I'm a little sorry to see all of the negative reviews this book has gotten, since I found it to be one of the most eye-opening things I've ever read and, by following some of its advice, have gotten my finances into better shape than they have been in years.Let me clarify some things. This is not a book for the financially advanced, for professionial money managers or financial advisors, or for stock brokers. The intended audience here is the "Average Person" who works at something else every day but wants to better understand how to handle their money. This person probably has credit card debt, spotty savings, and some bad financial habits. I had none of those things when I picked up this book and I still learned tons from reading it.The principal message here is that being rich begins with your thoughts. They way we think about money determines to a huge degree what we do with it, how we invest it, and how we spend it. I think no one will deny that fundamental truth, but Suze's gift is finding the ways to connect our thoughts with practical advice to change bad habits for the better. Many people could make a few simple changes in their lives and end up with a lot more money, and over time, that could mean real wealth.It is true that some of the conclusions here will seem obvious to the financially savvy. But I question the idea that this is all "repackaged common knowledge." It isn't. Her messages are of the kind that bear repeating. How many people still buy a $3.50 latte every morning, stick thousands of dollars in a bank savings account at .2% interest, and have credit card debt well beyond what they can handle? If it were so obvious that these are unwise things to do with money, fewer people would do them! Suze shows that it's not enough just to recognize financially unhealthy behavior, you must also understand your personal history with money, the way you have been taught to think about it and value it, and understand how that history influences your financial decisions. Her recognition of the emotional value of money gives her the edge over other financial how-to books, which typically assume that money is a raw numbers game. It's much more than that, and Suze is right on insisting so.Her most controversial advice is that you, and not a financial planner, must ultimately be responsible for your money, and I think a lot of the one-star ratings below are from frightened financial planners who know that Suze is onto their game. She does not, for the record, say that you should never work with one, but simply acknowledges that the ultimate responsibility for your money is with YOU and not someone you pay to organize your investments. I think she's right, and with all of the online resources available today, there's no reason to be ignorant about how money works in our society. A little more attention from you can mean a lot more peace with your money, and being responsible makes it much easier to make money grow.One of the best sections of this book comes at the end, when she talks about the importance of giving. I just loved her discussion of how important it is to give and wish everybody would read it! In our greedy world, it's a message that needs to be heard.I found this book lifechanging and hope others can too.
