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I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works
The groundbreaking NEW YORK TIMES and WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER that taught a generation how to earn more, save more, and live a rich life—now in a revised 2nd edition.
Buy as many lattes as you want. Choose the right accounts and investments so your money grows for you—automatically. Best of all, spend guilt-free on the things you love.
Personal finance expert Ramit Sethi has been called a “wealth wizard” by Forbes and the “new guru on the block” by Fortune. Now he’s updated and expanded his modern money classic for a new age, delivering a simple, powerful, no-BS 6-week program that just works.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich will show you:
• How to crush your debt and student loans faster than you thought possible
• How to set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts that won’t gouge you for every penny
• How Ramit automates his finances so his money goes exactly where he wants it to—and how you can do it too
• How to talk your way out of late fees (with word-for-word scripts)
• How to save hundreds or even thousands per month (and still buy what you love)
• A set-it-and-forget-it investment strategy that’s dead simple and beats financial advisors at their own game
• How to handle buying a car or a house, paying for a wedding, having kids, and other big expenses—stress free
• The exact words to use to negotiate a big raise at work
Plus, this 10th anniversary edition features over 80 new pages, including:
• New tools
• New insights on money and psychology
• Amazing stories of how previous readers used the book to create their rich lives
Master your money—and then get on with your life.
Buy as many lattes as you want. Choose the right accounts and investments so your money grows for you—automatically. Best of all, spend guilt-free on the things you love.
Personal finance expert Ramit Sethi has been called a “wealth wizard” by Forbes and the “new guru on the block” by Fortune. Now he’s updated and expanded his modern money classic for a new age, delivering a simple, powerful, no-BS 6-week program that just works.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich will show you:
• How to crush your debt and student loans faster than you thought possible
• How to set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts that won’t gouge you for every penny
• How Ramit automates his finances so his money goes exactly where he wants it to—and how you can do it too
• How to talk your way out of late fees (with word-for-word scripts)
• How to save hundreds or even thousands per month (and still buy what you love)
• A set-it-and-forget-it investment strategy that’s dead simple and beats financial advisors at their own game
• How to handle buying a car or a house, paying for a wedding, having kids, and other big expenses—stress free
• The exact words to use to negotiate a big raise at work
Plus, this 10th anniversary edition features over 80 new pages, including:
• New tools
• New insights on money and psychology
• Amazing stories of how previous readers used the book to create their rich lives
Master your money—and then get on with your life.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Ramit Sethi
40 books769 followersRamit Sethi is New York Times best-selling author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. His blog, iwillteachyoutoberich.com, hosts over 300,000 readers every month. He co-founded PBwiki and graduated from Stanford, where he studied technology and psychology. He lives in San Francisco, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,235 reviews
October 26, 2021
This is definitely the best personal finance book I've read so far. It's a logical, step-by-step, practical handbook for financial success, specially written for twenty-somethings. It was better than the personal finance books I've read by Eric Tyson, Andrew Tobias, Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, and Robert Kiyosaki.
Sethi gives advice on “automatically enabling yourself to save, invest, and spend - enjoying it, not feeling guilty...because you’re spending only what you have.” His main point: automate your finances so you effortlessly save and invest, leaving you money to spend on things you love without feeling guilty. Automatic saving and investing helps overcome psychological barriers and laziness.
In addition to his emphasis on automation, I agreed with Sethi’s recommendation for long-term, passive, buy-and-hold investing instead of speculative, market-timing investing. I also liked Sethi’s 85 Percent Solution, which states that it's better to act and get it 85% right than to do 0%; sometimes good enough is good enough, and it’s always better than doing nothing.
Another good message is "spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don't." That's valuable because everyone defines being "rich" differently, and it's not all about money. Money is just the tool we use to acquire the material possessions and experiences we want. That's the difference between being cheap and being frugal; being cheap is trying to cut spending on everything, and being frugal is cutting costs on the things you don't care about so that you can splurge on the things you do.
I liked the concept of making a Conscious Spending Plan instead of a budget. Almost no one actually makes a budget, and even fewer follow it. Instead, consciously decide how you'll spend your money. I especially like this idea of guilt-free spending, because too often the recommendation is to limit all spending. But people in their 20s want to live it up, not sit at home and pinch every penny! The Conscious Spending Plan lets you spend a certain percentage of your money on whatever you want, without feeling guilty, since you’re paying yourself and your bills first.
The book is written in the form of a 6-week action plan. Each chapter describes the tasks and reasoning behind them, and ends with a checklist of steps to take. Here are the weeks:
Week 1: Credit Cards. Check your credit, pick a good credit card, set up automatic payments, pay off debt.
Week 2: Bank Accounts. Open or assess your checking account, open and fund a high-interest savings account.
Week 3: Investing Accounts. Open a 401(k), make a plan to pay off debt, open a Roth IRA and set up automatic payment.
Week 4: Conscious Spending. Create a Conscious Spending Plan, track spending, and cut in the right places.
Week 5: Automatic Money Flows. List and link accounts, then set up an Automatic Money Flow to automatically fund the 4 categories of your Conscious Spending Plan.
Week 6: Investing Choices. Figure out your investing style, research investments, and buy funds.
The book gives a fairly in-depth explanation of the concepts and fundamentals of personal finance, but also contains plenty of examples of actual bank accounts and funds. There are many references to the 2008 recession and other current events, so those parts of the book won't age well.
This is my new #1 recommendation for anyone seeking personal finance advice.
Notes
Personal Finance Ladder
Rung 1: invest enough in 401(k) to get company match
Rung 2: pay off debt
Rung 3: invest as much as possible in Roth IRA
Rung 4: put more into 401(k), as much as possible
Rung 5: invest in non-retirement (taxable) account
Conscious Spending Plan recommended percentages (save and invest more if possible)
50-60% on fixed costs
10% on long-term investments
5-10% on savings goals
20-35% on guilt-free spending
Investing
Use target-date funds or index funds.
