Book Description
The way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two different things. That's the premise of Staging*, a concept that teaches you to look at your home through a buyer's eyes and make adjustments to improve its appeal and value.
In any real estate market, Staged homes sell faster or sell for more money—or both. With Home Staging, you'll learn how to play up your home's strong points and improve its presentation. By rearranging furniture, trimming overgrown bushes, painting a room, and clearing out the clutter, Home Staging will help you spotlight your property for a fast, profitable sale.
Filled with organizing tips and checklists, plus before-and-Staged photographs that dramatically show how Staging can transform your home inside and out, Home Staging has all the answers you'll need when looking to increase the sale price of your home.
*Staging is a federally registered trademark of StagedHomes.com
Customer Reviews:
A trashy commercial.......2007-09-15
This book has convinced me that hiring a home stager trained by the author or her company would be a disaster. The only way this book could have 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon is if Barb Schwarz's employees and her ASP trainees are writing the good reviews.
Eighty-five percent of this book is a commercial for the author's business, 10% is common sense. The remaining 5% suggests projects, such as a headboard made of paper plates, which could only make a potential home buyer question the taste and judgement of the home owner. This book is a testament to poor taste and Barb Schwarz's ego.
Only written for the wealthy?.......2007-09-05
Books and magazines frequently choose wealthier homes to show pics of staging. Don't authors realize a lot of us live in apartments, condos, mobile homes and the like? Why purchase a book/magazine if it doesn't fit my life style?
Dont waste your time or money.......2007-09-01
This book was dreadful. More than half of the book was the author telling you over and over and over again how she is the creator of home staging. Content wise, there is very little that you dont already know. There are very few before and after photos and non would be judged to be good example of good furniture placement or design. I would suggest "Dress your house for Success" or "Using What you have Decorating".
Useless bit of self-promotion by Barb Schwarz - a waste of money.......2007-02-17
This book tells you what you already knew - clean, declutter, fix broken stuff, and clean up the yard. That's about it. The reason the book is more than ten pages long is that it is chock full of the author's stories about how wonderful she is and what a staging pioneer she is. I really wish I hadn't wasted my money on this fluffy piece of advertising.
Written Infomercial.......2007-02-11
Reading this book is like reading the script for an infomercial. The entire purpose of the book was profit for Barb Schwarz in book sales and additional customers. At least once per page, sometimes once per paragraph she re-credits herself with inventing the entire concept of Home Staging from the name to the work to the profession. The only person to take more credit for anything was Al Gore and the infamous internet issue. There are maybe 10 total ideas/concepts for actual home owners to implement themselves, but they are very general. The other 200 pages are various ways of reiterating that Barb Schwarz created the concept of Home Staging, all homes should be staged before sale, and that the home owner should hire a licensed, professional Home Stager, preferably trained by Barb Schwarz. If your purpose of buying this book is to find out the value of Home Staging, or justifying the cost of professional Home Staging to an unwilling seller (spouse, relative, client) than this is a very useful book. If you are a home owner that already believes you should stage your home and are looking for creative ideas on how to do it yourself - don't bother with this book. The book does give insight in how to choose a professional Home Stager, what to look for when interviewing Stagers for your project, what to expect from Home Staging, the value of it, and general ideas of what a Home Stager can and should do for you. I agree with the reviewer who said, "Not for Do It Yourselfers." For Do It Yourselfers The Designed To Sell book is quite a bit better for what is out there that is very current. 50 Simple Steps to Sell Your House for More Money in Any Market by Ilyse Glick is also better, but not as current.
Book Description
Learning how to
talk your way out of credit card debt is the quickest, easiest, and most efficient way to start saving money!
It's true! You can call your credit card banks to negotiate a better interest rate and have fees waived! However, it may not be as easy as picking up the phone and asking. That's because bank representatives are trained to deter you from pursuing the deals you deserve. Overcoming their tactics can be difficult when you don't know what to expect.
Scott Bilker, author of
Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt, and creator of DebtSmart.com, has spent 10+ years making banks compete for his business. Now, he's sharing his personal phone calls to banks that saved more than $43,000 for himself, his family, and friends! These 52 phone calls, out of the hundreds he has made, demonstrate exactly what worked, what didn't, and why. In each call transcript, for anonymity, banks have been renamed as dog breeds and their reps as bugs.:)
In this book you will discover proven negotiation strategies, and build your confidence, while learning how to: (1) get annual fees waived; (2) lower your current interest rates; (3) shop for the best credit card deals; (4) get late-payment, overlimit, and cash-advance fees waived; (5) compare loan options and calculate savings; (6) dispute charges and get all your refunds; (7) negotiate account settlements; and much more!
Customer Reviews:
The man has 80 credit cards!.......2007-10-22
The man has 80 credit cards! That may seem to be a crazy amount to most people, and it's one at which most financial advisers would shudder, but to do what he wants to do with the industry (save and make money), 80 credit cards--maybe more--are needed.
Scott Bilker has an interesting take on the massive credit card industry: "The banks are at our mercy!" That may seem absurd to those of us who have piled up the average debt of $8,500 or more on a Macy's or Citi Platinum card, but that's his take. He's proven it with over 400 minutes of transcripts of interactions between him or his friends and the credit card companies. There is
Bilker is also quite humorous- his New York mentality shows up in witty comments about the industry: if you're late a couple times, your APR may go up to 29.99% and you could get a better rate in North Jersey with the mafia, he says.
Bilker also touches on Credit Arbitrage, which is a way to turn a money-losing situation into a money-maker. All-in-all, this is a fascinating sociological and economics lesson that is well-recommended.
JSBM
Author, How to Take Advantage of the People Who Are Trying to Take Advantage of You: 50 Ways to Capitalize on the System
A helpful beginning.......2007-08-31
I bought this and then returned it. While I think it would be helpful for many people, it was not as focused (in my opinion) for people over their heads.
