The wealthy Barber has become a classic of Canadian financial literature for the average Joe, and for good reason. The Wealthy Barber is not your everyday boring financial planning book which instructs you on how to budget and predict the stock market. The wealthy barber does not even cover those topics as viable paths to financial prosperity as everyone who has tried a personal budget knows how hard it is to follow. Same with the stock market, it is ridiculous to believe that millions will easily be made, just like in the movies. This book keeps it sweet and simple with common sense advice on becoming wealthy with what you have, whether it be millions, thousands, or just about nothing at all.

The main point of the Wealthy Barber is to pay yourself first by saving 10% of all income for long term growth. If this sounds simple, it’s because it really is. By paying yourself first, before you even have the chance to redirect the money towards a fishing trip up north, you eliminate the hassle of trying to find money to save after you have spent it all. Investing is not as complicated as it may seem. It does not take much effort to educate yourself on the different types and styles of mutual funds. With a good head and the wealthy barber at your side, you will be able to determine which mutual fund suits you best, and most important of all, which one will make you the most money.

Roy, our book’s wealthy barber, stresses that patience is the key to becoming wealthy. You don’t get rich overnight. You get rich slowly, over time through careful planning and diligence. If your mutual fund or other investment begins to tank, don’t worry, markets always go up in the long run. Sit tight, don’t panic and take advantage of the low prices to purchase some shares which will undoubtedly be worth more in the future.

I would recommend this book to every single Canadian who cares about their money. Money is a topic seldom covered in school, with family, and with friends, so where do we learn about it. Truth is most people don’t learn. The Wealthy Barber makes it unbelievably easy to learn personal finance. My whole family has read the book and loved it. All of the people to whom I have talked to abut the book said they loved it as well. One person even told me that they read the book when it was first published and it was the best thing they ever did. They are now much better off than they would have ever dreamed of being with the financial knowledge they had at the time. Whether or not you decide to read the book, you can take a way this very simple lesson which you will be very grateful for down the road. Invest 10% of your income for long term growth. It is never too late or too early to start “The best time to plant an oak tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today” -Roy

this original is probably outdated now but it still has quite a lot to offer. I read this at 21 (my mother forced me to read it). It is one of, if not the very first book that opened my eyes to the world of investments, esp. real estate. It was instrumental in helping me purchase my first home at 23, then my first investment property at 25. There are a lot of books in finance, but this one was my first real teacher. I talked about it a lot with my clients and when I spoke at seminars.

A great book to have your young adult kids read, if you can get them to.

Great financial advice even though it's written in 1989

This book is a good simplistic guide to financial planning at any age. Some of the topics include saving strategies, leveraged financing and dollar-cost averaging. Being written in the US, some of the verbiage and laws surrounding investment vehicles are different than what we have here, but overall the themes are relevant.

4/5 because the presentation was pretty cheesy. Lots of awful one-liners and drawn out banter about nonsense.

The first financial book I ever read. An easy, story format that will get you thinking about saving.

This book was a great jumping off point to help me begin to understand finance and investment. Written in the format of a novel, it has lots of great advice that makes taking control of your finances a manageable and undaunting task for all. Written in 1989, it is definitely quite dated - especially in chapters dealing with purchasing a house for $75,000 - however most of the advice on long-term investment and compounding interest is still applicable 30 years later. In it's time, a 5/5. Reading 30 years later and in Canada where the tax systems are different, it was a 4/5 for me. I am excited to follow it up with part two.

This one might have been better in book (versus audiobook) form. The framing device of an ongoing conversation about financial matters between (obnoxious, faux humorous) people in a barber shop was excruciating. Suddenly, Stephen King's admonitions against adverbs in On Writing made a WHOLE LOT OF SENSE. And the narrator's self-description at the beginning makes him sound like a total jerk--I didn't WANT this guy to be financially successful! However, buried in the dialogue is really good, straightforward, useful financial advice, which is why I kept listening. So, aces on the information, but boo to the sharp pieces of glass on the ground through which one needs to crawl to get the useful bits of information.

I had to read this book for work but skimmed most of it and didn't enjoy it. I'm sure for many with no financial background, this book may be helpful.

2.5 ⭐️ for the writing, 5 ⭐️ for the advice.

Wish I read this years ago.

It's a good book if you are living in the United States. The first 30 pages are actually gibberish. Overall, you get bunch of good advices financially. Surprisingly, a lot of the content is similar to what Dave Ramsey preaches as well.

Originally published http://lifeasaninvestment.com/2014/04...

It is nicely written, and with a sense of humor. The Canadian author gives it away with the title—it does not matter what you do and how much money you earn, you have the same chances of being wealthy as anybody else. Most importantly, follow your financial plan no matter what.
David Chilton is not only a writer; he is also a successful investor. He can be seen making investment decisions at the Dragons’ Den Canada show (from 2012-present).

On a cozy weekend evening, make a cup of warm chocolate, sit on your favorite armchair and enjoy reading and learning…

Most of the information here are only useful if you're a complete novice, and live in the US. And even if you are, you're better off watching Graham Stephan's videos on YouTube.
However, if you're not financially illiterate, and do not live in the US, then I'd recommend that you look for another personal finance book to read.