Invest aggressively in retirement accounts, since retirement is so distant.
Recommended financial institutions: Vanguard, T. Rowe, Schwab
Rebalance every 12-18 months by investing more in underperforming assets (not selling outperforming assets).
Hold tax-inefficient (income-generating) assets like bonds in tax-advantaged accounts.
Hold tax-efficient assets like index funds in taxable accounts.
Choose funds based on:
1. expense ratio
2. asset allocation
3. 10-15 year return
Model your portfolio after David Swenson’s Yale Endowment portfolio:
30% US stocks
15% developed international stocks
5% emerging market stocks
20% REITs
15% government bonds
15% TIPS
Buying a house
Houses are a poor investment compared to stocks; they’ve historically returned 0% after inflation.
Before buying a house, determine the total monthly payment including mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. It should be less than 30% of your gross monthly income.
The total house price should be less than 3 times your annual gross income.
Buy a house only if you can live in it for 10 years.
Make a 20% down payment and get a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
Additional notes
Use savings for goals less than 5 years away.
Set your accounts for automatic deferrals, transfers, and payments to automatically direct money into retirement accounts, savings, bills, and a spending allowance.
Negotiate a higher total compensation (salary plus benefits) by researching compensation for comparable jobs and proving the value you bring to the company.
Sethi gives advice on “automatically enabling yourself to save, invest, and spend - enjoying it, not feeling guilty...because you’re spending only what you have.” His main point: automate your finances so you effortlessly save and invest, leaving you money to spend on things you love without feeling guilty. Automatic saving and investing helps overcome psychological barriers and laziness.
In addition to his emphasis on automation, I agreed with Sethi’s recommendation for long-term, passive, buy-and-hold investing instead of speculative, market-timing investing. I also liked Sethi’s 85 Percent Solution, which states that it's better to act and get it 85% right than to do 0%; sometimes good enough is good enough, and it’s always better than doing nothing.
Another good message is "spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don't." That's valuable because everyone defines being "rich" differently, and it's not all about money. Money is just the tool we use to acquire the material possessions and experiences we want. That's the difference between being cheap and being frugal; being cheap is trying to cut spending on everything, and being frugal is cutting costs on the things you don't care about so that you can splurge on the things you do.
I liked the concept of making a Conscious Spending Plan instead of a budget. Almost no one actually makes a budget, and even fewer follow it. Instead, consciously decide how you'll spend your money. I especially like this idea of guilt-free spending, because too often the recommendation is to limit all spending. But people in their 20s want to live it up, not sit at home and pinch every penny! The Conscious Spending Plan lets you spend a certain percentage of your money on whatever you want, without feeling guilty, since you’re paying yourself and your bills first.
The book is written in the form of a 6-week action plan. Each chapter describes the tasks and reasoning behind them, and ends with a checklist of steps to take. Here are the weeks:
Week 1: Credit Cards. Check your credit, pick a good credit card, set up automatic payments, pay off debt.
Week 2: Bank Accounts. Open or assess your checking account, open and fund a high-interest savings account.
Week 3: Investing Accounts. Open a 401(k), make a plan to pay off debt, open a Roth IRA and set up automatic payment.
Week 4: Conscious Spending. Create a Conscious Spending Plan, track spending, and cut in the right places.
Week 5: Automatic Money Flows. List and link accounts, then set up an Automatic Money Flow to automatically fund the 4 categories of your Conscious Spending Plan.
Week 6: Investing Choices. Figure out your investing style, research investments, and buy funds.
The book gives a fairly in-depth explanation of the concepts and fundamentals of personal finance, but also contains plenty of examples of actual bank accounts and funds. There are many references to the 2008 recession and other current events, so those parts of the book won't age well.
This is my new #1 recommendation for anyone seeking personal finance advice.
Notes
Personal Finance Ladder
Rung 1: invest enough in 401(k) to get company match
Rung 2: pay off debt
Rung 3: invest as much as possible in Roth IRA
Rung 4: put more into 401(k), as much as possible
Rung 5: invest in non-retirement (taxable) account
Conscious Spending Plan recommended percentages (save and invest more if possible)
50-60% on fixed costs
10% on long-term investments
5-10% on savings goals
20-35% on guilt-free spending
Investing
Use target-date funds or index funds.
Invest aggressively in retirement accounts, since retirement is so distant.
Recommended financial institutions: Vanguard, T. Rowe, Schwab
Rebalance every 12-18 months by investing more in underperforming assets (not selling outperforming assets).
Hold tax-inefficient (income-generating) assets like bonds in tax-advantaged accounts.
Hold tax-efficient assets like index funds in taxable accounts.
Choose funds based on:
1. expense ratio
2. asset allocation
3. 10-15 year return
Model your portfolio after David Swenson’s Yale Endowment portfolio:
30% US stocks
15% developed international stocks
5% emerging market stocks
20% REITs
15% government bonds
15% TIPS
Buying a house
Houses are a poor investment compared to stocks; they’ve historically returned 0% after inflation.
Before buying a house, determine the total monthly payment including mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. It should be less than 30% of your gross monthly income.
The total house price should be less than 3 times your annual gross income.
Buy a house only if you can live in it for 10 years.
Make a 20% down payment and get a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
Additional notes
Use savings for goals less than 5 years away.
Set your accounts for automatic deferrals, transfers, and payments to automatically direct money into retirement accounts, savings, bills, and a spending allowance.
Negotiate a higher total compensation (salary plus benefits) by researching compensation for comparable jobs and proving the value you bring to the company.
March 13, 2010
I tried summarizing the main things to learn at:
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfp2hx...
I've pasted the most important bits below, but for a lot more (hopefully useful) info, check out the linked doc.