Wonderful Book.......2006-08-31
This book is simply amazing! I had previously used some of the techniques Scott teaches, but other things he tells you to do blew my mind! The things Scott talks about are easy to do AND can save you a TON of money! I would highly recommend the book to anyone with ANY amount of credit card debt, or even if you have NO credit card debt.
Real advice that works!.......2005-08-12
I am in the same field as Scott, and have recommended his book countless times to consumers. With credit card companies raising rates, fees, etc. his advice could not be more timely.
I just interviewed Scott today (8/11/05) on my EverydayWealth Radio program on [...] and he told me how he just got a 10 month old late fee waived! That's practically unheard of.
I can't recommend Scott's book highly enough. You'll easily recoup many times the price of the book if you implement his suggestions.
A valuable book from day one.......2004-05-15
I was shopping for a book that would help me with the credit card debt I have accumulated. I chose this book. It has proven to be very bemeficial to me. It contains a large amount of information your banks don't want you to know. My first night of reading the book, I got up to about page 70 and made my first phone call, with the intent of gaining information about the account and possibly getting a fee reversed. I ended up getting a $50 credit to the account, relatively easily. I cannot praise this book enough! If you need to reduce your credit card debt, this book may very well be your solution.
Amazon.com
In a wise and witty manner, brothers David and Tom Gardner, founders of the multimedia investment company The Motley Fool, impart their investment strategies to the adolescent masses with The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens. In eight teen-friendly sections, the brothers Gardner and writing partner Selena Maranjian demystify the stock market by describing and defining mutual funds, banking practices, IRAs, and drip investing. The authors also include numerous quotes from money-savvy adolescents who detail some of their rookie market moves in an attempt to help their peers steer clear of similar mistakes. Parents will approve of the strongly worded sections on credit card debt and the costly financial and physical tolls a smoking habit takes on both wallet and health. In fact, parents would do well to pick up this investment primer for their own edification, if they find the stock market a confusing and chaotic business. Loaded with worksheets, helpful Web sites on a variety of financial subjects, a concise glossary, and a comprehensive index, this is one investment guide that both generations can and will turn to again and again.
Traditionally, teens have been known for having a hard time seeing the proverbial Big Picture. But the Gardners respond admirably to this characteristic, by constantly emphasizing the fortune teens can make in the future by investing now and reminding them that investing money is the least labor-intensive way to make more of the desirable green stuff. A perfect gift for the burgeoning Warren Buffet in your life. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
Book Description
From the personal-finance duo Fortune magazine called "funny, smart, cynical, opinionated" comes savvy financial advice for today's street-smart young investors.
The Motley Fool has made investing fun and easy for millions of people. Now, it custom designs its wit and wisdom for today's money-savvy teens.
The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens helps teens stand out from the ho-hum mutual-fund crowd, build a portfolio of stocks they can actually care about, and take advantage of the investor's best friend -- time -- to watch their profits multiply.
- Strike a blow for financial independence. The Fool shows you how to:
- Question authority when it comes to managing your money
- Save cash (for investing, for college...and, yes, even for having fun!)
- Dodge the spending and saving pitfalls that trap so many adults
- Get started investing -- online and off -- with just a few dollars
- Discover up-and-coming businesses that could become future blue chips
Warning: this is not your parents' money guide! From identifying companies that are both cool and profitable to building a portfolio that makes tracking investments exciting, The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens shows young investors the way to financial freedom.
Download Description
From the personal-finance duo Fortune magazine called "funny, smart, cynical, opinionated" comes savvy financial advice for today's street-smart young investors. The Motley Fool has made investing fun and easy for millions of people. Now, it custom designs its wit and wisdom for today's money-savvy teens. The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens helps teens stand out from the ho-hum mutual-fund crowd, build a portfolio of stocks they can actually care about, and take advantage of the investor's best friend - time - to watch their profits multiply. * Strike a blow for financial independence. The Fool shows you how to: * Question authority when it comes to managing your money * Save cash (for investing, for college...and, yes, even for having fun!) * Dodge the spending and saving pitfalls that trap so many adults * Get started investing - online and off - with just a few dollars * Discover up-and-coming businesses that could become future blue chips Warning: this is not your parents' money guide! From identifying companies that are both cool and profitable to building a portfolio that makes tracking investments exciting, The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens shows young investors the way to financial freedom.
Customer Reviews:
Good Book For All Ages.......2007-02-14
This book has reinforced what I have been preaching to my 17 year old for years......1) save and invest your money early, 2)live within your means as you get started in life (used vs new car), 3) attend the local university (keep student loans to minimum) and 4) practice a healthy lifestyle and you will soon learn that by the time you are 30 you will have more financial freedom and less debt than 90% of Americans.
I wish I had been taught the discipline for the first two items as it wasn't until age 40 that I reached financial freedom. Fortunately for him, he is a believer after reading this book. Maybe along the way he will guide others in the right direction.
The Best Way to Enjoy Finance & Economics.......2006-02-27
This books gives the true value of savings: a life worth dreamings about and investments we make for it to see it happen. This is a sweet and funny little book that makes money look exciting as a tool and token. I see this book as the clues to playing a cool video game. (More, like the hint book.) It's so casual that you think your reading Reader's Digest. You never feel confused! Math teacher's, parents, middle schoolers, high school students, college students, retirees: you'll love this book.
Yes, a good money book for teens, but the voice is annoying........2005-05-03
This book will basically focus on the way the stock market works and how to invest in it. It also tells you how much you can save in the future. It is the meat of the book when it comes to the stock market, but the book will also teach you the cost of bad habits such as smoking and the upsides of credit cards if used right. The book teaches you how to get your money's worth in the bank, teaching you everything from how they make money to what a cd is. The worst thing about this book that annoyed me so much, I took off a point, was that they try to write the book in a type of slang format. Going from saying the word dawg and writing rock lyrics about the book. This is very annoying, but the tips this book gives are just too valuble to detour you alway.
