How to Avoid Financial Tangles

1 responses to How to Avoid Financial Tangles

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  Alan Mazer

  Comment on How to Avoid Financial Tangles (October 29th, 2010 at 21:37)

  Someone gave me this book used, and to be honest, just looking at the cover, I wasn’t impressed. It’s just a boring looking book, with a paper binding and a rather boring title. My first thought was to just drop it into the recycling bin and forget about it. It definitely has little to no “curb appeal”.

  That said, I was curious. I’ve never felt “entangled”. Am I about to be? Might I regret not reading this book? So I opened it up and started thumbing through it. If you’re a middle-aged adult such as myself, who’s already bought a house and car and and insurance, has written a will or two, has credit card accounts, has experienced the court system in some fashion, and has some basic investments, you won’t find anything earth-shattering here. You’ve probably learned everything in this book already, the hard way. But if you’re younger and just starting out, or if you’re perhaps an immigrant unfamiliar with how some of these issues work in this country, you probably owe it to yourself to get this thing and read it.

  What it is is a very comprehensive and surprisingly unbiased description of all of the financial issues you’re likely to face. The text of the book has no more flair or excitement than the cover. I can’t imagine sitting down and reading this cover to cover, even though it’s not all that long. But there’s an incredible amount of good advice here, on a wide variety of topics, from the most basic information on taxes, property rights and investments, to hiring contractors, minimizing financial risk through various types of insurance, handling disputes, protecting your privacy and credit, and establishing wills and trusts. In some cases the book offers clear and straightforward advice; in other cases it covers both sides of a contentious issue (e.g., whether you need a trust to avoid probate) and tells you what you need to do to figure out the answer for your personal situation.

  In short, I’m really impressed with this book. Despite the lack of sexiness to the title, cover or text, what it does provide, clear, unbiased financial savvy, is rare and invaluable.
  Rating: 5 / 5