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The Cash Machine
Can a novel transform your financial destiny?
Credit Card Hacks. How to turn the high interest credit card arena in your favor
Stock Market Strategies: How to get the highest returns from the market without getting your savings eaten up in fees
Real Estate: Bring your housing costs down to zero and use real estate to generate equity and passive income
Tax Shelters: Build your wealth faster by earning and growing it tax free
Transportation: The fastest area to gain financial traction
This one can.
The Cash Machine is unlike any other personal finance book ever written. Not only will you get sucked into the rollercoaster relationship of Amber and Dylan, but you’ll learn hundreds of money lessons along the way, giving you the tools to drive your financial destiny.
As the book begins, Amber thinks her finances are under control, but her worldview crumbles when she encounters her college flame, Dylan, and his unusual perspective on money. While Amber and her friends were finishing their degrees, Dylan dropped out to pursue a different goal: Financial Independence.
Amber doesn’t even know what Financial Independence means when she reconnects with Dylan seven years later. What she does know is that there’s nothing exciting about his lifestyle. At first she writes him off as a bum, but the more she questions, the more she realizes that how calculated his financial choices are. He’s not struggling for money; he’s building a Cash Machine.
Amber wants to give Dylan another chance, but realizes she can never build a life with him until she understands his financial path. So she asks Dylan to teach her how to build a Cash Machine of her own.
Unlike other personal finance books, that are normally written by finance experts and that only cover the areas of their expertise, The Cash Machine was not written by financial experts. Just the opposite. Before starting The Cash Machine, Dave and Chana Mason found themselves deeply in debt, despite having earned significant amounts of money in their careers. They came to realize that what they didn’t understand about money really was hurting them, and that the time had come to get themselves a strong financial education. And when Dave and Chana want to grow in some area, they find that there’s no better way than to research and write a novel on the subject.
The result is a novel that has more financial lessons than any personal finance book they’ve ever seen, all taught through a story to make the lessons really stick. The lessons taught inside include:
Credit Card Hacks. How to turn the high interest credit card arena in your favor
Stock Market Strategies: How to get the highest returns from the market without getting your savings eaten up in fees
Real Estate: Bring your housing costs down to zero and use real estate to generate equity and passive income
Tax Shelters: Build your wealth faster by earning and growing it tax free
Transportation: The fastest area to gain financial traction
Discover hundreds of financial lessons, seamlessly taught within a novel you won’t want to put down.
The Cash Machine isn’t just another money book. This page-turning love story teaches hundreds of financial lessons, giving you the tools to drive your financial destiny.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2020
352 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 15, 2020
I didn't write this book because I was some kind of financial expert or guru. I wrote it because I needed a better understanding of money, and if there's something I want to learn, I know of no better way than to research and write a novel on the subject.
It didn't start off as a love story. It started as a buddy book, with two best friends, Dylan and Kyle, whose paths diverge around money. But Amber, Dylan's girlfriend, had other ideas. She decided the book was about her. Before long, she'd pushed Kyle aside to be the #2 character in the book. If you think she was satisfied then, you don't know Amber. This funny, engaging, emotional character was born for the limelight, unlike the quieter Dylan. After she'd jumped in and stolen the show more times than I can count, it was clear that this was her book, and what emerged was a fun first-person narrative all about Amber's struggles around love and money.
While I started writing the book, it owes much of its color to my wife Chana, my partner in life and in writing. Together we sweated over the storyline, the characters, the emotions, and how to make the financial lessons emerge naturally from the story.
I owe a huge percent of my financial education to the process of writing The Cash Machine. I learned so much from the book and I hope its readers will as well.
It didn't start off as a love story. It started as a buddy book, with two best friends, Dylan and Kyle, whose paths diverge around money. But Amber, Dylan's girlfriend, had other ideas. She decided the book was about her. Before long, she'd pushed Kyle aside to be the #2 character in the book. If you think she was satisfied then, you don't know Amber. This funny, engaging, emotional character was born for the limelight, unlike the quieter Dylan. After she'd jumped in and stolen the show more times than I can count, it was clear that this was her book, and what emerged was a fun first-person narrative all about Amber's struggles around love and money.
