Can I Have Some Money Please?

Author: Twyla Prindle
Illustrator: Lorie Miller Hansen
Publisher: Prindle House
Genre: Children / Personal Finance
ISBN: 0-9759527-2-2
Pages: 32
Price: $7.95

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Little Twyla wants some money, but she doesn’t know how to get it.  Someone wise explains there are three simple steps to prosperity.  If she can follow these spiritual steps, she will have as much money as she needs.

Prayer, tithing and generosity are all important in creating an abundance of money. Children and adults alike will read, in gently flowing rhyme, how to create that positive energy that attracts wealth into one’s life.

Can I Have Some Money Please? is not really about income, but more about trusting in the source of all wealth – God. If we trust that our needs will be met, and don’t hoard what we do have, we will always receive all we need.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Why Did I Get This Credit Card?

Author: Twyla Prindle
Illustrator: Randy Jennings
Publisher: Prindle House Publishing
Genre: Children / Finance
ISBN: 978-0-9819372-9-8
Pages: 48
Price: $9.95

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Little Twyla has just been given a credit card. Dad says it’s just for emergencies, and he wants her to keep in her dresser drawer for a week. Then he’ll explain how it works.

The lure of easy spending is too tempting, and Little Twyla has other ideas. If she goes to the mall, she can buy whatever she likes. She doesn’t need to pay with cash – she has her new credit card. But her joy is short-lived when the time of reckoning comes. The receipts are tallied and Little Twyla knows she’ll be working hard to pay off her credit card bill.

Since children today have credit cards, it’s important for them to know how they work, and what the consequences of their actions will be. So many adults get their first credit card and think they have unlimited spending ability – until they get the bill. If kids learn credit card skills when they’re young enough, they’ll grow up to be responsible adults who don’t abuse credit.

Why Did I Get This Credit Card? is part of the Kash Kids series, designed to help children understand how to manage money. I highly recommend these books for all kids and their parents as an educational tool for personal finance.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Where Is My Money?

Author: Twyla Prindle
Illustrator: Randy Jennings
Publisher: Prindle House Publishing Company
Genre: Children / Personal Finance
ISBN: 978-0-9819372-8-1
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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Where is her money? Is it under the chair? Or the bed? Or did she leave it in the car? Oh, no, there’s no money left! But where did it go?

Money management is a learned skill. Kids today need to know where their money is going before they learn it the hard way – when it’s no longer there! In Where Is My Money? this little girl learns about budgeting and saving, so she will always know where her money is – safe in her piggy bank.

Simple math and accounting lessons are included, to encourage kids to make their own savings plan. This is a wonderful resource in teaching children the value of money, and how not to spend it as soon as they get it. I highly recommend this personal finance book for kids.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Tax-Free Retirement

Author: Patrick Kelly
Publisher: Strategic Financial Concepts
Genre: Personal Finance
ISBN: 142511082-7
Pages: 176
Price: $19.95

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Retirement is a long way off, and you’ve planned carefully. You maximize IRA contributions and take advantage of your company’s 401(k). But have you ever given any thought to the amount of tax you may be paying when you finally retire?

One of the benefits we’re sold on in tax-deferred plans is the idea we’ll be in a lower tax bracket when we retire. But the author suggests just the opposite may be true. As the US national debt continues to rise, taxes may be on the upswing instead.

So how can we be sure the assets we’ve accumulated won’t be taxed heavily by Uncle Sam? That’s what Tax-Free Retirement will show you. By investing in a specific life insurance product, you can maximize your funds in a tax-free manner.

I have to admit, I didn’t know where the author was going with this, but when he mentioned he was an insurance salesman, I had an idea he might be endorsing an insurance product. So I read this book with a degree of skepticism. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this concept is not recommended for everyone. Certain people with certain levels of income will benefit the most, and the author suggests this strategy won’t be beneficial at all to others.