I recommend it to anyone of any age.
Great intro financial / investing book for **everyone**.......2005-02-08
I only skimmed this book (after all, I own almost all the other TMF books!), but I think this book is by far one of the best financial books for **any** new investor, regardless of age. While other books may have more content, this is one of the most approachable financial and investing books I've read. (Plus, its worksheets **force** you practice what you read!) Readable by adults, too!
This book is the beginning of your future.......2005-01-24
I am in college. I guess I got this information kind of late. I actually started my first job way later than other kids.
I think this book inspired me to save and invest in my future. I did not know a freaking thing about investing till this came along. The thing I found most suprising was that you don't need any knowlege of the stock market to come out ahead. They make it so simple...and its life changing. I recommend this book if you want to be able to survive comfortabley when your retired.
Start saving and investing now! buy the book.
Amazon.com
There's a big difference between "making a living" and making a life. Do you spend more than you earn? Does making a living feel more like making a dying? Do you dislike your job but can't afford to leave it? Is money fragmenting your time, your relationships with family and friends? If so,
Your Money or Your Life is for you.
From this inspiring book, learn how to
- get out of debt and develop savings
- reorder material priorities and live well for less
- resolve inner conflicts between values and lifestyles
- convert problems into opportunities to learn new skills
- attain a wholeness of livelihood and lifestyle
- save the planet while saving money
- and much more
Book Description
Find financial freedom in the new millennium with a new edition of the life-changing national bestseller
More than three-quarters of a million people everywhere, from all walks of life, have found the keys to gaining control of their money--and their lives--in this comprehensive and revolutionary book on money management. Considered the bible of the voluntary simplicity movement, Your Money or Your Life is now updated with a new Preface, Index, and Resource list to help you put the program into practice. This simple, nine-step program shows you how to:
* get out of debt and develop savings
* slow down the work-and-spend treadmill
* make values-based decisions about your spending
* save the planet while saving money
* Over three years on the Business Week bestseller list
* Your Money or Your Life made all major bestseller lists in hardcover and paperback, including the New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, Publishers Weekly, and Washington Post
Customer Reviews:
very practical handbook to finance.......2007-10-24
I enjoyed this book as the authors not only gave some very excellent insight into the current 'middle class' lifestyle, but also gave some really thorough data on how to do a 'hands on' handling of your own finances. Working out the true income level for your job is quite a new concept compared to other finance self help materials. Also, the historical data on the 'work week' was quite helpful. I enjoyed the humor as well as the emphasis on getting your own financial 'house' in order so that you can do what is really valuable for you with your life.
You Cannot Read This Book Soon Enough!.......2007-10-06
This book did a wonderful job of orienting me financially so that I could visualize where I was at financially and what I would have to do to have the kind of future that I wanted. In my case, I wanted to retire in my fifties to pursue my own interests. For me, working for others was just a way to make money to support my family, etc. Anyway, I read this when I was in my early forties, and I managed to retire in my late fifties. There were some fortuitous events that helped me along, but I give Joe Dominguez most of the credit (along with what retirement savings we had already accumulated).
This is not the best book for learning the essentials of how to invest and what not. The author's advice in this regard is probably too conservative. He advocates investing in treasury bonds only, and regards the stock market as too risky. Conventional wisdom is that investing in such bonds only is also inherently risky, and that you need to diversify among asset classes to control risk. However, it is unlikely that anyone I know is going to retire due to a "great year in the market". And of course, me and my friends that looked at the 20% a year (or greater) returns in the wild and wacky 90's and assumed that was the norm, either learned from guys like Joe, or we learned the painful lessons that so many before us have learned when the market melted down. The author's use of the long bond as a safe return is right on. Today, to enjoy a retirement income of $40k, you need about $800k invested, just not all in bonds.
You can readily find books that explain modern portfolio theory in easy to understand language. This book, with its simple planning and tracking exercises, has helped me to no end in understanding why I spend money, where I spend it, and how to get it under control. And the long term planning exercises, and the author's whole point of view on the subject, are priceless. I was so excited after reading this book, that I bought copies for my children (who were young adults). Their books went unread, but I am going to read it again. There has always been an extra copy around the house--one of the fortuitous events that has helped me along.
A Good Reality Check.......2007-10-06
I first read this book about ten years ago when I was working hard and watching the money go out faster than it came in. It was a great reality check on my life. Older now, and rereading it today it is still inspires me. It makes a perfect gift for younger people who are confused about the lack of personal satisfaction in their lives.
The basic premise that this is your life and you choose how you want to live it is its defining characteristic. The rest of your life flows from that. Acknowledging what has meaning for oneself and then directing one's actions to those ends can get lost in the day to day need to "earn a living."
It covers well the nuts and bolts of making these choices and giving you tools to enable accomplishing them. It is a little simplistic and conservative financially but given that it was written before the growth of the online economy it can really get you started.
Taking charge of one's life, not going with the flow, climbing up the corporate ladder, working at a job that is meaningless is well addressed. The next step is choosing how to live a meaningful life and examining other choices.
A book that has been helpful to me in this area is Internet Riches: The Simple Money-making Secrets of Online Millionaires, by Scott Fox. This book is a detailed practical guide to building an online business, full of strategies and thought-provoking ideas. Like Your Money or Your Life, it talks of building a life that is meaningful and gives you up-to-date tools for financial independence through self-employment.
Your Money or Life stops you in your tracks with its challenging thesis and Internet Riches gives you a new roadmap for implementation. Both are useful books with a positive message.
Disappointing book, doesn't live up to its title.......2007-10-04
I was shocked to discover they recommend investing only in bonds. Also their claim that inflation does not exist is bogus.
