Extremely basic.
This is a book for people with zero financial literacy.
Maybe this could be the first book a young excited newly employed person could read.

This is a very good book, especially if you are young and just starting out. It however doesn't really introduce any new ideas to people who have read any of the traditional financial books. The concepts in this book are very simple, and if you do them you will have financial independence, it really is that simple yet the vast majority of people don't do them and he gives a variety of reasons people give so I won't reiterate. Thankfully I was taught many of these ideas when I was about 18 and put them into practice then.

The only thing that is a little exaggerated is all his charts are based on a historic stock market return of 10%. When I checked this week it was more like 9.5%, but even then you can't buy/sell stocks or mutual funds without fees. Most people will end up in mutual funds that can suck a lot of your return if you are not careful. (Read Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallum) Also, he wisely recommends diversifying your investments, including some safer investments which will again eat away at the return rate. You'll probably only end up with somewhere around 7% return, which is really good, but when compounded over a 42 year period like in the included graphs the difference between 7% and 10% is pretty massive. Please don't let that scare you off, there is so much good advice in this book, and if you really follow the advice you will not have to worry about money in your later years.

Pretty straightforward. Mostly helpful to someone who's never read a financial planning book before. Basically take advantage of compound interest, invest as early as possible, and make your investments (401k, IRA, etc.) first, immediately out of your paycheck and just live off the rest. Inadvertently funny because automatic banking is cutting edge in 2004.

This book basically got me hooked at the title. As I read the few pages, I knew this author was writing to really lure me in. I am good with saving money, but I wanted to take it a step further - and this was the perfect book to do that. I only know how to save and I'm not really knowledgable with retirement plans, investing, money market accounts, etc., but this book was a great starter point. Now I know a little bit of why I should use those tools and how to start. Especially because in the back of my brain, I know my savings are losing value to inflation just by sitting in my bank account. Not anymore! The only thing I disliked about the book is the fact that "everyone" can win in this system, even though capitalism very much depends on a loser. For example, there's a chapter on how we should all try to be homeowners since they're net worth is proven to be double digit times bigger than renters. But the thing is, if we are all homeowners, then what? There's no renters. And why should landlords be making money off of their renters, anyway? As a hater of capitalism, that rubbed me the wrong way. Not everyone makes enough money for a downpayment, as much as his Latte Factor chapter of his book encourages us to save a little bit more by not purchasing our small guilty pleasures. Yes, we can save a little bit more than we think, but there's only so much money we can save up if we don't have enough income. Like why do I have to devote 10% to my retirement fund, 10% for a downpayment, 10% for emergency funds, etc. There's only so much money to go around.

That said though, I was glad to see some of my own personal saving tips make it into the book. I am a tad obsessed with achieving financial freedom and seeing my bank account grow, so honestly, this book came at the right time. I know I just wrote a whole long paragraph about what I disliked, but the book is a really good, encouraging starting point, especially if you have debt or don't know what to do with your savings. The automatic part of the book is key, hence the title, and I appreciate that aspect of the book.

Better for Americans.

It's a beginner-intermediate level personal finance book. Taking it into that context it is a great book to read and a philosophy I followed before reading it. Recommended for those learning about managing money.

Very informative and straight to the point. It’s a good place to start if you seek some insights on how to form habits and even instructions on how to turn these thought habits into action. I think it’s a book that can be easily used to refer back to as needed during changes in one’s life financial wise. Good Book!

Easy to implement recommendations. Everything makes sense and is clearly illustrated with examples and charts. May need a bit of an update since it's was not written almost two decades ago.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! Excellent read for anyone trying to figure out what their future will look like and how they can begin working towards that right now. This book offers sage advice on getting and staying out of debt with simple implementable daily action steps. I recommend this to anyone graduation from college or wondering how they will be able to afford retirement. I also recommend finding a Financial Planner who with help you create a plan.

This is a valuable read that I think all college students and young 20-year-olds should read! This is an easy read. It motivated me to pay myself first in order to set my wealth for the future.

This isn't my usual reading fodder (no fantasy or magic or teens falling in love), but it was a really interesting and insightful book. Ignoring the title (which sounds scam-y), this book is actually an excellent resource and breakdown of a really simple and common-sense way to save more money and be more efficient with bills, debt, savings, etc. The author talks about setting up direct deposits for 401ks and savings accounts (as well as investing savings to build interest, etc) and planning for your future by "paying yourself first." This concept is something I've heard many times from my parents, but I liked how the author broke things down and explained the benefits and how easy and painless this savings method can be. It also explains some REALLY excellent tips on buying a home and home ownership, and good "life-hacks" to pay your mortgage down much faster (and thus paying less interest). It's a little dated (printed in 2003) but the ideas hold true and is worth reading if you're trying to be a better adult. :)

This book is so valuable, but don't ask me why, I seem to have an affinity for forgetting financial advice.