The Overall Gist: This book is about how to manage your money, particularly for young people (20's). It's about the 85% solution: most young people don't manage their money because they believe they have to be experts, but what actually matters is getting started NOW, even it's only 85% right.
6-Week Program
Week 1: Optimize your credit cards and use them responsibly to build good credit.
Week 2: Set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts.
Week 3: Open a 401(k) and Roth IRA.
Week 4: Figure out how much you're spending and where, then create a Conscious Spending Plan and optimize your spending to make your money go where you want it to go.
Week 5: Automate your new financial infrastructure so bills are automatically paid and money is automatically saved and invested.
Week 6: Learn how to get the most out of the market with very little work. It's not about picking stocks, it's about investing in index funds: either a lifecycle fund or a set of index funds that fits your ideal asset allocation.
The Ladder of Personal Finance: A summary of prioritized steps on how to invest
- If your employer offers a 401(k) match, invest to take full advantage of it (but not more). It's free money.
- Pay off your credit card and any other debt. Pay off the debt with the highest APR first. Note that for low-interest debt, instead of paying it off beyond the minimum, you may want to invest instead (i.e. the following ladder rungs)
- Open up a Roth IRA and contribute as much as possible (if your income is $101,000 or less in 2009, this is $5000).
- Continue contributing to your 401(k). The current limit is $15,500.
- Open a regular nonretirement account and put as much as possible there. Also consider investing in yourself.
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfp2hx...
I've pasted the most important bits below, but for a lot more (hopefully useful) info, check out the linked doc.
The Overall Gist: This book is about how to manage your money, particularly for young people (20's). It's about the 85% solution: most young people don't manage their money because they believe they have to be experts, but what actually matters is getting started NOW, even it's only 85% right.
6-Week Program
Week 1: Optimize your credit cards and use them responsibly to build good credit.
Week 2: Set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts.
Week 3: Open a 401(k) and Roth IRA.
Week 4: Figure out how much you're spending and where, then create a Conscious Spending Plan and optimize your spending to make your money go where you want it to go.
Week 5: Automate your new financial infrastructure so bills are automatically paid and money is automatically saved and invested.
Week 6: Learn how to get the most out of the market with very little work. It's not about picking stocks, it's about investing in index funds: either a lifecycle fund or a set of index funds that fits your ideal asset allocation.
The Ladder of Personal Finance: A summary of prioritized steps on how to invest
- If your employer offers a 401(k) match, invest to take full advantage of it (but not more). It's free money.
- Pay off your credit card and any other debt. Pay off the debt with the highest APR first. Note that for low-interest debt, instead of paying it off beyond the minimum, you may want to invest instead (i.e. the following ladder rungs)
- Open up a Roth IRA and contribute as much as possible (if your income is $101,000 or less in 2009, this is $5000).
- Continue contributing to your 401(k). The current limit is $15,500.
- Open a regular nonretirement account and put as much as possible there. Also consider investing in yourself.
June 3, 2010
While I don’t agree with everything he said, I do agree with some of the things he talks about. I personally found the investment chapters worth reading as I didn’t know very much and he lined out what my options were and explained what they were in a clear and fun way. The entire thing about using a credit card for everything to get points and other “benefits” doesn’t quite work for me, but it may for him. I don’t know anybody who has ever gotten rich because they received points from credit card purchases.
I would read this book along with Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover to compare the two. With both in hand, you should get started off on the right path.
A few notes while I read this book:
- Ramit talks specifically to people who think they need never to borrow money. His response? “Maybe you don’t today, but in three or four years, you might need to start thinking about a wedding or a house. What about cars? Vacations? Those ridiculous baby cribs that cost $7,000? And it goes on and on. Please don’t scoff or dismiss what you just read. One of the key differences between rich people and everyone else is that rich people plan before they need to plan.” My response? Really? You need to borrow money to go on vacation? To get married? To buy a baby crib? A car even? Maybe a house, but none of the others. Ramit did get one thing right, rich people DO plan before they need to plan by saving cash, by planning out the purchase of a car by saving a certain amount monthly, by saying they want to go to a cruise next year and it costing $1200, so they save $100/month to do it. That baby crib? you know at least 8-9 months in advance you will be needing one, and I don’t know ANYBODY who spends $7,000 on a baby crib, especially those who DON’T HAVE THE MONEY. Wow… Sorry about that. I had to go on a rant. Ramit argues that credit is king, but it doesn’t do anything for you when you’re going into debt to go on vacation and paying interest back at 7% (because of your good credit) as opposed to 14%. Why go in the first place?
- Ramit enlightened me to something I really didn’t know how to do before. I knew it was possible, but didn’t know it was doable. To opt out of all your pre-approved credit card offers you receive in the mail, go here: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ and put in your information. Right when I read this, I did it immediately.
- One thing I absolutely love about this book is to simply get started. Just do SOMETHING rather than be paralyzed by not knowing what to do and how to do it. You’ll learn over time. Start investing TODAY. Start paying off your debt with whatever you’ve got TODAY.
- Conscious spending. This is exactly what my budget has become. Yes, I still know exactly what I’m spending money on each month so that we can plan for the future and have those needs taken care of (tuition, books, summer trips, etc.). Budgeting/conscious spending is simply to stop spending money on something you don’t care too much about and spending LOTS of money on the things you love. If you love eating out, there’s no reason not to spend money on that as long as you don’t go into debt for it and have already saved and invested!
- Investing chapters lead to sound advice for those who want to invest, but don’t have the time to look at all of the many different mutual funds, index funds and stocks. It helped me understand the difference between mutual funds, index funds, and LIFECYCLE or TARGET RETIREMENT accounts. Good advice for basics.
I would read this book along with Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover to compare the two. With both in hand, you should get started off on the right path.
