First off… I like the central themes of the book.

Now, I’m all for people learning more about how stuff works, so they can repair it, or at least understand it. And I do my own electrical, plumbing, etc… But not everyone can be a modern renaissance man, and there’s a reason the division of labor is a well-established wealth builder. Not everyone has the mechanical aptitude to repair their own car. And cars have become considerably more complex since the book was written.

On the other hand, we now have internet forums like this one to help us gather information. That’s a big benefit that we can leverage to becoming renaissance men and women. :)

A small gripe: there is no solution to the nine circles puzzle. At least not in my old paperback version of the book. Yeah, I know the solution and I love the “thinking outside the box” idiom. But I’d have to move my pencil well off the edge of the paper due to the small diameter of the circles.

Perhaps the most difficult idea in this book is finding your own path. On page xxv, Joe and Vicki state that “Until you can think independently, you can’t be independent.” Balancing your wants and needs with those of family, friends, and society is never easy.

Not that I’m in debt or anything. I take a general inventory but often forget to update it.

And on to chapter one!

Reading the introspective questions on what matters in life, I had two conflicting reactions. I felt excited to be thinking about such important things, but I also dread that I won’t find answers or realistic plans to achieve what I really want (whatever that is).

Looking through the table of contents, though, I think the “9 steps” will probably cover the major concepts I’ve been learning from my interest in personal finances over the last couple years. Hopefully, having everything in one book and having this virtual book club will help me feel happier, more optimistic, and more in control of the aspects of my life touched by finances.

I look forward to talking about the meatier chapters of the book with you all!

I’m sad to hear/read that it’s tough for folks to find this book. (I got mine about 15 years ago.) It’s especially sad when I also consider that “Skinny Bitch” is on the bestseller list merely because Posh Beckham was seen reading it. That’s a sorry commentary on the state of social values.

Anyway, thanks, Trent, for hosting this book club. I always enjoy your commentary on things.

However (and this struck me with Dave Ramsey’s book, too), I really liked the emphasis on personal responsibility. I dug that they were saying, “this won’t be easy, but you can do it.” It seems as if a lot of finance books skip over that part and go right to the advice.

While I found the question section a bit general, it was a hell of hook.

On to tomorrow.

They are really good questions to measure where you are with your $ and contentedness. I have a few yet to reconcile. But I’m in a better place than last year regarding those questions.

It is interesting the relationship between “do and am” regarding jobs. As a stay at home mom, it’s plain odd. Sometimes just to see the reaction I’ll say, “I’m just a mom.” I know I am more than this, but when occupations are discussed its hard to add in a sentence or two on potty training with out getting stared at. It’s also a bit on the odd side for me because being a mom and wife is my priority. I’ve met so many people that think I’m just lucky and they don’t see the sacrifices we’ve made.

@FinanceandFat: You’re right. I remember reading somewhere about what might happen if we all went around with a net worth figure above our heads. It’s hard to remember sometimes that the rich looking people aren’t always truly rich, and that I’m better off than many people financially.

I agree that the prologue is a bit dull, but here is one part I took note of- the topic of ‘Whole Life Integration’. Getting everything in balance and harmony and not treating your financial life as a separate entity.

I think what I take away from that is that we can’t fake it with money. You can appear to others to be successful, maybe because you have nice things, but if you only acquired those things with debt or you need those things to feel fulfilled then something has to give. Your life won’t be in harmony and you will suffer the effects in other areas.

I don’t know. Maybe that was a bit much to read into that, but I’m looking forward to working through the rest of the book anyway. :)

But I have a partner in life, T., who never reads fiction. She is just coming to reading as an adult and seriously she wants to find out what people more experienced, more confident, more successful and more wealthy than her have to say about getting those things. I could laugh at her. But I don’t.

Lately I have been taking the time to read what she’s reading in order to give her a sounding board and to give us another thing to enjoy together besides dancing, working our various businesses, and discussing the movies, plays, museums, and travels we share. Oh yeah, we both played and love basketball.

But now, through this seed of sharing, I came to the Simple Dollar, and Get Rich Slowly and the world of blogging and I seem to be developing an interest in this stuff for myself.

Oh and by the way, the prologue made me a little sad because the world, despite this book and its success, has not really gotten the message.