Personal finance reading has been an interest of mine for over 20 years, and although I have never discovered a single writer that has convinced me of the TRUE path to financial independence, this comes the closest.

Young people in their 20s and 30s are the target audience of this work, with the clear wisdom that one is much more likely to create wealth over time than with some fancy scheme. Ramit Sethi’s foundation is one of organization, planning and automation that his primary audience should quickly understand and be able to implement. Those of us who are further along in our journey of life will be given some solid lessons on how the modern world of banking and bill paying can help us to be more efficient and frugal.

Sethi’s voice is a very refreshing addition to what has become a fairly stale chorus of conflicting advice. He clearly understands the economic realities of our time (and of the past) and boldly makes no predictions about the future. He is also fearless about criticizing a handful of commonly held beliefs (especially those surrounding real estate), clearly explaining his reasoning. His writing style is very smooth and familiar; the chapters read more like personal conversations than treatises about money.

Rated: Moderate. Yes, that’s right. I was thinking mild until later in the book when the donkey synonyms began to rain down pretty heavily.