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119 of 121 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent investment book May 10, 2002
By Ariel Pawlak
I am a 29 year old mother of a two year old girl and my husband and I have our own business. I knew absolutely nothing about investing but I felt that we were getting older and we needed to start thinking about saving for the future. This book has opened up a new world to me. We have very little money and I was scared to risk or needlessly spend what we do have. This book has shown me how to secure our financial future. Before this book I never even considered getting life insurance. After reading this book, the first thing I did was go out and buy a term life policy so my daughter will be protected in case anything happens to my husband or myself. My insurance agent was so impressed at what I knew about life insurance that he told me that 95% of the people he sold insurance to did not have my insurance buying knowledge. I learned everything I knew about life insurance in 20 minutes from reading this book. This book lays out in terms that anyone can understand how to protect your family and make your dreams come true. Being a small business owner I especailly appreciated Davids advice for those of us who are self employed. The best part of this book is the section that shows you do not have to be rich to save and invest. Even those of us with modest incomes can achieve our financial goals. It's all about make wise spending choices. The wisest choice of all would be to buy this book! I can't really say enough good things about it. The only part missing for me was a section on investing for college. I was looking for some advice on how to invest for my daughter's college education. I also bought Suze Orman's book Road to Wealth and this topic is covered quite thoroughly in there. Actually whenever I have a financial decision to make I read the topic in David's book and then follow up with Suze's for a second opinion. They always seem to agree in their own ways and I feel like I am making the best decision I can to secure my family's financial future.
55 of 55 found the following review helpful:
I'm FINALLY motivated to put my financial house in order Nov 06, 2004
By Susan
"Bibliophile"
I'm turning 40 next year, and I've done a fair share of reading/research on retirement planning -- not a lot, mind you, but a fair bit. Much of it was dry, boring, or just plain incomprehensible. As a result, my savings and investing were haphazard (at best), and my record keeping was, frankly, pathetic.
"Smart Women Finish Rich" has motivated me like nothing else has. I don't know if it's because it's easier to understand and doesn't through a lot of jargon around, or if it's because Bach is so personable and seems genuinely interested in his readers.
What really lit the fire underneath me though were the various charts he had illuminating the value of compounded interest, using time to your advantage, etc. Now, this is something we all "know" at the intellectual level, but the way he presented it was enough to get me off my rear and working on putting my financial house in order.
In the past several days, I have set up my filing system, reviewed my IRA account, requested and reviewed my credit report, opened an account for my "emergency fund" and scheduled automatic deposits, and made a plan for paying down credit card debt. In the next week I'll get the ball rolling to contribute to my employer's 401(k) and get estate planning done for myself and my husband.
I can't say enough good things about how this book has helped me put my financial priorities in order. The reduction in my anxiety level over money is amazing. Well worth it!
34 of 34 found the following review helpful:
Women can talk about mutual funds over lunch, too! Jul 29, 1999
I'm a boomer and an artist, and I steadfastly avoid reading "how-to" books about where I "should-be" in my savings. Debentures sounds so much like dentures, that I steer clear of the whole Wall Street world. But David Bach's book, Smart Women Finish Rich, not only penetrated my "artistic curtain," but actually changed my woeful banking habits. His book is clear and precise, underscoring how any woman can be rich, regardless of salary. Kind of "it's-about-savings-stupid" love tap to the wallet side of your brain. Not only do I have an idea what mutual funds, bonds, stocks, T-Bills and T-Notes are, I've put together, for the first time in my life, a portfolio. And it doesn't stop there. Bach writes clearly about health and life insurance policies, and I'm currently reexamining my own. How can a person who comparison shops for canned tomatoes not do the same for insurance and pocket the difference? If you need help getting started on a savings program, don't miss this wise financial primer, written by a guy who handles portfolios worth more than half a billion dollars each year.
61 of 66 found the following review helpful:
 It's helpful, yet cheesy May 03, 2000
I learned a LOT from this book. I didn't know much of anything about investing until I picked it up; know I feel foolish for the years I spent not really knowing what a mutual fund was (it's not really that complicated). Bach is good at clearly explaning the issues without relying heavily on jargon. And the book is full of astonishing charts & graphs detailing how a little bit of savings, invested early enough and wisely, can become a huge pile of money. He also gives tidbits of very helpful advice about related issues, like planning for retirement (start early!), creating a living trust, and insurance needs. I recommend this book for women (or men) who have little or no knowledge of financial planning. His advice is very basic and simple. It's an easy read, too - I finished it in about 2 hours. He breaks up his chapters into life stages - reasonably, he advises different strategies for a women in her 20s than for a women in her 50s. I'm young so I read the entire book avidly, but I suspect that an older reader might benefit more from a book directed exclusively to her needs. One thing really irritated me about Bach's style: he continually gives these (obviously fake) examples of women who burst into his office crying and in the poor house because they acted contrary to his advice. If you have a very low tolerance for simple-minded anecdotes, look elsewhere.
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Engaging, helpful, a MUST read! Feb 06, 2004
I bought this book after seeing David Bach on Oprah Winfrey. I have, for a long time, been wanting to save money but it never seemed to work. I worried about my future and wanted desperately to invest my money so that when I retired one day I wouldn't have to worry if Social Security would still be around. Of course, I thought you had to have thousands of dollars to do this & so I thought I was hopeless. I bought this book thinking it might give me some ideas, that I would flip around to different chapters & only read what I thought I had to. I was WRONG! David's writing grabs you from the first page. I was actually enjoying reading a financial book like you would a good novel! Not only does the book lay out your options in an easy format but he tells funny & engaging stories from his past that relate to the subject. In just a few nights I found out that I can save and/or invest with as little as $50, learned all there was to know about IRA's, 401k, Mutual Funds, Bonds, and my best options for a person my age. Also given are website addresses to go for more information or to begin saving right from your home. By the time I was done reading I was excited & couldn't wait to begin. David not only has the skill to teach you to make your life better financially, but to get you excited about it! Whether you are 20 or 50 years old, David shows you what to do, and I am thankful he did!
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