A few notes while I read this book:
- Ramit talks specifically to people who think they need never to borrow money. His response? “Maybe you don’t today, but in three or four years, you might need to start thinking about a wedding or a house. What about cars? Vacations? Those ridiculous baby cribs that cost $7,000? And it goes on and on. Please don’t scoff or dismiss what you just read. One of the key differences between rich people and everyone else is that rich people plan before they need to plan.” My response? Really? You need to borrow money to go on vacation? To get married? To buy a baby crib? A car even? Maybe a house, but none of the others. Ramit did get one thing right, rich people DO plan before they need to plan by saving cash, by planning out the purchase of a car by saving a certain amount monthly, by saying they want to go to a cruise next year and it costing $1200, so they save $100/month to do it. That baby crib? you know at least 8-9 months in advance you will be needing one, and I don’t know ANYBODY who spends $7,000 on a baby crib, especially those who DON’T HAVE THE MONEY. Wow… Sorry about that. I had to go on a rant. Ramit argues that credit is king, but it doesn’t do anything for you when you’re going into debt to go on vacation and paying interest back at 7% (because of your good credit) as opposed to 14%. Why go in the first place?
- Ramit enlightened me to something I really didn’t know how to do before. I knew it was possible, but didn’t know it was doable. To opt out of all your pre-approved credit card offers you receive in the mail, go here: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ and put in your information. Right when I read this, I did it immediately.
- One thing I absolutely love about this book is to simply get started. Just do SOMETHING rather than be paralyzed by not knowing what to do and how to do it. You’ll learn over time. Start investing TODAY. Start paying off your debt with whatever you’ve got TODAY.
- Conscious spending. This is exactly what my budget has become. Yes, I still know exactly what I’m spending money on each month so that we can plan for the future and have those needs taken care of (tuition, books, summer trips, etc.). Budgeting/conscious spending is simply to stop spending money on something you don’t care too much about and spending LOTS of money on the things you love. If you love eating out, there’s no reason not to spend money on that as long as you don’t go into debt for it and have already saved and invested!
- Investing chapters lead to sound advice for those who want to invest, but don’t have the time to look at all of the many different mutual funds, index funds and stocks. It helped me understand the difference between mutual funds, index funds, and LIFECYCLE or TARGET RETIREMENT accounts. Good advice for basics.
February 6, 2011
The financial advice is mostly sound, but the tone and attitude is pretty annoying: it's aimed toward adults with the emotional maturity of 13-year-olds and features lots of unfunny jokes about hot blondes. Do. Not. Want.
July 27, 2015
I've never wanted to give a book 2 stars so badly. As a warm blooded, heterosexual male - the obnoxiousness and irrelevance of Ramit's frequent fratboy asides is really grating. I'm sure he has some kind of "gotta break some eggs to make an omelette" rationale, but buyer beware. You're going to read some shit that sounds like Tucker Max, minus the funny.
THAT SAID - I gave the book 4 stars.
Why? If you don't have your finances in order, Ramit gives you a clear, actionable plan on what to do, what order to do it in, and which vendors to use. This book is supremely actionable, and the only reason you wouldn't get your finances in order after reading it is because you simply don't give a shit, not because you don't know what to do.
The investment portion of this book is VERY 101 (maybe 100). If you're at the point where your credit, expenses, etc., are in order and you want to think more about making your money work for you, I'd recommend Tony Robbins "Money: Master the Game." It contains ~10 interviews with the leading minds in finance and investing, giving much better coverage of a complex subject and makes cases for various portfolio strategies.
All of this said, I did organize my finances according to Ramit's advice, so I have to thank him/give him credit for that. It feels like a major adult accomplishment and weight off my shoulders.
I wish someone would write a better written version of the same information so I can buy lots of copies and donate them to high schools. This is simultaneously required reading and utter dog shit, irony be damned.
THAT SAID - I gave the book 4 stars.
Why? If you don't have your finances in order, Ramit gives you a clear, actionable plan on what to do, what order to do it in, and which vendors to use. This book is supremely actionable, and the only reason you wouldn't get your finances in order after reading it is because you simply don't give a shit, not because you don't know what to do.
The investment portion of this book is VERY 101 (maybe 100). If you're at the point where your credit, expenses, etc., are in order and you want to think more about making your money work for you, I'd recommend Tony Robbins "Money: Master the Game." It contains ~10 interviews with the leading minds in finance and investing, giving much better coverage of a complex subject and makes cases for various portfolio strategies.
All of this said, I did organize my finances according to Ramit's advice, so I have to thank him/give him credit for that. It feels like a major adult accomplishment and weight off my shoulders.
I wish someone would write a better written version of the same information so I can buy lots of copies and donate them to high schools. This is simultaneously required reading and utter dog shit, irony be damned.
January 22, 2022
If you can overlook Sethi's douchy tone and hot-blonde jokes, there's some pretty solid advice in there. A better written version of the same book would have bagged 5 stars easily.
Still, worth a read.
***
35% in and this fratboy has only managed to make me mad 😶
***
Well Mr.Sethi, let's see if you're gonna make me rich 🤑
Still, worth a read.
***
35% in and this fratboy has only managed to make me mad 😶
***
Well Mr.Sethi, let's see if you're gonna make me rich 🤑
March 11, 2018
It's not that his advice is bad. His tone is just infuriating...
May 6, 2013
Don't let my star rating mislead you. You should read this book. The advice is very good and clear.
I just can't honestly say I loved it, because I found the author's examples of what it means to be rich (repeated references to being fed grapes, etc, by lovely younger women) to be off-putting. Also, the layout is terrible. The flow of chapters are continually interrupted by smaller stand-alone sections, which should have been better placed so you wouldn't have to choose between interrupting the paragraph you've begun or remembering to go back when you've finished reading it.
Once again, you should read this book. It's very straightforward and practical, and removes much of the mystery around saving and investing. I wish I had read it younger and put it into practice sooner.
