it was helpful and i'm glad i read it ♥️ but it was a bit boring and took me forever to get through

Everyone must read this right now!!!!
RIGHT NOW!

This is good if you like the story book setting. Sometimes, though you would just like the narrator to get to the point. Overall this is a good stepping stone for financial advice, but works best if you're not in debt. It also takes the pressure off that many folks may feel about "having" to make big bucks in order to be financially grounded.

What a great read. For a book that covered several person finance topics, it presented it in a story-like fashion that made it hard to put down. I'm also glad it covered some lesser spoken of topics like wills, life insurance and taxes that aren't as glamourous or frequently talked about as the investing topics.

Now for why its not 5 stars.
1. Published in 1989, the book is out of date. I know he has since written a sequel, "The Wealthy Barber Returns" which I have also read, but I couldn't recommend this book as an intro to personal finance for the fact that many lessons, tax laws, and other rules are outdated. The TFSA wasn't even around when this was written. This isn't of any fault to the author, its just out of date now.

2. The author suggests that the best way to pick an investment fund is by selecting the mutual fund manager with the best expertise and recent track record. Although this was the prevailing sentiment at the time, there was evidence in '89, and definitely is overwhelming evidence today that index funds outperform actively managed mutual funds. Any modern personal finance book worth its salt will recommend diversified index mutual funds or ETFs.

Full notes to come. Less boring than it sounds and I actually feel kind of glad that I read this. I'm sure there are specific things in this book that have changed- perhaps the stance on what to invest in, but I feel like the fundamental principles must be the same.

I like to think I'm a halfway intelligent human being, but an understanding of the financial world has evaded me for longer than I would have liked. I cringe at government paperwork, nod and agree with suggestions at bank meetings, and hand over bank statements to my more money-savvy wife. My brother, an accountant, has tried to break down some key facts for me, but it's always come out as too jargon-filled or has made it seem like excessive effort would be required. The eldritch and arcane world of finance just didn't seem like anything I'd ever master.

I might have continued along with my financial ignorance were it not for my pediatric mentor handing me the slim volume and proclaiming that it had changed his life. The guy hasn't let me down with much before, and I figured another swing wouldn't hurt my chances at understanding what goes on with my bank account.

Happily, I can report that David Chilton's Canadian classic, The Wealthy Barber, has done what financial lectures, slide shows, and personal experience would never have provided: understanding.

Chilton houses financial advice in a surprisingly charming, easy-to-understand, and less than 200 page package. The book distills complex concepts into financial suggestions that are relatively simple to follow. The Wealthy Barber adopts the schtick that three individuals in different financial situations seek advice from a wily, funny, and affluent hair man. I worried that the dialogue and concept would end up being gimmicky and fail to deliver the info I so sorely needed. Not so, as Chilton does a good job of making the dialogue cute and the problems facing our trio relatable.

I couldn't have told you my approach to a mortgage, how to properly handle debt, or an approach to creating a retirement fund before reading this book, but I'd gone through the motions of getting it all done. The Wealthy Barber makes me cringe at some decisions, but also makes me happy to do better in the future through more informed decision making. Though the book is in many ways dated (the LOLs: $15 000 for post-secondary education is considered a reasonable estimate), the principles are sound and applicable with a little updating.

Definitely a useful and surprisingly readable book.

This book is terribly corny and dated... however, the financial advice is sound. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy financial plan.

I was kind of "meh" when this book won our book club vote, but I'm actually really glad I read it. Even though my first thoughts were around how chauvinistic and sexist some peoples were and how I wanted to punch them in the face, I did find that it moved very well and was entertaining in a stereotypical dubbed down, must be accessible all-American-boy way. And the writing is...like...SO terrible.

But that's not really the point here. The advice in this book is sound. I'm giving it points because it got me thinking and moving somewhat on my own finances and that's not something I usually pay much mind to. Even though it's outdated. Like...seriously...15% return rate? That doesn't exist anymore. But yeah. I don't care about the Tigers.

I liked The Wealthy Barber. It got me thinking about my financial future and how to achieve a higher level of financial freedom. I also liked how the book was written with dialogue and story that was quite well written. Even though the book was written about two decades ago, much of the wisdom holds true. I think that each person who wants to either retire or achieve longterm financial freedom should know the ideas and principles held within The Wealthy Barber's pages. One critical point is that since the book was written a long while ago, I'm not certain of some of the figures and numbers would hold true today. Still, the principles of the book are valuable to know and understand.

My old CEO and mentor (James Currier) gave me this book for christmas after I first started work at his company. He said they handed it out at HBS and it was a simple but very powerful intro to managing your finances. And it was. So forget Personal Finance For Dummies (which I also read) - start with this.

Personal finance is something that isn't taught in school, but is incredibly important - and the basics aren't very hard. I found this book invaluable as a young software engineer, when I was making a salary and didn't know how to invest it, and I would recommend it for anyone in their 20's. Even if all it does is get you to start to think about compound interest and what starting to save can do for you - that's *huge*.

Very down to earth advise. Short and to the point, but for the very beginner.

I really liked how things are explained through a story. Lots of what is said in this book are still very relevant.

“The Wealthy Barber Returns”, the newer version of the book, is better though. It has some updated advices, and especially for Canadians it has more relevant advice (the original book was focused on the US).

Definitely recommend reading, but pick the new book.