Finances & Money

Review: Money…It’s Not Just for Rich People by Janine Bolon

Janine Bolon emailed me a few weeks ago and asked if I would review her book Money…It’s Not Just for Rich People! I considered whether I would be the best person for the job, but then realized I was the target audience for her book.

I’m not a financially savvy investor or certified credit counselor. I dropped out of the Accounting major in college (I got through a year of classes then realized it wasn’t for me). I’m just a regular American consumer in need of some new ideas about money management and financial independence.

I accepted the offer to review the book, and got through all 178 pages in a few 30-minute commutes on the metro. I normally don’t write in my books, but I found so many great quotes and financial nuggets than I just had to mark up the margins. That means I won’t be giving away my copy of the book (sorry!). Oh, and Janine personalized my copy just for me.

So here’s the premise: Janine realized one day that her family was headed to a lifetime of debt. She had “no tangible assets”, but ended up reaching her family’s goal of financial independence years ahead of schedule.

How did she do it? I won’t give too many of her secrets or story away, but here are her “5 Basic Laws of Wealth Accumulation”:

1. Create your financial goals
2. Live within your means
3. Pay yourself first
4. Pay it forward
5. Philanthropy

The first three “laws” are pretty common, but Janine does provide her family’s own personal experiences in achieving a financial balance that are not only simple to understand, but easy to incorporate into your own life.

The last two laws peaked my curiosity. Janine believes that by giving your money away appropriately, the universe will return your generosity “in kind”.  Granted, we can all poke holes in any theory, but I invite you to read her book and test out her methods yourself.

Overall, the book was an easy read, and bucked the trend on some conventional thinking among personal finance authors regarding wealth accumulation. Who says you need to keep all your money to make more? Sometimes maybe you should give it away to get more in return! The book gives a relevant and methodical process towards determining your goals, staying on track and crossing the finish line. I’d recommend the book to those of you 1) struggling with debt or 2) without debt but struggling to figure out what’s next in your financial journey.

I’ve also found the following reviews for this book. If you feel like ordering, use this link:

• Review at Blog Business World
• Review at Zaphod for President (I personally liked this review)
• Review at Penny Ann Pound Wise

_{Disclosure: I was not paid for this post, but I did use Amazon affiliate links to the book.}