I just can't honestly say I loved it, because I found the author's examples of what it means to be rich (repeated references to being fed grapes, etc, by lovely younger women) to be off-putting. Also, the layout is terrible. The flow of chapters are continually interrupted by smaller stand-alone sections, which should have been better placed so you wouldn't have to choose between interrupting the paragraph you've begun or remembering to go back when you've finished reading it.
Once again, you should read this book. It's very straightforward and practical, and removes much of the mystery around saving and investing. I wish I had read it younger and put it into practice sooner.
March 26, 2012
Ramit has some good points in this book. I liked his no-BS approach and I found his points about automating finances worthwhile, if it didn't exactly give me new information. I found the section about investing to provide helpful information about index funds, which I had wondered about. He is right on the money about saving up for weddings/homes too, which somehow people just expect to pull massive amounts of money together for, on a whim. Excellent points, all.
That said, I really dislike this guy. His tone sounds like a petulant spoiled kid at times. He talks a lot about hot girls and going out to bars. Granted, I'm married, but I am in the demographic he lists for this book, and I found it hard to take serious advice from someone who literally says that he HATES people who make money mistakes. And who talks a lot about hot girls. The book just tries too hard to be hip, and there is surprisingly little in this book about student loans, considering it is aimed at 20 and 30 somethings.
Suze Orman's book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke gave me a lot more info without all the hot lady references.
That said, I really dislike this guy. His tone sounds like a petulant spoiled kid at times. He talks a lot about hot girls and going out to bars. Granted, I'm married, but I am in the demographic he lists for this book, and I found it hard to take serious advice from someone who literally says that he HATES people who make money mistakes. And who talks a lot about hot girls. The book just tries too hard to be hip, and there is surprisingly little in this book about student loans, considering it is aimed at 20 and 30 somethings.
Suze Orman's book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke gave me a lot more info without all the hot lady references.
June 5, 2009
In one chapter, this book briefly describes a girl that spends $5,000/year on shoes. Since it's a book on being rich, I figured she *must* be rich in order to waste that much money on shoes. But no, her annual income is about half mine. She's able to do this because she decided that "$5,000/year on shoes" was her own personal definition of "rich" and she oriented her life around that decision.
That's all this book is: deciding for yourself what it means to be rich and acting on it. Everything's broken down into the simplest possible steps. Even if you're the laziest person on the planet, taking 1 action/day will put you on the path to a wealthy retirement in about 6 weeks.
There are many, many numbers, all used to illustrate the difference between not taking action, taking some action, and taking maximum action. Some of these differences are measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Each action required on your part rarely requires more than a few hours one evening. Once. And then you never have to worry about it again.
This book will pay for itself many, many times over in the first month after you read it, if not the first week. It's your money, no one else's, so why the hell haven't you read it yet?
That's all this book is: deciding for yourself what it means to be rich and acting on it. Everything's broken down into the simplest possible steps. Even if you're the laziest person on the planet, taking 1 action/day will put you on the path to a wealthy retirement in about 6 weeks.
There are many, many numbers, all used to illustrate the difference between not taking action, taking some action, and taking maximum action. Some of these differences are measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Each action required on your part rarely requires more than a few hours one evening. Once. And then you never have to worry about it again.
This book will pay for itself many, many times over in the first month after you read it, if not the first week. It's your money, no one else's, so why the hell haven't you read it yet?
April 26, 2018
Overly simplistic. Annoying tone. Some of the advice is good, but it is better presented elsewhere. Skip this book.
April 7, 2017
Deficient in style, form, prose, and depth (the nerdy dude-bro-esque humor falls flat and tends to sound either sexist or racist) but the dated content could still prove useful to young people who know next to nothing about getting their finances in working order. Perhaps the strongest aspect of this book is the actionability of the content--improving credit scores, setting up high-interest savings accounts, investing in 401K and ROTH IRAs, etc. Great primer for the late-teen or early 20-something.
May 7, 2018
* Targeted Audience: Early 20s located in USA and it is 2011 not later (If you are already 24, skip it)
* Information Depth: Basic + Common Sense
* Format: Audiobook for me, with 3/10 rating for narration!
* Some side gender-comparative comments that you might not be pleased to hear!
* My Bookshelf: Wish-I-Skipped-It
Hope I saved you precious minutes of your time!
* Information Depth: Basic + Common Sense
* Format: Audiobook for me, with 3/10 rating for narration!
* Some side gender-comparative comments that you might not be pleased to hear!
* My Bookshelf: Wish-I-Skipped-It
Hope I saved you precious minutes of your time!
March 9, 2018
I thought I'd get a couple new ''tid bits" of info in this book, but nope, same-old same-old. This is all common sense, people. Save & invest, don't buy a house you can't afford, and do your research.. Maybe I could relate more if ia were in my 20's and renting? In my opinion, if you want this elementary stuff, you're better off reading Suze Orman's books. Much more factual info, and much less random opinion.
January 14, 2021
I've read many fiance books and this one has the foundations of finance, but I find the layout of the information presented and tone prevents it from being any good. There's a ton of other books that will give you the information you need without being pompous and condescending. Additionally, both life and money have layers of complexity and this book would rather complain about them being in poverty being their fault than actually include resources and outreach that could help.
Listen, if you are picking up a finance book then they are already trying to improve. Stop kicking people down.
Don't let this book turn you off to finances, not everyone is like this. Pick up a few different books - try them for free at the library before you decide to buy.
Listen, if you are picking up a finance book then they are already trying to improve. Stop kicking people down.
Don't let this book turn you off to finances, not everyone is like this. Pick up a few different books - try them for free at the library before you decide to buy.
January 13, 2023
I'm going to update this review, year-by-year, with how much this book has changed my life, starting in 2017 as a college student with no money.
