You’re Broke Because You Want to Be by Larry Winget

May 16th, 2009 | Book Review, Debt, Financial Security, Money, Personal Finance, Standard of Living

Larry Winget is a best selling author that is known for his no nonsense style and sometimes brutal prose. His latest book is quite a read and true to form, the man talks tough. However, if you need a wake up call to stop overspending, this is definitely a great place to start. You won’t be getting a pep talk so much as a tongue lashing, but if you follow the advice, it will pay off.

Winget’s main concern is that American’s are overspending at an astounding rate. On the flipside he also suggests that many of us are under earning as well. When you combine these two factors, you have a recipe for disaster. More than half of the population of this country is living paycheck to paycheck and if we keep overspending, we will end up in big trouble.

To solve this issue, Winget delivers some harsh criticism and as well as some helpful hints on how to get your life and your budget back on track. Many of the tidbits are useful, but most of this book contains advice that has already been given before, by many different authors. The main difference is that none of them put it quite this way. Sometimes, it takes someone like Winget to get the point across, and he does this quite effectively.

The best audience for this book are those in their mid 20’s that are starting to wonder why they never have any money in the bank at the end of the month. The author admits that the book will not help people that are truly poor, and this is not the audience he is seeking. He is looking to help those of us that make decent money but can’t seem to make it stretch throughout the month.

Since there are literally millions that fit this description, that was a wise choice by the author to target this demographic. Those with disposable incomes that are disposing of far too much will really appreciate this book and the advice, if they can get past the author’s tone. While we understand that sometimes it takes a tough approach, the author does come off as a bit of a bully at times. This could be alienating the audience he is seeking.

However, this is a good book, particularly because it discusses ways of increasing your income, either through your current job or by setting up multiple streams of income. While it does focus on frugality to a large extent, this premise of getting into a little debt to make more money is a solid one.

We recommend this book, especially to those that are just starting out and trying to figure out what their budget should be. This book offer invaluable information for that demographic. For everyone else however, while there are a few good tips, you may end up feeling left out. Nonetheless, it is an interesting read that gets the job done.

Originally posted 2008-09-12 05:20:17. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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