While I started writing the book, it owes much of its color to my wife Chana, my partner in life and in writing. Together we sweated over the storyline, the characters, the emotions, and how to make the financial lessons emerge naturally from the story.
I owe a huge percent of my financial education to the process of writing The Cash Machine. I learned so much from the book and I hope its readers will as well.
July 1, 2020
This is a hard book to review... It's an educational novel! So is it non-fiction? Or is it a novel? I'll try and review both pieces.
This book is one of the most entertaining non-fiction books I've ever read! If you're interested in learning about real estate and finances but don't want to be bored while you learn, this is a great starting point. You'll be entertained and (if you're anything like me) inspired to do further research on your own!
So I give the educational pieces of this book 4.25 stars! ★★★★+
As a novel, though, this book fell flat for me. The characters didn't feel real like real people with dreams, flaws, hobbies, and a life; and without a lot of personality development for each character, it felt like the story was driven more by the lessons the author wanted to teach than the characters' choices and actions. I think to make this stand out as a novel, I needed there to be more human-ness in each of the characters. Not just money-thoughts and "I'm in love with this guy I dated for 2 months" feels. It just... didn't feel real to me. It was a quick and entertaining read! But a little flat for my taste.
If this were just a novel, I'd give it 1.75 stars. ★+++
The book did inspire me to look at my finances in a different way! And, because of that, I feel like I'm more engaged in my financial journey now. I just love a book that can change my life. So all in all, I'll give this book 3 stars: ★★★
🙃
This book is one of the most entertaining non-fiction books I've ever read! If you're interested in learning about real estate and finances but don't want to be bored while you learn, this is a great starting point. You'll be entertained and (if you're anything like me) inspired to do further research on your own!
So I give the educational pieces of this book 4.25 stars! ★★★★+
As a novel, though, this book fell flat for me. The characters didn't feel real like real people with dreams, flaws, hobbies, and a life; and without a lot of personality development for each character, it felt like the story was driven more by the lessons the author wanted to teach than the characters' choices and actions. I think to make this stand out as a novel, I needed there to be more human-ness in each of the characters. Not just money-thoughts and "I'm in love with this guy I dated for 2 months" feels. It just... didn't feel real to me. It was a quick and entertaining read! But a little flat for my taste.
If this were just a novel, I'd give it 1.75 stars. ★+++
The book did inspire me to look at my finances in a different way! And, because of that, I feel like I'm more engaged in my financial journey now. I just love a book that can change my life. So all in all, I'll give this book 3 stars: ★★★
🙃
May 14, 2020
I finished reading The Cash Machine, A tale of Passion, Persistence, And Financial Independence by Dave Mason. I enjoyed reading it. I count myself as a money-savvy person. However, it was refreshing to read a guide book in the form of a novel and not as a non-fiction book of a how-to guide.
It’s a story of 2 friends. One is taking the typical path of a day job and a career in venture capital. While the other is building himself a real estate portfolio, calling it: “A Cash Machine.”
Dave and Chana Mason did excellent research on the characters and story making it an easy read, entertaining, which doesn’t take out from its educational value. I learned a few new things also.
It’s a story of 2 friends. One is taking the typical path of a day job and a career in venture capital. While the other is building himself a real estate portfolio, calling it: “A Cash Machine.”
Dave and Chana Mason did excellent research on the characters and story making it an easy read, entertaining, which doesn’t take out from its educational value. I learned a few new things also.
May 22, 2020
Using a fictional story to introduce FIRE (financial independence, retire early) to a mass audience is a neat idea, and, to that end, this book contains many valuable nuggets of educational and inspirational info, presented in an entertaining and memorable way. But I wish the authors would have found a way to more fully cover the fundamentals of personal finance, instead of somewhat skipping over them in favor of more advanced strategies.
January 13, 2020
I don’t ever give book reviews, but this book has replaced “Rich Dad Poor Dad” as the mandatory, real estate/finance book I will give my kids to read. David and Chana Mason have a unique way of educating through story telling. This is a must read for anyone who wants to shift their perspective from a wage earner to an investor.