As with all major financial decisions, research this plan carefully and don’t take any risks you can’t afford to lose on. But if the information in this book is utilized properly, you may find your key to a tax-free retirement in its pages.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The SmartestWay to Save

Author: Samuel K. Freshman & Heidi E. Clingen
Publisher: Straightline Publishers
Genre: Personal Finance
ISBN: 978-1-4196-5683-5
Pages: 220
Price: $16.99

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In this uncertain economy, we’re all looking for ways to cut expenses and put money in the bank. Authors Samuel K. Freshman and Heidi E. Clingen have created a system called The SmartestWay to Save to help make it easier.

This book is all about saving, not investments. You won’t find any advice on where to put your money once you’ve accumulated it. Instead, you’re encouraged to do your own research and choose wisely. But if you want to learn how to build your savings, The SmartestWay to Save offers some ideas.

Many of the concepts discussed are pure common sense – don’t spend to keep up with others, don’t worry about what other people think, think before you spend, pay yourself first, comparison shop, and avoid debt.

But at times I wondered about their suggestions. They strongly tell us to avoid debit cards and ATMs, but if you keep careful tabs on your checking account balance, you can very safely use them to avoid credit cards. Shop discount stores like Sears and JCPenney? The last time I stepped inside either of these stores, I hardly thought their prices resembled “discount” prices. And Avon is “inexpensive” makeup? I don’t think so.

Many internet sites are sprinkled throughout the book, but these are simply store links easily found through a search engine. Instead I’d have liked to see information on finding “discount codes” at websites we shop on a regular basis – they’re out there if you know where to look for them. Tips on using the internet to find the best prices around would also have been helpful.

I’m a very frugal accountant, so my opinion may be slanted a bit, but to me, this is a very basic book designed to sway a spender to think about and start saving money. If you’ve been frugal for a while, I’m pretty sure you’ve been doing many of the suggestions already, and you’ll find this book too basic for your needs.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Rich Is a Religion

Author: Mark Stevens
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Genre: Personal Finance
ISBN: 978-0-470-25287-1
Pages: 192
Price: $24.95

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Congregants of the religion of the rich share important philosophical principles. They have learned to treat money with the reverence and respect it deserves. In Rich Is a Religion, author Mark Stevens shares some of the principles he’s discovered, both from living them himself and from watching others who practice them. He also shares the stories of the “atheists” of the religion of the rich, and their ultimate financial destruction.

If you’re looking for information on how to get rich, this book won’t provide it. You won’t find investment strategies, business ideas, or any other means of developing wealth. But what you will find is a way of looking at money that can help you hold onto what you do have, while inspiring you to create more.

Don’t let the title put you off – this is not a book about worshiping money. Instead, it’s a book about living a quality lifestyle without needless expenses and a keeping-up-with-the-Jones mentality. Practical and inspiring, Rich Is a Religion is a voice of common sense in this age of greed.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Wealth Manifesto

Author: Mark T. Rafter
Publisher: New Knowledge Press
Genre: Self-help / Personal Growth / Success
ISBN: 978-0-9796682-0-3
Pages: 214
Price: $17.95

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How do you define wealth? Do you even know, or do you just assume it has something to do with how much money you’ve managed to accumulate? According to Mark T. Rafter, money is only part of the wealth equation, and The Wealth Manifesto shows you what makes up the missing pieces.

This book, along with the downloadable companion workbook, helps you define a lifestyle that will ultimately make you wealthy, through a series of thought-provoking exercises. The first section looks at the path to wealth – how you define wealth and what you need to make you happy. The second section invites you to determine your own value and competencies, as you offer your services to the world. And the third section explores the accumulation of wealth through the concept of building systems.

If you’ve ever read The Science of Getting Rich, you may have felt the author left out a key element of how to get rich. Focusing on metaphysical elements has its place, and it certainly helps us to stay on course as we plan our future. The Wealth Manifesto explores those metaphysical concepts and takes them a step further, explaining exactly how to create systems that can generate wealth for us long into the future.

