Excellent, common sense approach to managing money. Well explained in layman's terms that everyone can grasp.

A good introduction to saving money - both short term and long term. My goal was to demystify all the finance lingo. This book didn't necessarily do that but it's a good spring board into the finance world.

This is the first personal finance book I've ever read, and I'm really, really happy to have done it. By presenting a boring topic in a conversational format--including lots of baseball chiding--Chilton makes personal finance accessible to anyone and everyone.

He presents a really simple system that anyone can follow, starting today, to get your finances in order. Put 10% into a "I'm going to be rich someday" fund. Put another 10%+ into retirement. Do whatever you want with the rest (essentially). He even describes dollar cost averaging and the power of compound interest so that the reader can left really understanding the importance of both.

What I found really interesting were the sections on insurance, wills, and other elements that I consider to be in the weeds. A few years ago I started taking out some whole life insurance to supplement my company's group policy, but, according to Chilton, I shouldn't have been doing that at all, for reasons that are made really clear in the book!

I do, however, fundamentally disagree with his stance on mutual funds. I think if you're a layman, you should be investing in indexed funds, no question. Absolutely no question. This is the one major knock I have on the book.

If you're in your 20s, I'd recommend picking both this up and I Will Teach You To Be Rich, which is more current and relevant to 20-somethings in the 2000s.

I was among the first to read and review this book for the finance section of an Ontario newspaper when it was first released back in 1989.
David Chilton lived in a nearby city and was pushing hard to get reviews.
I loved it because it took the dry lessons of personal finance and turned them into a parable about a barber who knew the secret to financial success.
I knew the book would be a hit and said so. The rest is history.

Ce livre devrait être une lecture obligatoire aux élèves du secondaire! Tout est expliqué très simplement et si tout le monde suivait les simples règles d'investissement décrites dans ce livre, personne n'aurait aucun problème à sa retraite. Personne!

Mon seul regret : ne pas avoir lu ce livre dans ma jeune vingtaine (ou avant)! Chacun de mes enfants vont avoir une copie de ce livre, c'est une promesse!

The advice in the books holds up well given it’s age. It’s almost comical reading about spending 50,000 to 80,000 on a house. Worth the read if you want a simple framework for managing your wealth.

A very good introduction to the world of financial management. I'm just a little disappointed that it was geared to the US instead of Canada, despite Mr. Chilton being from Canada.

3.5 stars! Was told to read this book by an executive at my company. A lot of the information I already knew but would have been very helpful a few years ago as an introduction into all things finance. It is also very easy to read for the complex topics that it covers.

Although I read the revised edition before reading this one. I still enjoyed it immensely. The crux of it is saving about 10% and another 10% on retirement. He explains well the beauty of compound interest and the importance of investing on equity mutual funds... This is the book that really opened my eyes to investment. The chapter on a a dollar saved, two dollar earned was eye opening. The tips on life insurance are worthwhile.

A must read for any friend, it approaches personal finance in a nonchalant, meaningful, practical and funny way which makes the read a breeze. I wanted to read the book for its content on personal finances, but I ended up being caught in the story and enjoying it for its storytelling.

An introductory of everything from life insurance to wills to retirement savings. A good start for a young person.

I was disappointed on re-reading this book. I really liked this book 20 or so years ago. It’s sort of a retelling of the richest man in Babylon. Maybe this book would still work as a simple little introduction to personal finance, but I found too much of it outdated, simplistic, and some of it just wrong.