I can't believe they would recommend you quit a full-time job which usually has benefits to find part-time work which usually does not provide benefits. Have you tried buying your own health insurance? I have and it is not cheap. Sure, you get more time to yourself, but at the same time your earnings go down your insurance expenses go up. If you hate your job anyway you might consider doing this, but I don't see how they could recommend this in a general sense as a path to financial independence. The numbers don't add up.
While I think their advice to live within your means, make a budget, know where your money is going, calculate your net worth is all good, I think they have gone off the deep end on some of their other recommendations which makes me highly suspect of the book as a whole.
rethinking money.......2007-08-24
This book made me rethink how money works and how it can work for me. It is a reality test for how we really spend and it coaches you on how to get in control of your money instead of letting it control you. I reread this every once in a while to reset my financial vision.
Book Description
Praise for It's More Than Money-It's Your Life!
"I've always thought there should be a Weight Watchers® for money. Now there is, thanks to Ginita Wall and Candace Bahr. Their Money Clubs are simple, but brilliant . . . and so much fun! These clubs could absolutely change women's attitudes and relationship to money forever. Whether you're just starting out, or starting over, I guarantee this book is one you'll keep and refer to again and again."
-Barbara Stanny, author of Prince Charming Isn't Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money and Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Income and Change Your Life
"The power of women in groups supporting one another is stupendous. The new Money Club is a marvelous and important saga of women getting together to master their futures and achieve their individual and collective dreams. It debunks old financial myths and provides a practical pathway to gaining control over critical aspects of our lives. Bravo!"
-Tom Peters, author of Re-imagine! and In Search of Excellence
"Smart, warm, and engaging, It's More Than Money-It's Your Life! brings the seasoned financial expertise of Candace Bahr and Ginita Wall straight into the living rooms and checkbooks of America. From its `Small Steps' to the fresh group problem-solving approach, the book is guaranteed to motivate women to reach financial goals together and grow on their own."
-David Bach, bestselling author of Smart Women Finish Rich and Smart Couples Finish Rich
"It's More Than Money-It's Your Life! is a wonderful guide filled with practical and inspiring tips to empower women. I especially love the Money Club concept-what a great idea, and so easy and fun to accomplish!"
-Olivia Mellan, money coach and author of Money Shy to Money Sure: A Women's Road Map to Financial Well-Being
Download Description
Want more money? Join the club
This guide offers a powerful new model called the Money Club to help women overcome their fears and insecurities about money. Building on the nationwide book club phenomenon, Money Clubs empower women to take charge of their finances in a small group setting. Filled with inspiring stories as well as step-by-step expert advice, this book will become the cornerstone of Money Club discussions. Upbeat and conversational, this book focuses on such key life issues as the five truths about women and money, taking control of spending and saving, educating children, and coping with divorce or widowhood.
Candace Bahr, CEA, CDS (San Diego, CA), is a cofounder-along with Ginita Wall-of the Women's Institute for Financial Education (WIFE.org), the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women in their quest for financial independence. As owner of her own investment management firm, Candace was named one of the top 10 brokers in the country for 2003 by Registered Rep magazine.
Ginita Wall, CPA, CFP (San Diego, CA), is an advisor to General Electric's Center for Financial Learning. She has been listed among Worth magazine's "Top Financial Advisors" for the past seven years. Both women regularly appear on CNN and CNBC.
Customer Reviews:
A Valuable, Step-by-step Must-Read.......2004-04-08
Mystified by money? Using a crystal ball to plan your retirement? Burdened with credit card debt? Lacking health insurance? Budgetless? With humor, charts, user-friendly quizzes, and common sense, this book will prod you into taking the small steps needed to get a grip on money. Your money. Earning it, keeping it, growing it. You'll find the scoop on a broad range of financial topics, sprinkled with quotes from the likes of Confucius, Dear Abby, Mark Twain, and Erma Bombeck. Discover ways to put brains and muscle into your personal money management. I found each chapter to be clear, motivating, specific. A great gift.
a must have for all women.......2004-02-28
This book has a wealth of information from getting out of debt to amassing a personal fortune. It's easy to read format helps the reader access topics of personal interest quickly and effortlessly. Get this book if you need to take control of your finances or if you know someone who would benefit from financial help and support. It makes a great gift for the women in your life from mothers and daughters and sisters too.
Terrific Guide!.......2004-02-15
What a terrific guide through the obstacles of life's financial hiways and biways! Written succinctly, intelligently and humorously--this book is a must have for women of all ages who are recognize the importance of understanding how to handle and plan our finances to achieve our life's goals--- while also getting us through the occassional bump in the road or traffic snarls that affect our money issues. Easy read and great maps/questionnaires help to keep us on track while having fun too! A man is not a plan -- and small steps lead to big success are positive themes throughout.
Helpful, Realistic Financial Advice.......2004-02-13
This is a personal finance book you'll actually ENJOY reading!
It doesn't contain any get-rich-quick schemes, nor does it offer any unrealistic promises or guarantees.
What it does do is help you identify your own "money type" (how you use money in general), and then gives simple lessons on how to best improve what needs improving.
Easy? Not exactly. As I said, there are no quick-fixes offered here. The lessons take time and effort. But if you do them, they're sure to work, because they're based on good sense, and an understanding of how women relate to money issues.
Reviewer: Linda Painchaud
Easy Money Advice.......2004-01-07
Flipped through this book looking for tips on getting out of debt and realized it would help me with all of my money issues. (In fact it made me aware that I had more money issues than I thought I did.) Thanks for a good solid guide that I can understand! These authors should do seminars too.
