses

I really enjoyed this book. It is basic money management. It was easy reading and gave some great tips. I shared a lot of the information with my 25 year old son. It reinforced what I already knew about money management. I highly recommend it for beginners, people in debt or those that don't have a plan for the future. I believe we have to make our own retirement funds because in todays world every job is a temp job so it will be hard to earn a retirement fund.

Make Money, Not Excluses:Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever

This is a well-written, informative, resource for women. Definately a great learning tool and valuable resource for your library. I bought this book for my daughter and ended reading it first for myself. So I ended up buying another for me. I bought this book after listening to the author speak on Oprah and Friends XM radio show. She was impressive and had excellent financial advice. It was a good choice.

A Shopaholic's Dream, Come True!

To say this book is written for females from a feminine perspective is a misnomer. While that may be true, it is also undeniable -- anyone reading this book will benefit from the author's practical and realistic advice. The entire book can be summed up in the four recommendations everyone can and should do to have financial solvency. Readers will enjoy and appreciate how the author compares things we do in our daily lives ( i.e., organize the closet) to be more efficient , as guidelines to get our financial house in order. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it for all women (and men) looking to become financially independent -- and have fun while doing it! Reggie Johnson, author, How to Close More Customers

Another straightforward financial book by Chatzky

Jean Chatzby has a special knack for reaching the average consumer and clarifying seemingly complex, frightening or confusing financial topics. Much of what she covers SHOULD be taught at home or in school but, if consumer spending patterns are any indication, people aren't picking up the information before adulthood...for whatever reason. This book, as the title implies, will help those who feel overwhelmed and fearful of handling their money. I've watched her on television and read her online columns as well as other books and I really like her newest book. The book addresses these topics and more: 1. The importance of saving regularly, no matter how little. 2. How even small changes in spending patterns can make a HUGE difference. 3. Getting on top of debt, including credit card debt. 4. Retirement planning. 5. Taking the fear out of investing and showing that one does not have to be a stock market whiz to accumulate savings through investing. Even an amateur with the right portfolio balance can achieve nice, steady gains. 6. The basics of home finance and financial literacy, broken down into a few simple steps.