Creating wealth can feel like an insurmountable task, but Mark T. Rafter makes it seem simple and effortless. Follow the directions as laid out, and you’ll be inspired to take action and become wealthy yourself. I highly recommend this well-written and motivational book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Giving Thanks

Author: Paula Langguth Ryan
Publisher: Pellingham Casper Communications
Genre: Financial Stewardship
ISBN: 1-889605-07-7
Pages: 176
Price: $17.95

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If you’re like many people, the concept of tithing brings up negative emotions. Maybe you live in constant fear of not having enough, or you were brought up in a religious environment that made demands on you to tithe, whether you wanted to or not. Giving Thanks provides fresh insights, and encourages an open mind as it explains all the reasons why you need to look past your limited thinking, and just do it.

If you’re feeling that your prosperity is limited, you probably aren’t tithing. As the author explains, in order to receive the good that wants to come to you, you first need to give thanks for all the good you already have – and you need to do this through your tithes.

Although the 10% tithe is recommended, Ryan encourages us to test the waters with a smaller tithe, working up to the full 10% as soon as possible. From her experience, most people will be tithing in full within months of beginning the experiment, once they see the results.

This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, where you give solely in order to get. Instead it’s a sound practice of blessing the good you’ve received, and giving back a portion in order to receive more blessing. This sets in motion a cycle of good that keeps on giving.

If you’re ready to experience more good in every area of your life, you first need to start tithing. Giving Thanks will show you how. I highly recommend you pick up a copy and put these principles to work for yourself.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Giving Myths

Author: Stephen B. McSwain
Publisher: Smyth & Helwys
Genre: Christian Living / Financial Stewardship
ISBN: 978-1-57312-495-9
Pages: 248
Price: $18.00

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Stephen B. McSwain makes a bold statement – that giving will lead to the life you’ve always wanted. Although many of us have been raised with the idea that we should be generous, most of us aren’t giving nearly as much as we could. This book explores the giving myths many of us believe. Basing his opinions on years of working in church fundraising, McSwain explains why these myths persist, and why they’re false beliefs.

Quoting several passages from the Bible, he shows how churches have misinterpreted the words of Jesus and the prophets in order to coerce their congregations into giving more. When guilt tactics fail, the churches turn to encouraging members to become involved to motivate them to generosity. Other topics include the standard of tithing, and equal and fair share giving. And some folks believe they simply can’t afford to give.

But once McSwain debunks all of these myths, he reassures us that if we can look past the myths and give generously – to our church or spiritual center, and also to our favorite charities – God will grant us the life we’ve always wanted While we may not be showered with material things, we will be given all we need, plus the peace of mind in knowing that we will always be provided for. And isn’t that all we really need, anyway?

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Golden Pool of Abundance

Author: Jeanie Marshall
Genre: Guided Meditations
Publisher: Marshall House
ISBN: 978-1885893079
Price: $19.95

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Do you have infinite abundance in your life? If you don’t, a visit to the Golden Pool of Abundance is exactly what you need.

First you will need to decide what you want to attract more of. There are many forms abundance can take, and they don’t have to just be more money. More of anything you want can be available to you. If you’re not sure what you want, trust the Universe to give you what you most need.

Then take a journey along with Jeanie Marshall to the Golden Pool of Abundance. Immerse yourself in its beauty, energy and power. Swim, play, laugh, and enjoy it. Breathe it in, taste it, feel it. It’s there for you to experience whenever you like. The more you can let yourself go and explore its wonder, the more of it you’ll have.

Once you’ve had your fill, you’ll be given the opportunity to cast off your lack and limitation and open yourself to all the goodness that awaits you. All that you need is there for you at the Golden Pool of Abundance.

Jeanie Marshall’s hypnotic voice magically transports you through this guided visualization. You’ll see the wonder and feel the energy of this Golden Pool of Abundance. When you finally return to the world around you, you’ll feel refreshed, happy and energized, ready to receive all the goodness the Universe wants to send you.

Reviewer: Alice Berger