How to be Smart with Your Money

by Duncan Bannatyne, David Rintoul (Narrator)

Today's turmoil in the financial markets illustrates how important it is to be in control of your money. This book addresses the core fundamentals of financial literacy, telling readers how banks work and why city traders earn such enormous bonuses. It plots paths out of debt and builds financial confidence so readers feel in charge of their finances. Duncan knows the true value of now worth £310 million, he was born into extreme post-war poverty. Taking each area of our financial lives in turn - earning, spending, borrowing, investing, saving, budgeting and the wider economy - he helps us understand where we are in our own financial cycle and how to achieve financial security.

Genres: Finance, Business

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mihai Rosca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being raised in a normal family with traditional East European values, my folks sent me to state schools. I was taught respect for the teachers, how to read, write, think analytically (though I might still have some hiccups on that) and, I also learned that a bunch of science made all of the progress possible. However, never once did I learn why my parents never really passed the point of living from one paycheck to another. Financial astuteness, I believe, is only learned, and my educational environment lacked financial knowledge altogether. Still, so many years later, a crushing majority of my friends and people I know are bewildered by one's ability to actually make money, so it's a good guess that nothing really changed.

As more and more internet challenges become popular in the name of "awareness" so does the word lose it's actual meaning. It becomes more attached to gestures that have more to do with showing people their own desire to be seen than the actual awareness that the cause they support needs. Yet I can't say it better than this: If you read "How to be smart with your money" you become more aware of the financial environment and hidden forces that act upon your life as we speak.

This book does indeed teach you about being smart with your money. It wakes up that curiosity to go and find out more, especially that you become aware pretty fast of the consequences and the stops that you missed along the way. Duncan Bannatyne doesn't go deep into any of the following categories that the book has: Earning, Spending, Borrowing, Saving and Investing. Instead, in order to avoid the book having lost its value before it hits the shelves, he teaches you how to navigate your way into these waters and give you a fairly big boat that you can do that in.

Even if you don't necessarily like finances, read this book, make your own plans and open your visual ears to what the author has to say. Chances are, you may have lesser time than you think to secure that pension and, at the same time, a lot more time than you feel to do something worth it for you and your family. Sooner than you know it, you'll realize the word "finance" is much like "awareness": it has just been used too much and by the wrong people and there's actually nothing wrong with you using the right way.

[Madhur Katyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple panacea to the age old "short of money" problem. A nice read.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

This book is great for people struggling with debt and also gives you great insights what you can do with your money and how to restrict yourself from buying depreciating objects.

After reading the whole book, I think it is helpful but only very few things applied to me at this time in my life , though I think if I read this when I am older I would understand it much more and use more of the techniques in my dad to day life.

[William D. Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much theoretics. Duncan gave an overview of how to get your income stable and piled up through time with 5 main factors put into consideration: Earning more income, Spending, Loaning, Saving, and Investing. Those are well covered but personally I prefer the Investing part to be more in-depth while in fact, it's cut short.

[Taelor Thake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical

[Zilong Luo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Money management basics.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative

[Oliver Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bạn càng sớm giành quyền kiểm soát tài chính cá nhân càng tốt. Hãy kiểm soát nó ngay khi bạn càng trẻ càng tốt

[Thu Nga Le · Rating 1 out of 5]

pretty basic and outdated.
random pick from friend's bookshelf, but it is a good book for beginner

[Karen Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this because i wanted a few ideas on budgeting and managing my money better. Not relly impressed as it didnt give many more ideas or advice than i had found on the internet. Gave it three stars as it may be helpful to someone who hasnt looked on the internet for advice.

[Kerensa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the best advice for me: There is a difference between whether one can pay for the item and whether one can afford it; take control of your finances by making a conscientious decision to do so, he became rich by making the decision to be rich then working to that end. I found it helpful.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE. You can read about what to do, or you can actually do it. I put his advice into practice and it works.

[Joshua Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guides your financial planing and educates how to maintain bank accounts, how to improve assets.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer for those who have little knowledge in personal finances.

[Plamen Kozhuharov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this stuff is really common sense. Don't expect in-depth science. Nevertheless, I find the book very practical when organizing your budget and planning your financial future.