You and Your Money by Alvin D. Hall, 0340793406, Lowest Book Price Finder

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended

Alvin Hall beings his book by retelling the story of Robinson Crusoe. Newly marooned, Crusoe manages to salvage several useful items from the wreck of his ship but one find is completely useless - a stash of money. Hall's point is that our money is only given value by our relationship with others and each chapter explores how these different relationships between you and your parents, siblings, peers, work, retirement and death effect your behaviour with money. Each chapter is prefaced by a revealing quiz that exposes your financial thinking and goes into considerable detail with case studies from the author's personal life and television programs. The book is worth it for the chapter on Work alone which includes a quiz on whether entrepreneurship is right for you and what emotional and financial needs are or are not being met by your current job (and how to find a new one). This is a far more in-depth treatment than is given in the other Alvin Hall books I have read or his "Your Money or Your Life" television series and unlike the series, he includes advice for single people as well as couples and families. Hall is charming in person (we met at an Edinburgh book signing) and very inspirational. I only wish the book was published in hardback as I am wearing it out!

The best so far from Alvin

Like the previous reviewer I occupy a world where as long as you don't open the bank envelopes everything is dandy.

This book is bigger than a book about money or budgeting. It is a book that helps you identify what your patterns of spending/saving are. It helps you identify behaviour that is not yours but is a reaction to someone else's - parent, sibling etc.

Better than that, it helps you DREAM about what you really want from life and how to achieve it in little steps. You work towards not reacting to other people and instead finding yourself. Its already changed my life!

Four stars - Well I would suggest you supplement it with a big pad of paper, a pen and copious viewings of 'Spendaholics' aswell just to drive the message home. You can supplement this book with other sources of handy advice like Benjamin Fry's website 'Whats wrong with you?'

The best amount I have ever spent!

I have always astounded myself by the fact that, despite being an intelligent, well educated, professional person, my favoured approach to personal finance has always been the ostrich method: if I don't bother to work out what I've got, then it somehow doesn't matter and 'things will work out'. And yet inside, I knew that things were not working out, so far from being blase about money, I always had a nagging fear inside. Leave the window envelopes unopened because I won't like what's in them? Yes. Stupid? Yes. Makes matters worse? Certainly. I knew all that, but some psychological block just stopped me letting myself delve into the murky world of spending and - god forbid - saving.

But then at the beginning of January I bought this book. Some part of me must have shown an iota of common sense for once, but then, spending money is fun, isn't it? As soon as it arrived, it began to transform my life. Because it isn't just about money-saving tips like some books which, let's face it, we could usually think up for ourselves - it gets right down to the nitty-gritty of why, when we know many things that we should be doing, we still aren't doing them. It really helps to explain why you are how you are with your money.

Now, not quite one month later, I know for the first time ever exactly where my money is going, and have all sorts of insights into why I've previously been so reluctant to confront my finances. I know what I can spend each month; I've got a three-year plan that will get me on top of my debt; I will be able to pay off my mortgage early; and no end of other, more creative ideas. I suspect I could have spent a small fortune on psychoanlysis or counselling and not learned a fraction of what this book has taught me.

And on top of all that, it's an interesting, enjoyable read - what more could you ask? If you recognise that you're not being as clever with money as you could be, there's every chance that this book will help set you straight. It has me, and I can't thank Alvin Hall enough.

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