Solid educational and supportive manual for the financial luddite!
NIcholas L. Maze is not only a very bright man who obviously understands the details of the world of finance and business, but he also obviously a caring person who understands that most of us simply don't grasp the magnitude of the global economic situation much less our own management of personal finances. EXIT: HOW TO LEAVE DEBT FOREVER is written in a manner of a conversation with a sage relative but in the comfort of relaxing in the front porch swing. He begins his book by defining 'money'. And it is his preparation for the information he is about to share that makes this book so appealing and hence a comfortable commitment to stay with him all the way through to his titled promise!
'Limited knowledge brings forth the purpose of school. A school should strengthen a child's mind, because one day that child will have control of other children and he/she should be mentally prepared and able to take on that task. This is what separates a child from an adult, knowledge. Knowledge is the key ingredient in this book. My main goal is to eradicate many and erase the "get rich quick" mentality. The term get rich quick was created for those that lacked knowledge, because they knew that without intelligence, an individual would fall for anything. Getting rich quick is a scheme. And, if I sell you a book that i nothing but a scheme, I have not only cheated you out of your money, but I have also helped you go deeper in debt.' And with this warm introduction Maze takes us on a tour of the history of 'money' ('Just about any object can become money') and the misconceptions we have learned about the value of the dollar - in fact, only a piece of paper with ink on it. Once he takes us through the concept of how we have arrived at this bowing at the altar of paper, he proceeds to inform us of the meaning (and dire consequences of Credit: how tying the two together makes our current money the omnipresent plastic credit card.
Now with some basic truths established Maze encourages us to take a look at how we use (and abuse) money. But he doesn't make that punitive. No, instead he offers his 70-20-10 plan: 70% of our income goes for expenses (yes, add it up and be shocked), 20% should be saved (an dhow to begin doing that) and 10% should be tithed to the religious/charitable organization of our choosing. The 70 % is reducible by self education about how we waste money on unnecessary things and that gives us more to plug into the 20% pot. Maze then patiently goes through the methods of Saving: his slow and thorough lessons on investing and what is safe, what is risky, and how to make the most out of the portion of our income we, hopefully, will gradually increase to the point where we have a failsafe basket from which we can draw to resolve inevitable monetary crises. In the back of this book he offers pages of Dividend Re-investment Plans plus a glossary for defining those frightening words the accountant throws at us at tax time and other moments of panic.
This book is one that would benefit everyone who feels the burden of debt crushing their dreams of a happier life. It would make a sound textbook for highschool student, too, hopefully encouraging them to start out right and avoid the specter of debt. Hats off to Nicholas L. Maze!
Grady Harp