April 29, 2021
This was a very interesting and entertaining read. My husband and I both have lived by the rule of living as debt free as possible. Some things have been luck, my husband never losing his job, and being able to buy a house we can afford before prices went crazy high. But we're both not college educated and I was able to stay home and raise our children. when I did go to work it was for the extras. Now in our late 60's we are comfortable. The only thing that wouldn't work for me was Dylan's cheapness. At such a young age, you should enjoy what you can. I understand how Kyle spending a fortune on college and earning a high salary will have to work hard to keep his expensive lifestyle. We are both collecting social security, husband still works because he wants to. My house isn't a mansion, we drive older cars, but the satisfaction now comes from being able to help our children and enjoy our savings.
January 24, 2021
I don't know why I started reading this book, at 80 I am way past making and financial decisions that could truly matter, so I was surprised when I read it through to the end and then downloaded the bonus chapter. It was very entertaining and imparted knowledge practically effortlessly. I might not have agreed with all the arguments, but there was a basic knowledge there that was irrefutable. Admittedly it's based on the American system and would need to be adapted for any other country; I live in France which is much more controlled, but my daughter and family live in UK, which has certain similarities. I will certainly pass the book on to my daughter. There's obviously going to be a downturn in the housing market with Covid-19, so someone is going to make a killing.....
March 3, 2021
I found this book fascinating and educational. When it comes to understanding how to make ones money make money, I was at a loss. While reading this book I found that I understood finances better than I ever thought I would. I think having a wonderful storyline helped by keeping the technical jargon from being overwhelming.
Our educational system should include educating our youth how to manage money. Another thing I learned is that college or university learning is not right for everyone. I think these lines at the end of this book sums it up well....."There are literally millions of paths regarding money, and each of us can choose the one that appeals to us most. But to make responsible choices, we need financial literacy and education."
Our educational system should include educating our youth how to manage money. Another thing I learned is that college or university learning is not right for everyone. I think these lines at the end of this book sums it up well....."There are literally millions of paths regarding money, and each of us can choose the one that appeals to us most. But to make responsible choices, we need financial literacy and education."
May 2, 2021
This book is what I would describe as an educational novel. It is fiction but it is also totally factual. That sounds like it doesn't make sense! I enjoyed it. The characters are great, particularly Amber and the love story that is interwoven was enjoyable. It is a good read if you have any interest in how the world of finances works.
The Cash Machine isn’t just another money book. This page-turning love story teaches hundreds of financial lessons, giving you the tools to drive your financial destiny.
The Cash Machine isn’t just another money book. This page-turning love story teaches hundreds of financial lessons, giving you the tools to drive your financial destiny.
May 6, 2020
Love It; Up there with the little purple book.
I could not put this book down; and when I had to, I wanted to pick it back up. I loved that this was in story form and still taught the principles of setting up ones money machine. I usually listen to audiobooks, but this is not available in audiobook, but it was good enough that I read it. Kept me engaged and learning, as I wondered what was going to happen next. I have already recommended this book to family.
I could not put this book down; and when I had to, I wanted to pick it back up. I loved that this was in story form and still taught the principles of setting up ones money machine. I usually listen to audiobooks, but this is not available in audiobook, but it was good enough that I read it. Kept me engaged and learning, as I wondered what was going to happen next. I have already recommended this book to family.
October 12, 2021
Great variety of financial advise
I could barely put this book down! I read it reach night, talked about it every day, and have already gotten my husband to swear he'll read it next.
The novel format, entwined with hands on financial advice, taught, encouraged and educated me! I recommend this book to any and everyone!
I could barely put this book down! I read it reach night, talked about it every day, and have already gotten my husband to swear he'll read it next.
The novel format, entwined with hands on financial advice, taught, encouraged and educated me! I recommend this book to any and everyone!
November 14, 2021
This book has such an innovative way to discuss finances, especially in what concerns real estate, that I couldn't put it down. It is a wealth of information, easily digestible, and told in an entertaining way. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is that, on the fictional side, the plot could benefit from a bit more tension. Other than that, I strongly recommend it.
January 15, 2022
Really enjoyed this - a practical advice book, but in the form of a fictional story. I wish more 'nonfiction' books were delivered like this. Unfortunately it was American based and also heavily focused on property ownership, but the mindset was inspiring & off the first few chapters I ended up getting a new credit card, which gave me a £30 amazon voucher & good cashback on all amazon purchases.