Year One, 2017: I'm a junior in college studying "Integrated Language Arts," which means I'll probably end up teaching, technical writing, or doing some sort of web design / SEO work; in any case except teaching, my income will be a little bit above average. Right now, though, my income is nothing to brag about. I work in a factory making $12/hour and I do some freelance writing and SEO work on the side.
In a way, you could say I'm living out the first couple chapters, "Optimize Your Credit Cards" and "Beat the Banks." I'm focusing on building credit and staying out of debt. I got accepted for a Discover Card about a year ago with 2% cashback on groceries and gas; I haven't taken out any loans to pay for college, and I plan to keep it that way: as of today - October 10th, 2017 - about 66% of public college students graduate with a debt load of $25k, which means staying out of debt will put me well above average.
Bottom Line of Year One: Net worth of about ~$500 and a credit score of 695.
Goal for Year Two: Net worth of at least $2.5k, ~$1k in a 401k, and a credit score of 730. I can't say I'll update this at the exact same time every year, but I'll come close. If I hit my goals, I'll come back to revise them.
Year Two Update, 2018 $3k in a Roth IRA and a ~720 credit score.
I've also traveled to some neat places, which I think fits in perfectly with the idea of "Living a Rich Life."
Vanguard
FICO
Bottom Line of Year Two: Goal accomplished with ~$3k in a Vanguard Roth IRA and a ~720 FICO.
I traveled to San Clemente, Santa Monica, and Los Angeles in Southern California; Hilton Head in South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia. I've discovered how much I like traveling, and I've made it one of my priorities.
Updated Goals for Year Three: Save a minimum of ~$5k for a month-long backpacking trip across Europe, put as many purchases as possible on my Delta SkyMiles card so I can get a discounted flight, continue to max out my IRA, and save ~$5k for a down payment on a duplex so, as soon as I land a full-time job after graduating college, I can finally move out of my parents' house.
Years Three and Four Update, 2019 & 2020: I've done quite a bit of traveling pre-pandemic since my freelance writing business was doing well -- maybe blowing a little bit more money than I should have. I did that backpacking trip: I picked up some odd jobs in Ireland working on a farm and painting, and that covered some of my living expenses before moving on to Switzerland and Italy, and then I went all the way to Costa Rica and Peru (before doing a road trip across Europe again).
Do I regret it? Not at all. If you wanted to travel the way that I did today, in 2020, you literally wouldn't be able to. And all of that traveling didn't cost me anywhere near as much as you'd expect. I was very, very frugal about it.
Unfortunately, as soon as the pandemic hit, my income took a nosedive. I'm climbing my way back up, but I'm back at my parent's house for now. This is where I stand financially, from my Personal Capital:
I drive a 2010 Honda Civic that gets 36MPG, and I bought it for $6k cash. I probably put another $1.5k in it or so, including paying out-of-state taxes, new battery, new rim caps, and so on, but I don't think anything I did increased the value.
I'm studying now to be a real estate appraiser. After experiencing first-hand how unstable my freelance income was, I wanted something different. I've already done some real estate copywriting, so this seemed like a good place to start.
Bottom Line of Years Three and Four: $17k net worth. $6k car. $5k in Roth IRA. $6k in savings (saving to buy my own place since I know I'll be in NE Ohio for 10+ years).
Years Five and Six Update, 2021 & 2022: My net worth has gone nowhere. I’m still at $17k, but I see it as massive progress because I’ve significantly increased my earning potential. I’m now a Certified Residential Appraiser and I should finally be making $50-$90k this coming year. I still drive that same Honda Civic and it gets me 35-40MPG. I’m going to drive it until my girlfriend forces me to get rid of it.
I’ve also traveled a bunch with this beautiful Canadian girl I met in Costa Rica. If that’s not a “Rich Life,” I don’t know what is.
Bottom Lines of Years Five and Six: Net worth has stagnated ($17k) because of education costs and stock depreciation. Still contributing to Roth IRA as much as possible. Should be in a much better position this time next year. For future reference, I’m writing this on May 17th, 2022.
Goals for next couple years: Earn $60k+ in calendar year, buy a condo and maybe rent out a room of it.
Year Seven Update, 2023
It's now January 12th, 2023. I'm really not doing great with the whole "I'll update this at around the same time every year" thing so I'm just gonna do it in January from here on out... Hopefully...
My net worth is now ~$31k and I make a decent salary, around $70k before bonuses. That beautiful Canadian girl I met in Costa Rica is now my beautiful fiance.
Life's okay. It could be better. I feel like I'm underpaid but it is what it is. I'm hoping to buy a house or duplex soon, so that'll maybe help my net worth and income options.
I still drive that same Honda Civic and I love it.
Bottom Line of Year Seven: $31k net worth with a good salary.
Goal for next year: Buy a house.
Year One, 2017: I'm a junior in college studying "Integrated Language Arts," which means I'll probably end up teaching, technical writing, or doing some sort of web design / SEO work; in any case except teaching, my income will be a little bit above average. Right now, though, my income is nothing to brag about. I work in a factory making $12/hour and I do some freelance writing and SEO work on the side.
In a way, you could say I'm living out the first couple chapters, "Optimize Your Credit Cards" and "Beat the Banks." I'm focusing on building credit and staying out of debt. I got accepted for a Discover Card about a year ago with 2% cashback on groceries and gas; I haven't taken out any loans to pay for college, and I plan to keep it that way: as of today - October 10th, 2017 - about 66% of public college students graduate with a debt load of $25k, which means staying out of debt will put me well above average.
Bottom Line of Year One: Net worth of about ~$500 and a credit score of 695.
Goal for Year Two: Net worth of at least $2.5k, ~$1k in a 401k, and a credit score of 730. I can't say I'll update this at the exact same time every year, but I'll come close. If I hit my goals, I'll come back to revise them.