Book Description
In his first bestseller, Financial Peace, Dave Ramsey taught us how to eliminate debt from our lives. Now in More Than Enough, he gives us the keys to building wealth while also creating a successful, united family. Drawing from his years of work with thousands of families and corporate employees, Ramsey presents the ten keys that guarantee family and financial peace, including: values, goals, patience, discipline, and giving back to one's community. Using these essential steps anyone can create prosperity, live debt-free, and achieve marital bliss around the issue of finances. Filled with stories of couples, single men and women, children, and single parents, More Than Enough will show you:
* How to create a budget that fits your income and creates wealth
* What finances and romance have to do with one another
* What role values play in your financial life
* How to retire wealthy in every way
* And much, much more
Resonating with Ramsey's down-home, folksy voice, heartwarming case histories, inspiring insights, quotations from the Bible, and exercises, quizzes, and worksheets, More Than Enough provides an inspiring wealth-building guide and a life-changing blueprint for a vital family dynamic.
Customer Reviews:
Decent so far.......2007-04-11
Am only halfway through, and not bad so far. Not as many practical suggestions--his website seems much better for that. Good principles, especially in reagrds to including your spouse--even if one of you really gravitates towards finances, and the other doesn't. We're using it as a small group study for couples, and it's going well. Allows good conversation points that let you easily explore how your family histories affect how you manage finances.
Great Sequel to Financial Peace or total money make over.......2006-05-20
This is financial step 2(If you have read either of Dave's other books):This will continue your journey.I have been listening to Dave Ramsey since he started in Nashville in 1993. His common sense information is why I have a 6 figure 401K, and have had financial peace over the past 13 years. He taught me what my parents should have about personal finance. I have only made 4 car payments in 8 years(I have the cash to pay it off whenever I choose)and have had alomost zero credit card debt in 8 years.(A divorce set me back for 5 months).When I started listening to him I was BROKE.This is a great beginners book in personal finance,it can show you the way out of debt.I Would recommend strongly reading this mans books and listening to him on the radio if you want:
1) To be completely debt free.
2) Have peace of mind.
3) Have the freeedom to quit your job if you want to.
4) Have a large checking and savings account.
5) Retire young
More than Enough.......2006-02-22
Although I liked Financial Peace and The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey more than I did this book, it is still a good one. Dave really knows how to help you get your finances in line and he can really give you a wake up call of what can happen if you ignore your financial situation.
Very very good reading.......2003-12-04
I've read Dave Ramsey's other books and I think this book is worth reeading even if you've already read the others. This one I felt focused a little more on the foundations of character, values, patience, and discipline. It contains the best description of 'diligence' I've ever seen.
Highly recommended for those interested in taking a hard look at not just their debt to income ratio, but also a hard look at themselves and their values.
Life Changing!.......2003-05-14
This book is life changing. For people with financial wisdom it may be yeah, I know that. But for those of us that missed the lessons not taught on financial management in school or by our parents this book is wonderful. It is an outstanding gift for new college graduates and newlyweds. I love it and have already given it as a gift a half dozen times within a month of completing the book. It helps couples talk about their disconnects on managing the household income in a self mocking way. It also helps eliminate some of the stress around money when you truly recognize it's purpose.
Book Description
Doug Hall has been called America's #1 New Product Idea Man by Inc. Magazine, A&E Top 10 and CIO Magazine, a title earned due to his outstanding work with such industry leaders as American Express, Ford Motor Company, Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, Tropicana, AT&T and Frito-Lay.
After 10 years with Procter & Gamble Co., where he became that company's first "master marketing inventor," he now runs the Eureka Ranch, a work-hard, play-hard haven where he helps companies create breakthrough ideas for new products and services. This work, in combination with his years of consulting and researching, led directly to Jump Start Your Business Brain, the best piece of good news for business owners to appear in the last ten years.
Jump Start Your Business Brain is must-have information for business people everywhere, especially small business owners. Why? Because author Doug Hall is on a personal quest--a Robin Hood-like mission to translate the wisdom he's discovered researching top corporations into no-fail, practical tactics for small and medium sized businesses.
Jump Start Your Business Brain is packed with hard-won insight as to what truly works in the marketplace. To make it accessible to all, Doug transforms this real-life market intelligence into six scientific laws that, when applied with diligence, can make any business overflow with good fortune. Readers will learn how to:
* Increase sales by 10 to 50% by sharpening customer communications--not by spending additional money
* Transform business offerings to enjoy a higher profit margin
* Take charge of their future by increasing their skills at identifying and exploiting business opportunities
What makes this business book different from all the rest? Its laws of success are developed on scientific data and original research drawn from over 4,000 new products and services and over 6,000 front-line development groups.
Even better, the purchase of this book also entitles the reader to conduct a Merwyn simulated test market on the probability of success for their own business plan/idea. Merwyn, the computer "brain trust" for all Doug's data and research, will run an Idea Scan (via a single-use password protected within the book--a $500 value) which will allow crucial analysis for their business.
Finally, the promise of these scientific laws spring to life for the reader in dozens of small business success stories, including Village Pottery, Mo Hotta Mo Betta, College of Piping, Woolly Ware, Island Winds, Cavendish Figurines, Seasons in Thyme and Island Pewter.
Every copy of Jump Start Your Business Brain provides customers with access to one FREE Merwin Idea Scan--a $500 value!
Merwyn is a simulated test marketing system for business ideas. It allows test marketing of a new business, product, service or advertising idea before investing time and money in its execution.
Marketplace data indicates that ideas selected to go to market are successful only 25% of the time. An 845-case validation found Merwyn to have a 70% to 90% accuracy picking winners--thus dramatically reducing business risk. Merwyn's accuracy comes from:
1) Modeling what customers "do" as opposed to what they "say,"
2) Analyzing probability of success relative to millions of data points and
3) Eliminating the emotional bias that is common when pursuing new ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Mediocre follow-up to "Jump Start Your Brain".......2005-08-06
The average 5-star rating that this book has received to date is interesting. My 2-star rating credits Doug Hall's follow-up to his classic "Jump Start Your Brain" text with introducing readers to basic marketing in an enthusiastic manner. However, unlike the first "Jump Start" book (refer to the associated 5-star review I wrote for that text), there really is no uniqueness to this book when compared to other business-related marketing books except for the style in which the material is presented. Hall constantly brings up his "Merwyn" probability success tool that is being sold to the reader as a good way to predict the outcome of their product ideas, but since it is a proprietary tool there is no concrete explanation of the analytics behind the tool. Often, the book seems like it is merely a 300+-page sales pitch for Merwyn (and by the way, there is even a coupon in the book to get a one-time discount on use of his tool through the author's firm). After reading "Jump Start Your Business Brain" line by line for the first few chapters, it became quickly apparent that there is definitely a large amount of non-value-added fluff in the material. I still highly recommend "Jump Start Your Brain", but I do not believe this new Hall effort is worth your time unless you are completely new to marketing theory.
If you own just one buisness book, this is the one to have........2005-04-09
If there is only one business book to own, this is it!
Doug Hall lays out a straight forward, highly logical, and common sense means to communicate with your customers. Using his approach of communicating through overt benefits, dynamic difference, and real reason to believe, your business is sure to grow. This is a keeper!
What a disappointment.......2004-03-24
I buy about a book a week from Amazon and never write reviews - but I have to on this one.
Did you buy one of the original Apple Ipods? All the PR and reviews got your expectations up - only to find out that they went cheap on the battery. It lasts about 3-minutes. Big disappointment. It was capable of so much more.
Same with this book. I LOVED Hall's first book. Great breakthrough stuff. So when this one was released I got in the pre-publication line. I saved the book for a Saturday cross-country plane ride ready to savor. Had the highlighter all ready and - bummer. Couldn't believe it.
It's the equivlant of "Eat plenty of vegetables, get plenty of sleep and brush your teeth every day." Mundane, sophormoric stuff to be associated with the name Doug Hall. Not at all in the same league as his first book - a masterpiece. This guy is so much better than this cute little book of lists. I'll buy his next one, pay money to go see him - but this isn't the Doug Hall of the first book.
Tried and true ideas, reasonably well presented........2003-12-31
The book is full of marketing truisms that are presented better elsewhere, but set forth here as if they were new discoveries. For example, "benefits sell more than features." Well, duh! You already know this if you have read a single introductory marketing text. That said, the book's positive point is the energy with which he conveys the information, and it is a reasonably engaging read. The negative point is the ego of the author rises to the level of distraction.
So what's with all the glib five star reviews this book has received? Was I missing the point, was I reading a different book, or were there a few reviews planted by the publisher?
Up Your Business Success Odds to 80 percent/TESTED !!.......2003-04-29
Up Your Business Success Odds to 80 percent/TESTED TO WORK!!
Is your business or business or product idea focused in a way that makes its success chances from 60 to over 80%?
Or is it in the 17 to 23 % range that most people achieve?
Would you like a guide that explains the 3 principles that can help you to make that upgrade & that has been tested to work ??
Would you like a way to test your marketing materials IN ADVANCE & know how successful they're likely to be--that also has been found to be accurate in practice to within a few percentage points?
How about detailed, reasonably easy to use, tips from a man who successfully teaches Fortune 500 exec's how to do all this?
If so, immediately buy, read, & use this book !!
You'll be dramatically glad you did !!
I think it's one of the 3 best business books ever written.
David Eller
Book Description
America’s bestselling real-estate expert offers a highly practical, reader-friendly guide to selling your home quickly and for the best price—in any market.
In 50 Simple Steps You Can Take to Sell Your Home Faster and for More Money in Any Market, Ilyce Glink takes home sellers through the process of readying their homes for sale, offering inside tips and expert advice about how to get the most value from any house or apartment in the shortest time possible. Inside you’ll find:
• Rules every seller should live by
• Mistakes every home seller makes—but can easily avoid
• Steps you have to take before you sell, including great ideas for keeping
your house ultraclean and organized
• Room-by-room improvements—including the basement, attic, garage,
and the exterior—that will add instant value to your home
• Information on timing your sale
• Inside advice on pricing your house
• Tips for navigating the paperwork and closing documents
Customer Reviews:
50 Simple Steps You Can Take To Sell Your Home Faster.......2007-01-19
Excellent!
Can't miss using the ideas presented.
Just What You Want.......2005-09-22
This book IS just what you want if you want to sell your house. I'm a Realtor, so I feel especially qualified to say this.
SOLD in less than 24 hours.......2005-08-08
This book tells it like it is. You want the most money out of your investment, than try to do all the things listed to prepare your house before you call a realtor or have people view it. It is a lot of work - it took me three months - but everyone who viewed my home said what a lovely home I had, how well-maintained it was, and I had an offer in less than 24 hours for more than my listing price! I also heard a lot of comments from potential buyers about how dirty and cluttered other homes they visited were - so much so that it was hard to see what the home had to offer. A very, very worthwhile investment.
selling tips.......2005-07-06
this book is great, we did everything wrong and payed for it.
this was a great help with our other properties. Highly recommend this to others.
A small gem.......2005-05-24
Invaluable! Solid, practical, up-to-date advice with no fluff, from a woman who knows the real estate market inside and out. Written in a friendly, conversational style--not "technical" at all. I followed Glink's advice, and my condo sold in three days (to the first person who looked at it) for $1,750 above the asking price.