April 22, 2025
My son encouraged me to read this after reading it in a Math and Money class. I found the money aspects interesting to explore - the story was fine, a means to the end of looking at finances and financial choices in different lights through different characters. I think this book is great for young people to read when they are in high school or college!!! Good info to consider!
July 3, 2020
A GREAT novel
And a better education in terms for dummies about building wealth. Knowing how to grow money is highly underrated but this book makes you excited about the process. A MUST read.
And a better education in terms for dummies about building wealth. Knowing how to grow money is highly underrated but this book makes you excited about the process. A MUST read.
November 18, 2020
Worth the Read
This book was seriously fascinating from start to finish. So informative and interesting it kept wanting to continue until the very end. Also, thank goodness Dylan pulled through. This book was engaging and mind stimulating. An absolute treasure.
This book was seriously fascinating from start to finish. So informative and interesting it kept wanting to continue until the very end. Also, thank goodness Dylan pulled through. This book was engaging and mind stimulating. An absolute treasure.
November 30, 2020
This book goes into the category of “1000x better than I thought it would be”. A really great book and I can assure you, it’s not what you expect (if you expect anything like I did...which was a book merely about finance). Great story, great plot, great ending, great book. Highly recommend.
December 27, 2020
Worth the Read
This book was seriously fascinating from start to finish. So informative and interesting it kept wanting to continue until the very end. Also, thank goodness Dylan pulled through. This book was engaging and mind stimulating. An absolute treasure.
This book was seriously fascinating from start to finish. So informative and interesting it kept wanting to continue until the very end. Also, thank goodness Dylan pulled through. This book was engaging and mind stimulating. An absolute treasure.
March 2, 2021
Financial literacy and income strategies
Great read for anybody interested in building an income stream and learning about financial topics. The author goes just deep enough to give a solid understanding of complex topics.
Great read for anybody interested in building an income stream and learning about financial topics. The author goes just deep enough to give a solid understanding of complex topics.
October 15, 2021
Picked up some good advice here and there, not all things introduced are applicable outside of the US, but still an entertaining read and better approach than pretty much any other finance know-how, 101 books.
I didn't know that Italian family tradition sounds so much like Asian.
I didn't know that Italian family tradition sounds so much like Asian.
May 21, 2022
Wonderful Approach to Financial Education!
I never expected to do thoroughly enjoy this book as much as I did! It reads like a YA, but is JAM packed with information on how to manage your finances.
I never expected to do thoroughly enjoy this book as much as I did! It reads like a YA, but is JAM packed with information on how to manage your finances.
July 19, 2020
Great story. Good ideas. The whole Democrat/Republican bit felt gratuitous and flat and took me unnecessarily out of the story. Would have been higher if not for that.
December 17, 2020
Good for the knowledge and not so much for the story, but it's not like I read this one for the plot. A lot of new knowledge, especially in real estate.
January 23, 2021
Great and Useful
A spoonful of story makes the financial advice sink in, in the most delightful way. I want everyone I care about to read it.
A spoonful of story makes the financial advice sink in, in the most delightful way. I want everyone I care about to read it.
May 10, 2021
This hybrid novel / financial information book succeeds surprisingly well. A great introduction to not just the mechanics, but emotions and psychology, behind FIRE.
January 3, 2022
Eye Opening
Excellent book. Going to get a copy for each of my children even though they are grown. Maybe it will make for of an influence coming from someone else.
Excellent book. Going to get a copy for each of my children even though they are grown. Maybe it will make for of an influence coming from someone else.
May 31, 2022
Wow! A romance novel that teaches financial independence and lessons in real estate? This is the book! If it was a romance book, I would not have read it. If it was a book on financial independence, I would not have read it. If it was a book on real estate, nope, not for me. But join them together in this book and you have a masterpiece! Loved it!
June 22, 2022
Awesome Read
In as much as I wanted to finish the book, I took my time to savour the content, a journey and an education! Wonderfully put together!
In as much as I wanted to finish the book, I took my time to savour the content, a journey and an education! Wonderfully put together!
April 18, 2023
Seems like a more digestible version of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Same lessons but integrated in a fiction rather than some common self-help writing I can’t stand.
July 24, 2025
A great fiction to go with the financial independence concepts! Would be a 5-star for me had I liked the character of Amber more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews