I have to admit, sometimes I feel slightly out of my league. I know how to make a budget, I know how to live below my means and rein in my urges to blow a month’s worth of pay in one afternoon at my local Best Buy (and trust me, that urge surfaces more than I would like it to). When it comes to hardcore, in-depth financial advice however, especially concerning some of the more complicated investment vehicles, my knowledge is a little sub-par.
That’s why this book, A Million Bucks by 30, written by Alan Corey is quite inspirational to me. It’s not one of the bigger, well-known personal finance books out there, but in my opinion, it’s one of the better ones I’ve ever read.
That’s because it’s simple but effective. It’s written by one young guy who has what he refers to as a “useless” degree in something completely unrelated to finance, and yet, he’s still able to become a millionaire by age 30 (before actually, you’ll have to read how).
This book is about a typical 20-something that has graduated college, still lives at home, and really still doesn’t know what he wants to do. Eventually he lands a decent entry-level job in New York city, and (after finding out his apartment is actually a part of the projects in Manhattan), begins the journey towards millions.
I can sum up how me managed to make it to his goal of becoming a millionaire ahead of schedule in a few words: extreme frugality, strict financial discipline, a willingness to take a risk, and a good dose of creativity. All things that do not require a financial degree.
Yes, he had some financial knowledge, but nothing more than what anyone could gather by picking up a few books at the neighborhood Barnes and Noble… it does take a LITTLE education to become a millionaire.
Corey writes in a very casual, humble type of tone, with a self-deprecating sense of humor that makes his goal seem all the more attainable for the average 20-something out there. Scattered throughout are various tips to save a buck or two here and there, as well as simple explanations concerning concepts such as Dollar-Cost Averaging or basic Compounding Interest.
The ease with which this book simply communicated to me what it wanted to say without making it seem like "learning" or "finance" would make it a perfect book for someone right out of High School or college, particularly one who isn’t that financially-geared to begin with, and could possibly be used as a way to show younger people that it is indeed possible to become rich one day.
A entirely enjoyable read throughout.