Year Two Update, 2018 $3k in a Roth IRA and a ~720 credit score.
I've also traveled to some neat places, which I think fits in perfectly with the idea of "Living a Rich Life."
Vanguard
FICO
Bottom Line of Year Two: Goal accomplished with ~$3k in a Vanguard Roth IRA and a ~720 FICO.
I traveled to San Clemente, Santa Monica, and Los Angeles in Southern California; Hilton Head in South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia. I've discovered how much I like traveling, and I've made it one of my priorities.
Updated Goals for Year Three: Save a minimum of ~$5k for a month-long backpacking trip across Europe, put as many purchases as possible on my Delta SkyMiles card so I can get a discounted flight, continue to max out my IRA, and save ~$5k for a down payment on a duplex so, as soon as I land a full-time job after graduating college, I can finally move out of my parents' house.
Years Three and Four Update, 2019 & 2020: I've done quite a bit of traveling pre-pandemic since my freelance writing business was doing well -- maybe blowing a little bit more money than I should have. I did that backpacking trip: I picked up some odd jobs in Ireland working on a farm and painting, and that covered some of my living expenses before moving on to Switzerland and Italy, and then I went all the way to Costa Rica and Peru (before doing a road trip across Europe again).
Do I regret it? Not at all. If you wanted to travel the way that I did today, in 2020, you literally wouldn't be able to. And all of that traveling didn't cost me anywhere near as much as you'd expect. I was very, very frugal about it.
Unfortunately, as soon as the pandemic hit, my income took a nosedive. I'm climbing my way back up, but I'm back at my parent's house for now. This is where I stand financially, from my Personal Capital:
I drive a 2010 Honda Civic that gets 36MPG, and I bought it for $6k cash. I probably put another $1.5k in it or so, including paying out-of-state taxes, new battery, new rim caps, and so on, but I don't think anything I did increased the value.
I'm studying now to be a real estate appraiser. After experiencing first-hand how unstable my freelance income was, I wanted something different. I've already done some real estate copywriting, so this seemed like a good place to start.
Bottom Line of Years Three and Four: $17k net worth. $6k car. $5k in Roth IRA. $6k in savings (saving to buy my own place since I know I'll be in NE Ohio for 10+ years).
Years Five and Six Update, 2021 & 2022: My net worth has gone nowhere. I’m still at $17k, but I see it as massive progress because I’ve significantly increased my earning potential. I’m now a Certified Residential Appraiser and I should finally be making $50-$90k this coming year. I still drive that same Honda Civic and it gets me 35-40MPG. I’m going to drive it until my girlfriend forces me to get rid of it.
I’ve also traveled a bunch with this beautiful Canadian girl I met in Costa Rica. If that’s not a “Rich Life,” I don’t know what is.
Bottom Lines of Years Five and Six: Net worth has stagnated ($17k) because of education costs and stock depreciation. Still contributing to Roth IRA as much as possible. Should be in a much better position this time next year. For future reference, I’m writing this on May 17th, 2022.
Goals for next couple years: Earn $60k+ in calendar year, buy a condo and maybe rent out a room of it.
Year Seven Update, 2023
It's now January 12th, 2023. I'm really not doing great with the whole "I'll update this at around the same time every year" thing so I'm just gonna do it in January from here on out... Hopefully...
My net worth is now ~$31k and I make a decent salary, around $70k before bonuses. That beautiful Canadian girl I met in Costa Rica is now my beautiful fiance.
Life's okay. It could be better. I feel like I'm underpaid but it is what it is. I'm hoping to buy a house or duplex soon, so that'll maybe help my net worth and income options.
I still drive that same Honda Civic and I love it.
Bottom Line of Year Seven: $31k net worth with a good salary.
Goal for next year: Buy a house.
April 10, 2017
If you can cringe through the misogyny and disdain for overweight people, there are actually some good pieces of financial advice for beginners.
August 13, 2020
I'm sure there's some good financial advice here, buried under the fat-phobic misogyny! No, thank you.
May 14, 2015
It's hard to take what this guy says seriously after reading the Millionaire Fastlane and living a lifestyle congruent with that book. My suggestion would be to read that first and then pass on this one rather than wasting your time. Go out there and create some value instead of rolling in the slowlane like Ramit suggests! I will teach you to be rich? More like, I will get rich from selling you this book while you stay poor making marginal gains on shitty investments.
August 5, 2012
I was curious about Ramit.
I don't love everything about what he's doing, but I think he's a Challenger Sale kind of blogger. He knows what he knows, and he's mostly right.
I've been following Dave Ramsey - and what I can say is this book beats the crap out of dave.
The basic message behind Dave's stuff is this: you're stupid, spending is stupid, and you should feel guilty every time you spend a little money that's not perfectly planned. Oh, and you have to eat crap food and drive a clunker if you have any debt.
The basic message behind Ramit's stuff is this: You're gonna spend on a Latte, you might have a car payment. We can work with that, let's automate your stuff so it's set up to get what you want.
I automated. Since reading:
1.) I no longer have automatic things debiting me. They are over, for the most part. That saved me $800/year (or more).
2.) I now have a decent retirement - Schwab puts money in an account each month, and i never miss it.
3.) I have paid off 12% of my debt - I shoot for 1.5% of original debt a month and I'm doing 2.5% most months. (5 months in)
I don't miss it. Yes, my income is increased, but that's part of the point.
I don't love everything about what he's doing, but I think he's a Challenger Sale kind of blogger. He knows what he knows, and he's mostly right.
I've been following Dave Ramsey - and what I can say is this book beats the crap out of dave.
The basic message behind Dave's stuff is this: you're stupid, spending is stupid, and you should feel guilty every time you spend a little money that's not perfectly planned. Oh, and you have to eat crap food and drive a clunker if you have any debt.
