Financially Fearless: The LearnVest Program for Taking Control of Your Money Hardcover – December 31, 2013

I give this book five stars based upon someone in my position. I am a young man that was wondering how to handle finances and was going to use this as a primer for my personal finance course that i will be taking this fall.She doesn't waste tome getting too deep in vocab and instead gives direct steps and options depending on varying situations. It's not all reading either. There are activities in the book aimed at assessing your current financial situation. She also shares her stories concerning money and i believe that it humanized her a bit for me. If you but the book she also offers you a chance to speak with her company for free if you chose to take her up on the offer,I learned quite a bit and now have guidelines to use concerning my finances, so this book achieved everything i hoped it would.If you already know a lot about finances this book will probably be useless to you, but for those looking for a non intimidating step into finance this one is worth the buy..

To those who give it less than 3 stars: Really? This book contains more guidelines with regard to personal finance than most people get in their lifetime! The format was meant to be simplistic for those who didn't get degrees in finance. This is a great tool for getting yourself in financial order and asks the questions we may ask ourselves but are too afraid to ask others. I think the exercises that are given help you to get honest views about your financial past, present and future. A good rating is based on the content and usability not "oh I've been there done that so it is meh". If this is you then do something kind an pay the book forward to someone who could really use it to get to your level. There is no getting rich quick and this is a forward thinking, realistic approach to managing finances, savings and fun! I think this is a great tool for young people starting in high school all the way up to middle aged folks who need a financial check-in (or check up!).

Loved this book - devoured it in a whole weekend and immediately started to implement changes suggested in the book. Explains thing in an easy to understand manner with clear goals and tips. I would give it 5 stars except the book frequently suggests speaking to one of their planners for free - I tried this and had the worst experience. I must have set up 10 different appointments and didn't get the calls from their experts. I was really excited to speak to someone and further my financial planning process but as incredibly passionate and insightful as Alexa is, her financial advising company doesn't seem to be at her level.

For better or worse, and whether you have lots or little yourself, money is central to the quality of our day-to-day lives. Yet most all of us only learn about managing money and our financial well being by trial and error - and all too frequently do not begin to think about money and finances, if at all, until we have achieved some degree of financial comfort or success. This is an especially valuable bookpeople who are intimidated about financial issues or who think it is too early in their lives to think about these matters - but also useful for people who are already well established. The book deals with an extensive number of financial questions in short easy to understand chapters - a good book to own, read and have available to pick up from time to time as your financial situation and challenges change.

According to the American Payroll Association more than two thirds of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and 3 in 10 making $100K per year do so. Alexa gave short shrift to the CFP designation and should have explained it as more than a 2 day 10 hour test. I am not sure why Alexa labels people as different types? I find that it is difficult to change who someone really is and do not think that the labeling was beneficial. This book seemed like it was for a younger target audience than me. I agree wholeheartedly that it is very important to regularly calculate your net worth (I do mine every month). I did not agree as to why one should put homeowners insurance on mortgage payments by "impounding" when your insurance company can also do so? I really like the idea of using a budget plan for all utilities. In shopping, Alexa should have recommended extrapolating the unit price to cost per ounce or some other measure. I think that the 20% of take home pay number for the future ignores pre-tax deductions like for a 401k. To me, the 70% retirement salary seems high as your mortgage should be paid off and you do not have the 20% for the future to worry about anymore. I totally agree that retirement is the top financial priority. When reading this book on the Kindle, some of the charts were impossible to read. I like the idea of bonuses going into your freedom (emergency) fund which I will try to do. Selling unwanted / unused items and putting any cash back rewards into the fund is something that I already do. I maximize cash back and will use the card that has the best percentage which is Bank of America at 2.25% for me right now. I also make sure that I sign up for the 5% categories that other cards offer on a rotating basis. Paying credit cards with balances twice a month to reduce interest, this was a new concept for me. Alexa’s home buying advice did not include avoiding PMI which I think is a huge waste - mentioned later but missed that can get rid of with a new appraisal. I thought that this was a weird example, if you are buying a house and have a huge sum like $500K in one account; my thought was that you do not need this book. I wish I had heard about a roof warranty when I bought my house. In choosing a brokerage, I would add – do they automatically reinvest dividends? I thought that her "fearless tips" offered very practical advice. Overall, I feel like that Alexa skims the surface and does not cover subjects in-depth because the LearnVest folks are waiting to help and the book feels like one long advertisement for their services.

This is a well writen, self help book that gives a new perspective on how people deal with their finances. 5 star review because it is a great way to get yourself prepared to deal with your own financial situation. It is a great mix of commonsence and scientific research. I truly believe that if everyone in the country read this book, the country would be in much better shape. The tone is such that it makes you feel that the seemingly impossible is actually possible, simply by taking control of your own situation. A must read!!!

Ein tolles Buch - leicht verständlich, tolle Tipps und sehr informativ. Kann ich sehr empfehlen.

Awesome book, great read!

Not what I thought it would be.

Easily one of the worse financial self help books I have ever read.