Product Description
Numerous studies show that a house that is well polished on the surface and staged properly will appeal to more buyers, sell faster, and most importantly for more money. You may not be able to improve the market value of your house, but you can improve its marketability. Remember: first impressions count the most. Home Staging is the art of decorating a home to sell fast and for the highest amount. Home stage experts and consultants get thousands of dollars to do what you can easily do inexpensively, with little or no money. Keep in mind this important fact: the way you live in your home and the way you market it for sale are two very different things. In this groundbreaking new book you will learn how small color changes will increase your home s value, minor repairs and de-cluttering tricks, how to rearrange your furniture and art work, decorating tips and ideas, how to look at your house from the buyer's viewpoint, how to add minor accessories, which items stay and what must go, which minor changes will bring you the greatest return, how to bring out a home's best features, table settings, candles, what photos must go and which ones stay, how to minimize problem areas, how to position your house for the marketplace, what music to play, what scents to spray, how to use design psychology techniques, lighting techniques, landscaping secrets, what to do with garages, basements and attics, what color you should never use, how to ensure a positive traffic flow through rooms, how to use mirrors and natural light, and much more. This brand new exhaustively researched book is the ultimate resource for novices and pros alike; it will guide you through every step of the process with hundreds of innovative ideas that you can put to use right away. This book gives you the proven strategies and innovative ideas used by the expert s everyday that you can easily do your self. The book also includes a full-color insert packed with photos of before and after shots!
Customer Reviews:
A Must Have For EVERY Homeowner.......2007-10-23
Teri B. Clark shares her expert tips on how to make your house look like a model home to showcase its potential to prospective buyers. Each page is filled with tricks of the trade and advice from professionals, and each chapter is summarized with a numbered tip list for easy reference. The book also includes before and after photos, as well as true stories of houses that sold for more than the asking price.
I recommend this book to everyone, regardless of whether they have a house to sell. Who doesn't want their house to look like a model home? Or, at the very least, sparkling clean, less cluttered, and more stylish? Teri B. Clark has written a do-it-yourself, fix-it-up, reorganization, cleaning, and decorating manual all rolled into one! The best part about her cleaning tips is that all of her methods entail using natural products such as orange oil and baking soda--very Earth and wallet friendly. There is an entire chapter on how to stage your home on a shoestring budget, which is ideal, especially in the current marketplace. She has ingenious ideas, and she demonstrates with data that a small investment can bring a large return. This is a tremendously useful book for all homeowners.
Excellent advice........2007-06-10
This book is full of helpful advice when undertaking the tremendous task of selling and moving out of your house. Some of the advice is common sense, but they offer great ideas.
From do-it-yourself enhancement projects to inexpensive solutions.......2007-06-10
Dozens of color photos of 'before' and 'after' examples illustrate staging step-by-step, offering homeowners and their agents key tips to understanding how a property presents itself and what enhances its salability. From do-it-yourself enhancement projects to inexpensive solutions for potentially expensive problems, 301 SIMPLE THINGS is the guide homeowners should consult first before even listing a property - and any public library lending collection will find it an excellent reference.
Solid Guide to Staging Your House for a Successful Sale.......2007-04-11
Selling a home can be a time-consuming and stressful time, especially if the home doesn't sell right away, or doesn't even get serious bites from potential buyers. There are a lot of reasons buyers might not be interested in a house - the location, for example - that are out of the seller's control. However, there are also a lot of things sellers can do to actually sell their house to the buyer, primarily by making the house a more attractive and compelling purchase. Teri B. Clark's book on house staging, the not-so-succinctly titled 301 Simple Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought, lays out how to effectively stage your house to maximize both the number of interested buyers, and the selling price.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, staging is essentially arranging and decorating your house in a way that makes it appealing to virtually anyone who enters it. Think of a window display in a store, or a floor model of a bedroom set, and you will get the idea: the objective is to make the house an eye-catching product that buyers are excited about purchasing. 301 Simple Things...covers the entire process of staging in great detail, from simple do-it-yourself tasks like cutting down on clutter, patching drywall, and thoroughly - and I mean thoroughly - cleaning your kitchen, bathroom, and windows, to more complex tasks that could require professional help, like putting in a new toilet. The overall point that the book drives home is that staging is not the same as remodeling, and should not require installation of expensive appliances or amenities, or major changes to the house itself. Staging is about doing a variety of small, things: painting cabinets, rearranging furniture, cleaning, opening curtains, etc. to make the house more presentable to buyers.
Though the book at times serves as an advertisement for some of the professional house stagers it features in its case studies, the content is actually based around a do-it-yourself type of attitude. It walks you through all the tasks and principles behind staging your house, and gives specific, step-by-step instructions on all the tasks it recommends. If you have never put up wallpaper or painted a concrete basement floor, for example, Clark walks you through all of the details of those processes. A simple carpentry book might be a good companion piece if you decide to stage your house yourself, but the information in 301 Simple Things... is detailed enough that you will probably only have to consult the carpentry book if you run into a problem. Speaking of problems: aside from guiding you through what to do, 301 Simple Things... also covers what not to do, describing problems and pitfalls that turn off potential buyers.
The great thing about 301 Simple Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought is that the vast majority of the book is useable content, without a lot of fluff. Case studies, which are essentially anecdotes from real estate professionals, serve to reinforce the importance of whatever topic the book is covering, and its illustrations (photographs) do a great job of showing, visually, how staging can change the look and feel of a house. If you are considering selling your home, 301 Simple Things...is a great read. It provides plenty of useable ideas for making your house a product that potential buyers will get excited about purchasing, and living in. Whether you decide to use the services of a professional, or make improvements yourself using its step-by-step guides, 301 Simple Things...can be a huge asset in your quest to sell your home.
Simply Fantastic!.......2007-04-05
I love this book! Teri Clark has created a gem that is full of fantastic ideas to help you easily transform your house from a home into a product that others will want to buy. If you are selling your house, you need this book. No matter what your budget, you will find suggestions that will bring you thousands of dollars in profits and help your home sell faster.
As a home buyer, I have always felt much more inclined to try to get a bargain when making an offer for a house that wasn't loved than when walking through a house that was presentation ready. Don't sell your cherished home to bargain hunters when you can sell to home buyers who want to move up in the world to something better than they had before! "301 Simple Things" helps you create a living space that exceeds their expectations and ensures that you close the sale at a price that's right for you.
