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

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.

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.

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

There is some very good, general information here that just about anyone can benefit from. I did, however, hate the presentation. It's all presented in a painfully cheesy conversation between a barber, 3 30-somethings in need of knowledge, and a couple of old farts who live in the barber's shop. It made me want to slap someone.

Still, I must recommend the book for there was good information inside. It's fairly well rounded, providing value to just about anyone.

Once you get past the corny dad jokes it's actually pretty helpful. I read it because my dad kept recommending it to me and I have to say I'm glad I read it. Still don't understand a bunch of stuff but it inspired me to look into various savings accounts with compound interest. I think that's a start.

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.

The Wealthy Barber is like that affable uncle at family gatherings who always has a story to tell and a bit of unsolicited advice—only this time, the advice is actually worth heeding. David Chilton manages to take the dry, often headache-inducing subject of personal finance and distil it into a series of conversational anecdotes that make the material not only digestible but dare I say, mildly entertaining.
The premise of delivering financial wisdom through a fictional barber might seem a bit gimmicky, but it works well enough. Chilton leans into common sense rather than convoluted investment strategies, which is a welcome change from the jargon-filled tomes that dominate the genre. The focus on simple principles like saving consistently, living within your means, and making the most of compound interest feels refreshingly grounded, if not a tad obvious at times.
That said, the book does have its moments where it feels a bit too neatly packaged. The dialogue can be cringe-inducing in its earnestness, and you might find yourself rolling your eyes at some of the overly simplistic scenarios. Real life is rarely so neatly wrapped up in a bow, and the relentless optimism about how easy it is to "just save 10% of your income" might grate on anyone living in an economy that feels stacked against them.
Still, this is practical advice presented in an accessible way, which is more than can be said for most financial planning books. It won’t solve all your money woes, but it’s a solid starting point if you’re looking to sort yourself out without being overwhelmed.

Very comprehensive book on personal finance. Definitely one of the best I've read.

good book, I learned a lot. was recommended by my personal finance teacher.

One of the better financial strategy books I’ve read. It provides clear cut examples for setting yourself up well with a prosperous financial future. Clearly the no-BS way to long term success.

Forced Savings, Dollar-Cost Averaging & Compound Interest are truly the secrets to financial freedom.

I specifically loved Chilton’s view and perspective on Renting versus Owning. It was a very valuable discussion that I have truly been needing. Excellent. Highly Recommend to anyone looking to buy a home or rental property! Read this book! Even just for Chapter 7!

This was recommended to me when I said "I know nothing about finances or investing and I want to learn" but I'm honestly not sure why because it's SO dated. Even I know the maximum annual contribution to an IRA has changed since 1998.

But being dated is not the worst part. You know those employee training videos from the 90s where they hire a friend with nice hair and a former frat boy who took drama in college and force them to convey a point through stilted dialogue peppered with dreadful jokes? This is that in book form. It's. Awful. Add in a dash of misogyny (apparently it was still ok to body shame pregnant women in the late 90s and just out and say that you preferred a son because you wouldn't be able to relate to a daughter???), combine it with the author's clearly high opinion of his wit and mocking of the sister who makes more in a year than he and his dad combined (which leaves me wondering where is HER book???), and you have...The Wealthy Barber.

Ok, so it's that bad, then why not rate it 1 star instead of 2? Because BECAUSE two things... 1. There is some evergreen good advice in here that is not completely irrelevant (although it becomes irrelevant the moment you start talking specifics because every law concerning everything from mortages to tax brackets has significantly changed), it's just that it can be found in other more current, less cringe-worthy sources.

But 2. This book does do something that I haven't seen other financial planning or investing advice books do. I was already doing this, so it's not revelatory, but I was glad to see it all the same. This book does NOT tell you to live an ascetic life and have no fun so that you can retire and live it up. No, finally, this book honors that if you ARE saving for retirement, if you DON'T have debt other than mortgage or education, then why the heck are you budgeting yourself down to pennies every month and waiting to live your life until you're 75? Live now. I have watched all my biological grandparents reach old age, retire, and be shocked and devastated to discover they didn't have the health, knowledge, or travel buddy to do all the things they had promised themselves they would do once they retired. They subsequently had a boat load of money and a lot of regrets. While saving makes sense, saving to the point of just waiting for the day you retire to start enjoying life has always seemed backward to me. I'm grateful to this book for pointing this out.

But there, you just got all you needed to know from my review sooooooo...read it if you really love dad jokes, I guess.