The basic message behind Ramit's stuff is this: You're gonna spend on a Latte, you might have a car payment. We can work with that, let's automate your stuff so it's set up to get what you want.
I automated. Since reading:
1.) I no longer have automatic things debiting me. They are over, for the most part. That saved me $800/year (or more).
2.) I now have a decent retirement - Schwab puts money in an account each month, and i never miss it.
3.) I have paid off 12% of my debt - I shoot for 1.5% of original debt a month and I'm doing 2.5% most months. (5 months in)
I don't miss it. Yes, my income is increased, but that's part of the point.
January 4, 2014
I'll keep this short and sweet: absolutely everyone should read this. High school kids should read this. My mom should read this. You should read this. It's the best book on personal finance I've ever read. Step by step instructions on exactly how to get your financial life in order. I read this years ago and it paved the way for me to eliminate my credit card debt and start investing. A must-read.
September 6, 2020
If you can make it past the author's self congratulatory introduction, this book provides real insight into pensions, investing money, getting out of debt and making use of credit cards for rewards. I finally understand what a 'diversified portofolio' and 'index funds' mean and why index funds are better than mutual funds. All this normally boring, complicated banking jargon is really well summarised and explained. I have learnt so much from this and I am taking all the advice on board and opening up some investing accounts! The author really grew on me in later chapters too! The big downside is that it is for the US reader, but luckily most of the accounts Sethi recommends have a UK equivalent.
April 22, 2020
original read: 2013
This book was a revelation when I first read it. I can't really recommend the chapters on investing for non-US residents but everything else still holds up. This is a great book for people who want to optimize their earning and saving by having a few clear goals and then automating the rest.
This book was a revelation when I first read it. I can't really recommend the chapters on investing for non-US residents but everything else still holds up. This is a great book for people who want to optimize their earning and saving by having a few clear goals and then automating the rest.
January 24, 2019
I'm not the target market for this (not millennial, and not into getting barked at sarcastically), but I still learned some practical new things.
I do highly recommend for anyone under 30 - it has all the basic important money knowledge, plus hacks, specificity, and clear explanations.
I do highly recommend for anyone under 30 - it has all the basic important money knowledge, plus hacks, specificity, and clear explanations.
September 17, 2019
Check back with me in about 5-10 years, but I think this is one of those books that will really effect practical changes in life in a big way. Great book.
March 1, 2021
Are you not taking care of your financial health? Are you not taking care of your financial health because you don't know where to start and you're kind of freaking out and you'll get to it someday just not today, okay? NOT TODAY?
This may be the book for you.
This book isn't thorough by any means. But it seems pretty practical and straightforward. "If you wanna do the smart thing, do X this week. Specifically, you can do what I choose to do, which I actually spent the time intelligently researching, or these other options if that seems like something you're not ready for. But SERIOUSLY DON'T DO Y. Y is stupid and these jerks are just trying to rip you off. I will punch you if I find out you did Y."
If you're a beginner, as in a student or a divorcing housewife (ahem), or just someone who put things off for later, this is a good place to start. There are no lengthy discussions guilt tripping you about your lattes or how to budget down to the penny (although you can). This book assumes you're a relatively intelligent person who has been overwhelmed by too much information, too many choices, and emotional hangups inadvertently installed by your parents.
It does NOT get into a lot of details. Other books can specialize on that. This book is just to get you started. You can tweak later...but you can get your major systems in place in six weeks or less so you can stop panicking about money.
This book is written with Millennials and younger people in mind, but I liked it too. Recommended if you're feeling paralyzed about money.
This may be the book for you.
This book isn't thorough by any means. But it seems pretty practical and straightforward. "If you wanna do the smart thing, do X this week. Specifically, you can do what I choose to do, which I actually spent the time intelligently researching, or these other options if that seems like something you're not ready for. But SERIOUSLY DON'T DO Y. Y is stupid and these jerks are just trying to rip you off. I will punch you if I find out you did Y."
If you're a beginner, as in a student or a divorcing housewife (ahem), or just someone who put things off for later, this is a good place to start. There are no lengthy discussions guilt tripping you about your lattes or how to budget down to the penny (although you can). This book assumes you're a relatively intelligent person who has been overwhelmed by too much information, too many choices, and emotional hangups inadvertently installed by your parents.
It does NOT get into a lot of details. Other books can specialize on that. This book is just to get you started. You can tweak later...but you can get your major systems in place in six weeks or less so you can stop panicking about money.
This book is written with Millennials and younger people in mind, but I liked it too. Recommended if you're feeling paralyzed about money.
November 5, 2019
Useful introduction to finances with some useful tidbits even if you know what you're doing. I don't agree with all the advice in here but he certainly knows what he's talking about. Unfortunately his tone walks a fine line between irreverent and obnoxious, and oversteps the boundary fairly frequently.
If you can get past the voice and a lot of filler anecdotes, it's a decent beginner book to get you thinking about your finances.
If you can get past the voice and a lot of filler anecdotes, it's a decent beginner book to get you thinking about your finances.
January 17, 2023
Hands down the best book on personal finance I've ever read. I would actually choose to pick this up instead of my fiction book (never thought I'd say that). I found Ramit's advice so accessible and his conversational writing makes previously intimidating topics seem approachable and exciting. I got so much out of this book and feel energized and confident about investing, saving, and my overall psychology surrounding money. Definitely recommend!
March 21, 2021
This book is a GREAT intro to personal finance. I learned so much, and Ramit's writing and philosophies around money are both realistic and relatable. Highly recommend!
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December 26, 2020The book helped me understand better why Americans have their credit cards getting declined in the movies all the time. I mean, wow.
Other than that, the advice is still valuable, but it's quite hard to use it if you don't live in the US.
Other than that, the advice is still valuable, but it's quite hard to use it if you don't live in the US.
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