Money Magic: Seven simple steps to true financial freedom

by Alvin Hall

The essential guide to handling your money from the nation's favourite money man - new for the Quick Reads series.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic and in some places slightly out of date but a good start if you need a little guidance with money.
I personally think with all the focus on saving throughout the book the final chapter is a little lacking.

[Doris Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LIKE THIS BOOK DO I NO ABOUT BILLS AND MORE BILLS I WANT THIS BOOK IN MY LIBRARY .

[Paul Pryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed a college library- great clean read and it’s key lessons have stuck.

[Paul Clarkson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice. Really simple and sensible. And short!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This QuickRead started well but ultimately disappointed overall. For example, talking about money in relationships the majority of the attention seemed to be on planning a wedding and getting divorced. And I did wonder a bit about some of his suggestions about entertaining children on a budget... does he know how much it costs for a family to get into a zoo or a stately home these days, let alone the travel costs?! (That said, being given a family life membership of the National Trust by way of 'inheritance' from my grandmother was a brilliant use of money with value far greater than what it cost) In a slim volume, I felt he didn't select the right issues to explore to the right degree.

The book is written in the right tone which is so important for a book of this nature, and he talks first about his own difficulties with money, and his ongoing need to control a tendency to overspend. I also liked the way he included people who a) are cheapskates (his term) and avoid spending money they do have... and miss out on some of the pleasures it can bring as well as perhaps being hard to be with and b) those who spend inordinate amounts of time on financial matters trying to beat the system and miss out on some of the better pleasures they could have in the time they've used up on shuffling money around constantly.

[Orchid · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new years resolution was to "get good with finances". I'd been living in what I like to call a 'financial jazz' way and budgets and financial terms intimidated me. This book is for people like me, who need someone to take them by the hand an explain the very basics to them. It's a short read and made me realise I wasn't doing so badly after all, and most importantly, its taken away the fear of terms like APR and explained the different types of savings accounts to me. This book is written for a UK audience so covers finances in a way that's relevant for us; it doesn't include info on accounting or paying tax, for example and covers ISAs (briefly! this book is a primer). After reading this book I felt confident browsing the many financial comparison sites to look for better savings rates, so in all, while it will be too basic for many people, it's exactly what I was looking for. My next book (and more detailed) is Love is Not Enough: a girls guide to finances.

[Susan Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Money Magic to be a very helpful book. Alvin Hall didn't just outline the practical steps needed to find financial freedom but also talked about how our emotions are involved in our financial choices.

Hall looks at the different attitudes people have towards money and some of issues that influence their decisions.

I was also interested to read his own story of financial distress which led him to make changes. Other important areas that Hall covers are financial decisions in a relationship, and also in a marriage break down.

Hall gives many practical tips in regard to getting out of debt and saving money. Not all will work for everyone but will provide a starting point for those keen to find financial freedom.

The subtitle, seven simple steps to financial freedom, is a bit of a misnomer as they are not really steps but thoughts to consider.

Overall a useful resource.

[Spider Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short and simple enough for pretty much anyone to follow, but nevertheless really useful to take a look at how one thinks about money and what you can do to improve your financial habits. It doesn't go into great depth but it touches on all the main emotional , practical and relational issues that you need to be aware of . It also sets out very clearly that the only route to financial freedom is to save up! (But he doesnt advocate becoming a miser in the process). Useful, simple tips for improving each type of bad habit too. I have found this book has really helped me change my ways.

[Nicola Forster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great tips and it really gave my partner and I the opportunity to discuss our feelings about money and how we see our futures which was really useful and more couples should definitely read this book.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book containing many commonsense tips for dealing with your finances.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a basic overview of money management.

Easy to read, but out of 140 pages I found about 10 to be useful.

If you have limited financial knowledge you may find this book useful.

[John Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it had some useful information