Do get rich/retire rich self help books really work?

Question

Or are they just make believe, selling on their covers dreams that sound attainable but truly are unrealistic?

Or are they just make believe, selling on their covers dreams that sound attainable but truly are unrealistic?

And if they do work, can you recommend a good one?

Answer 1

The answer to this question isnt in the book, its in you. The book's real intentions are to motivate people who have the drive and desire to succeed but are just short on motivation or ideas. These 'schemes' are only as successful as your desire and in my opinion are ultimately driven by greed or truely massive underlying needs. I personally do not go after these dream schemes because many of them, NOT ALL, feed on a person's greed, ego, and materialism to suck them in. Realize where you stand before you take any steps towards a particular goal through some haphazard process of elimination. Write down your needs, your wants, and your haves and determine what you need to do to fullfill that list. Also determine what on that list is just uneccessary filler. Ultimately those books are about boosting your confidence through some other person's successes. Perfect example is the move 'Pursuit of Happyness' and the quote from the movie, "If you want something - go get it. Period". Simple as that. If you have the drive to succeed but no ideas, just maintain your job until you come up with something viable. Key thing to remember is that patience is the key and great things come with time if you dedicate yourself. I pretty much summed up what a good book would tell you in 1 paragraph.

Skim through the books you're interested in buying before you buy them. Get a gist of what the author's view is. If it is realistic then the book might be a good buy and worth while in your endeavors. Remember, keep it real, keep your chin up, and keep moving forward. Good Luck out there.

~James R.

Answer 2

Some people are dumb about money--they just spend it to buy stuff and really don't understand how investment works. If you are one of those people, a book could help you. A lot of people don't realize that if you put aside $100 a month for five years, you will have $6000 saved, even if it was sitting in an account not making you a dime! If you invest that money well, you could have considerably more.

For retirement, put as much in your 401k as possible--there isn't a better deal than that--you get to invest money before it is taxed, and pay taxes later when you get the money back. For dreams like boats and vacations, there are a lot of options--save $1000 first and get a financial adviser to help you pick the best option for investing it and your future savings. If you are self-employed, see the financial adviser about retirement savings too.

I'd say pick one of the books that doesn't look too hairbrained or unrealistic and read it for inspiration. Then see a financial expert for real advice.

Answer 3

I think you've got a mix of both types out there. You have to be careful to wade through the real ones and the scams.

I have come to like The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. It's not a get rick quick scheme, but it does make a ton of sense. It's more about teaching you to manage your money in a way so you can build wealth with the earnings you already have.

Answer 4

They work if you follow the directions/advice they give. They all say the same thing--the same thing you can read about online or on these message boards. It's basically don't have credit card debt, start saving early, own a home type of advice. Some offer good advice on how to start doing that though--or how to organize finances.

I recommend anything by David Bach or Suze Orman.

Answer 5

They are absolutely true!

Just ask the people that write them, they can verify that. There is no other way to succeed than through perseverance and study. If those books really worked for everyone then we would all be rich.

Don't buy into the get rich quick B.S.

Answer 6

As you said, it is a 'self help book'. The book serves to help you, help yourself. It is more motivational than instructional. You notice they dont say buy ABC, and sell XYZ. They give you guidlines to follow, stories to motivate & inspire. I think they are attainable. But you have to get up and do it.

And as a joke: They are very helpful to the ones selling it to you!