Checkin' It Twice--Book Review

Just in time for your Christmas Reading, check out Checkin' It Twice, and Other Heartwarming Holiday Tales, compiled by LDS Publisher Press, an imprint of Rosehaven Publishing. This charming collection features sixteen award-winning stories from a variety of authors, like Michael Young, Janice Sperry, Angie Lofthouse, Brenda Anderson, and more. For a complete list and biographical information, visit the site: http://www.checkinittwice.blogspot.com/.

The nice thing about an anthology of short stories--especially at this time of year--is that the stories are the perfect length for a quick holiday read while sipping a mug of your favorite hot cocoa. Enjoy them one at a time in the little tidbit moments the holiday season often provides, or gobble them up all at once. Either way, you'll spend some enjoyable moments tapping into the holiday spirit.

Happy Reading!

Perfecting the Craft

Million Dollar Diva--Book Review PLUS, Get Your Copy Free

What happens when an experienced novelist teams up with two financial experts? An excellent marriage of fun and finance, thats what.

I know it seems like a tall order, but novelist Tristi Pinkston, and financial experts and bestselling authors of Safe Money Millionaire, Brett Kitchen and Ethan Kap, definitely deliver in their new book: Million Dollar Diva: The Smart Woman's Guide to Getting Rich Safely.

If you're anything like me, your eyes glaze over whenever someone starts talking about compound interest, inflation, or CDs (of the non-musical variety), but Million Dollar Diva reads like a conversation with the girl next door. And that's basically what it is.

We follow Tristi in her financial adventure as she discovers money in the nooks and crannies of an already tight budget and learns how to turn her current debt into hundreds of thousands of dollars, and eventually, into millions.

I love the blending of the story--Tristi's experiences--and the information--Brett's and Ethan's expertise and advice. At times, I actually forgot I was LEARNING! I love it when that happens.

Now here's why this book is even more amazing. I'm usually the last person to discuss or even show more than a pathetic interest in finances. I'm no big spender, mind you, but words like budget and track your spending have always sounded like as much fun as digging out broken glass from the garbage disposal (something I got to do today, as a matter of fact). Like Scarlet O'Hara, I'd rather "think about that tomorrow."

So the fact that this trio of writers managed to create a book that is accessible and interesting, makes it all the more impressive to me. What's more, after reading this book, I feel empowered (and even excited) to start implementing some of their strategies.

The best part is, under a special promotion, you can receive a free copy of Million Dollar Diva from now until June 15, by going to their website: www.milliondollardiva.com. Click here to get your copy. If you're reading this post after June 15, you can get your own copy on Amazon by clicking here. And treat yourself by checking out their great website to track Tristi's story further and to get more great financial tips.

Book Review--Retirement Quest: Make Better Decisions

Retirement Quest: Make Better Decisions is not the type of book you'd normally find on my nightstand. But when I was asked to review it, I couldn't resist. After all, I knew I'd get major brownie points from my husband, who would be impressed that I was reading something that might actually help us financially. (Most of the time my reading habit is not very financially beneficial--quite the opposite, in fact.) Sure enough, as soon as he saw the not-so-typical cover--there's no mistaking it's NOT a work of fiction by the looks of it!--he was intrigued. "What's that you're reading?" he asked. When I showed him he was QUITE impressed and didn't even complain when I wanted to leave the light on a little longer.

But beyond impressing those you love with your sensible side, this book is a perfect fit for those who are thinking along the lines of retirement. And honestly, shouldn't we all be going there in our minds? As a member of the thirty-something crowd, I've known for some time now that depending on the security of Social Security is NOT the answer for me. If any of it is left for my age group by the time we hit our golden years, it will be a miracle. Hauserman tells us, for example, that by law, once the socical security fund is exhausted--"it is anticipated that this will occur around the year 2030--the benefit formula is to be rewritten based upon the economics of the program at that time. In simple terms, this means that we should expect, IF ALL GOES WELL, that around the year 2030 we will experience a benefit cut of about 50%." For me this means the fund will likely experience a 50% decrease in pay outs 10 years before I'm even ready to retire. So with most of us living longer--I'm hoping for 100 at least--planning for retirement has never been more important.

I particularly liked Hauserman's positive spin on this dismal reality, though, when he tells us how good it is, ultimately, for our entire country if we all are self-prepared for retirement, because the financial health of a nation depends on the financial health of its people. I love a call to action.

Now because this is my first time ever reading a book on retirement planning, and my experience with books on finance is limited at best, parts of this book really stretched my comprehension and made me realize how much more I need to understand. But Hauserman succeeded in getting me interested in learning more, and I do feel better equipped now to consider other options in my own retirement quest, thanks to the observations and instructions given in this book. It is a great resource for future planning, which for me, needs to start NOW.

To purchase this book, click here. HERE.
To visit the author's awesome website click HERE.