Jared Dillian is a phenomenal writer. This is not debatable. Are all his views great? Is he correct about everything? Absolutely not, but who is? This book does lay out Jared's views on multiple topics around personal finance, doing what few people attempt to do: thread the needle.
What do I mean by that? So there tend to be extremes in the finance world, heck, there are extremes in every world (welcome to 2024). Extremes sell. Moderation doesn't. There are the FIRE folks: spend nothing, live off nothing, etc. There are the Dave Ramsay's of the world too. Jared tries to paint a life that doesn't require cutting out your daily coffee, focusing on the bigger decisions.
What I liked about this book? It's extremely well written. There are lots of really clever lines. He recommends Vanguard funds, which are low cost and I also own. It's funny, on Wall Street everyone sells the high cost fund, but then invests in Vanguard themselves. He also recommends having some fun. It's nice to see that. I also enjoyed how quickly the flow was. They say a smart person can understand a complicated subject, but a brilliant person can explain a complicated subject to make it understandable. Jared is the latter.
What I didn't like about this book? Jared does not have children, so it's clear in his writing he doesn't understand some of the financial and emotional impacts of that. He has cats, and I love cats, and he thinks his cats are his children, but they are kin. Kids are super expensive and he says he's never felt financially worried: if he had kids, he would have. The lack of that life experience is missing in the book, but it is a very minor thing. He also mentions how well off he is, which I do not mind, but I can see how some people might not appreciate it, especially those who are not doing well financially and looking for advice. I also wish the book were a little longer and more in depth in a few topics, but on the same token, it's probably a feature and not a bug, because this way it's more appealable to the masses (for those who do want more, I highly recommend looking into "The Daily Dirtnap" which is his newsletter and has great ideas in it). He should have talked more about 401ks, ROTH IRAs and other tax advantaged methods of savings. This can be massive in the long run.
Should you buy this book? 100% you should. Whether you just enjoy very good writing, or are looking for a strong personal finance book by someone with good experience, or are looking to give a gift to someone younger to build a strong financial base. Honestly, for young people, the chapter on student loans alone is worth multiples of the price of this book. This is a totally new view on the personal finance world and one that should be listened to wholeheartedly. You will not agree with everything in this book, but every chapter will make you think; you will be smarter for reading it.
Jared, thanks for publishing this book and I am confident this will save many people thousands of dollars and prevent years of stress. Well done.
No Worries: How to Live a Stress Free Financial Life
4.7 | 533 ratings
Price: 17.46
Last update: 08-25-2024
About this item
Top reviews from the United States
PWB
Great Writing. Quick Read. Good Views. No Panacea, but definitely worth picking up.
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
PWB
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
What do I mean by that? So there tend to be extremes in the finance world, heck, there are extremes in every world (welcome to 2024). Extremes sell. Moderation doesn't. There are the FIRE folks: spend nothing, live off nothing, etc. There are the Dave Ramsay's of the world too. Jared tries to paint a life that doesn't require cutting out your daily coffee, focusing on the bigger decisions.
What I liked about this book? It's extremely well written. There are lots of really clever lines. He recommends Vanguard funds, which are low cost and I also own. It's funny, on Wall Street everyone sells the high cost fund, but then invests in Vanguard themselves. He also recommends having some fun. It's nice to see that. I also enjoyed how quickly the flow was. They say a smart person can understand a complicated subject, but a brilliant person can explain a complicated subject to make it understandable. Jared is the latter.
What I didn't like about this book? Jared does not have children, so it's clear in his writing he doesn't understand some of the financial and emotional impacts of that. He has cats, and I love cats, and he thinks his cats are his children, but they are kin. Kids are super expensive and he says he's never felt financially worried: if he had kids, he would have. The lack of that life experience is missing in the book, but it is a very minor thing. He also mentions how well off he is, which I do not mind, but I can see how some people might not appreciate it, especially those who are not doing well financially and looking for advice. I also wish the book were a little longer and more in depth in a few topics, but on the same token, it's probably a feature and not a bug, because this way it's more appealable to the masses (for those who do want more, I highly recommend looking into "The Daily Dirtnap" which is his newsletter and has great ideas in it). He should have talked more about 401ks, ROTH IRAs and other tax advantaged methods of savings. This can be massive in the long run.
Should you buy this book? 100% you should. Whether you just enjoy very good writing, or are looking for a strong personal finance book by someone with good experience, or are looking to give a gift to someone younger to build a strong financial base. Honestly, for young people, the chapter on student loans alone is worth multiples of the price of this book. This is a totally new view on the personal finance world and one that should be listened to wholeheartedly. You will not agree with everything in this book, but every chapter will make you think; you will be smarter for reading it.
Jared, thanks for publishing this book and I am confident this will save many people thousands of dollars and prevent years of stress. Well done.
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J Flanagan
Well worth it.
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2024
Yury Zabella
Insightful and easy to read
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2024Amazon Customer
A PERSONAL FINANCE BOOK THAT IS ACTUALLY FUN TO READ
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024