"301 Simple Things" is also great for people who simply want to live well. With a few simple tasks, you can create a beautiful environment that is a both a haven and a place to entertain and enjoy. Don't settle for good, read the book and see how easily you can make your house a great place to live.
Book Description
Everything you need to know about personal finance -- whether you're just starting out or starting over.
The hardest part of attaining personal financial freedom is getting started. Ilyce R. Glink makes it a snap. The smart, simple strategies presented in
50 Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Your Personal Finances let you take immediate control of your money. With her trademark wit, friendly style, and crystal-clear examples, Ilyce Glink helps you set financial goals and reach them. Topics include:
* Starting Out * Budgets and Savings * Credit, Credit Reports, and Debt * Investing Yourself in Investments * Big Purchases * The Ins and Outs of Insurance * Taxes * Marriage, Partnerships, Children * Planning for Your Retirement
Customer Reviews:
Common Sense but Not Simply Laid Out.......2006-12-24
With all the reports in the news about high rates of bankruptcy, high credit card debt, and lack of understanding in the general population about how to manage their finances, certainly everybody would love simple steps that help them make their finances better.
The first three steps all seem to involve *spending* money. She wants you to set up a home office area with office supplies and filing cabinets. She wants you to buy a computer, and Quicken. Next, you tally up your finances, calculate your net worth and plan out your goals. So far, none of these things seem to natively improve your financial situation. Yes, they're good planning steps.
OK we get on to #7 - a tip! "Spend less than you earn." Yes, that qualifies as a good tip. She actually provides 10 sub-tips here, things like "don't go out to movies" and "eat at home" (twice).
And on it goes. Don't smoke. Buy with cash, not credit. Use the web for directory assistance, not the phone company. Check your credit report. Consolidate your insurance bills.
The glossary in the back of the book is actually quite helpful, with a number of terms that come up in financial discussions. However, using her own tips, I could easily get that information from dictionary.com :)
Obviously this book *told* you they were "simple steps", not complicated ones. Still, I think that the book could have covered a wider range of information, and provided tips that were much more thorough. She could have created tip 1 as "set up a useful home office environment" that included the filing cabinets, computers, software, etc and warned you that it'd be over $500 to get this step done. There could be tip 2 about "get a handle on where you are now" and explaining in detail how to do that. Too many of the tips are redundant.
I also think, if this book is aimed at the very-beginning-market of people just out of college who are hoping to get their lives in order, that they could have done a better job of making this step by step. Provide checklists. Give simple examples. They do that in one or two places, but it could have been very helpful to do that with each tip.
There are many other books I'd recommend before this one, for people who are in this situation and need this kind of knowledge.
Sound Advice.......2006-07-29
This book presents good sound advice for people who want to manage and balance their finances properly.
The advice is not far fetched and outlandish..., like some other financial books.
Good for the common middle class person who wants to strive for better.
Personal Finance 101.......2005-08-19
This easy-to-read book gives very basic information on personal finance. It is a great start if you really don't know anything about managing your personal finances. If you have an average knowledge of the topic, you probably will not learn a lot. However, I did find it useful to reiterate things I already knew.
A very good book.......2005-04-03
I have read this book and feel it is a very good book to start building a solid financial foundation. This is not a book for the advanced, but for people like myself in their twenties (I'm 28) trying to figure out how they can be smarter with their finances. As I read through the book, I wrote down the "things" on a list and checked them off as I completed them. One of the interesting "things" was to check my property tax statement to ensure I wasn't be taxed for more property than I owned.
Again, this book isn't for the advanced financial planner; but I found it very helpful.
Good or lousy, depends on who you are..........2004-12-16
I have both purchased this book for someone and recommended some people to bypass it.
If you are just coming into the work force and aren't sure the right things to do to start you out on the right foot, I would recommend this book. I would also recommend this book if you are unsure of what good habits to get into, or are looking for a larger picture overview of personal finance.
If you are already down with the basics, or have a good idea of what you are doing and are looking for some more advanced help, skip this book and go to something more detailed.
I believe this book is meant to be an overview which cannot help but glance over some major points for the greater flow of the book. If you are looking for a cross-section of personal finance, you will never be satisfied with too many details and if you are looking for advanced help, you shouldn't purchase a high-level book. Do your research and know what you are looking for and this book can be exactly what you are looking for.
I particularly think this is a good gift for those just making their way on their own.
Books:
- Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook: Preparing Your 12- to 18-Year-Old for a Smooth Transition
- How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously
- How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously
- How to Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett: Profiting from the Bargain Hunting Strategies of the World's Greatest Value Investor
- Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World
- Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
- Managing a Consumer Lending Business
- Managing a Consumer Lending Business
- Managing a Consumer Lending Business
- Managing a Consumer Lending Business
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Whale Done! : The Power of Positive Relationships
- Nuthin' but a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap
- Commonsense Reasoning
- Direct Marketing Rules of Thumb: 1,000 Practical and Profitable Ideas to Help You Improve Response,
- Java Examples in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition
- On Every Side
- History: Fiction or Science
- 2001 Construction Accounting Deskbook: Financial, Tax, Accounting, Management, and Legal Answers
- Creating an Economic Development Action Plan: A Guide for Development Professionals Revised and Upda
- Dinosaur Provincial Park: Land of Vanished Dinosaurs
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Designed to Sell: Make any home the hottest property on the block with expert advice from the popular HGTV series
Building a Successful Home Staging Business: Proven Strategies from the Creator of Home Staging
Dress Your House for Success: 5 Fast, Easy Steps to Selling Your House, Apartment, or Condo for the Highest Po ssible Price!
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging your Home to Sell (Complete Idiot's Guide to)
Curb Appeal
