Book Review: Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money by Kevin O’Leary

Book: Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money by Kevin O’Leary
Size: 273 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books (September 17, 2013)
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Summary

“Don’t spend too much. Mostly save. Always invest.”

Kevin O’Leary offers simple advice from his years of experience on how to save money, avoid debt and invest for your future.

My Review

One of my goals at the beginning of 2016 was to read a book a month on the art of writing. I have found that when three or four different authors suggest the same thing (ie. tighten up your sentences) my ears begin to perk up.  So, after a discussion my husband and I had about planning for retirement, he sent me this article 19 Books You Want to Read if You Want to Get Rich that began with the quote: “Research finds that 85% of rich people read two or more education, career-related, or self-improvement books per month.”  It reinforced my findings with writing -if you want to become good at something, be disciplined to consistently read books by others who have traveled the road before you.

I am not looking to be wildly rich but rather to be wise stewards what God has entrusted us with as we prepare and plan for the future from our kid’s college to retirement.  Mr’s Wonderful’s book seemed like as good a place to start as any -partly because I’m a fan of Shark Tank– plus it was available at the library. Some may refer to him as opinionated and ruthless, but  I have a lot of respect for Kevin O’Leary. He knows his mind, does the hard thing and has succeeded in the areas that he set out to.  His book was true to his character and did not disappoint.

 

What I liked

• Interesting and easy to understand.  My head begins to spin when I start to hear IRA’s and 401K’s, so I was a little nervous about a book that would be over my head. This was a perfect book for which to begin my journey. I looked forward to stealing a few minutes here and there to read.
• The tone had humor and stories about Kevin’s life which made him seem more human underneath the hard shell he portrays.
• There are lots of good, practical suggestions. He doesn’t just tell you to make a budget, he shows you how to get a handle on where you are spending your money.
• I came away motivated to learn more on the subject.

 

What I didn’t like

• The methodology he shares is what has worked for him and made him highly successful financially.  The book is his opinions on how he got there. There isn’t a lot of research or studies, rather one man’s formula for success.
• He had a ghost writer and his step father did his research.

 

I would recommend this book to: I think it would be a great read for anyone wanting to be a better steward of their money.  At the very least it gets you thinking and asking questions instead of running mindlessly on the rat wheel of life. I would like my teenagers to read it as they are starting out in life as well as my mom as she heads into retirement -and everyone in between.  This book  isn’t the end all – but a good stepping stone to conversations in the right direction.

Sum it up:  “I wrote this book for anyone who wants to tap my database of experiences. I hope that this book helps those on their own journeys…”