The Truth About Money 4th Edition: A practical, no-nonsense guide to budgeting, investing, retirement, and insurance from a top independent financial advisor

I found Ric Edelman's, The Truth About Money to be VERY helpful. Let me preface my remarks by admitting that I've spent my life in the financial industry in a testing & research capacity - NOT sales. My background is pretty solid so I am fairly critical of financial books. Here is what I like about Ric's presentation for you to judge potential value to you: 1) Comprehensive - many/most topics you might need to know about. 2) Objective - the facts as most consumer-oriented financial professionals would present. 3) Easy to read - my opinion is he presents information in a very easy to digest format, right for non-financial types. I've listened to him on the radio in the Boston area often and he/his team present straight forward, consumer-oriented information there as well. I give him strong kudos as not many books are as thorough and well-presented as this one. I would recommend to nearly anyone. PS - I was a bit intimidated by the length when I did my own Amazon review prior to buying as it is long. Don't worry, the short chapter format is really EASY to pick-up and read in tidbits.

I have read this book many times over the years. I continue to go back and read again a section depending on what is happening in my financial situation. I have bought this book many times as a gift for my family members to help them understand how to manage their money. I highly recommend this book!!

This book was amazing when I finally had the time to read it. It is not only informative, but Ric Edelman teaches you in a very entertaining way. He often guesses at what you would probably do or think about a certain situation, then tells you why you are wrong. He has stories to back the information and explains just about everything you will need to know about getting out of debt, investing, maintaining cash reserves and he addresses these things (and others) by your personal situation, married, single, widowed, divorced, old, young, retired, working, and with grown children living at home! Can't begin at touching on all he shares, but it is worth it whether you think you know it all or not. Get another perspective and do yourself a big favor! It was written in 2016 or 17 so there may be changes in some areas, but the basics are explained well.

Back when I went to college I took a lot of finance classes, so (at the time) I considered myself fairly knowledgeable. Over the ensuing years my life took a different direction then business or finance and as the economy faltered these past couple of years I found myself not fully understanding what people were talking about etc... One day I heard Ric's radio show and it seemed congenial and funny when giving advice, he hawked his book and I decided to buy it to try and at least be some what familiar with the game so I could understand what my financial planner was saying (well fully anyways). Ric's style of writing is very easy to read & follow. In fact I am not much of a reader (usually read for 30-45 minutes at most) but I read the whole first section in one sitting (maybe 2 hours?!). He explains things in an easy to understand way so I think someone with know background in this area can follow it as well as someone like myself who has the general idea of what is going on. He throws in some pretty good humor (IMO) too, I will paraphrase but my favorite so far has been were he says something like "How to make a million dollars" or something like that and then goes on to say "I don't know and if I did why would I tell you? I don't know you....". I found that very funny. Anyway, so far I am maybe 1/2 way through the book and have found it well written and an easy read. I would recommend it if you are trying to figure out how to save for retirement or your kids college tuition.

I just love Ric Edelman's books! I have them all, and yes! I do listen to his radio show! I have purchased each of my son's Ric's book "The Truth About Money" as a gift. All of his books are basic, easy to read, common sense information. I would love to tell you I have a million in the assests due to following his information, however, I sometimes just can't get out of my own way! Let me just say that I had adjusted my investments according to info I gathered from my Edelman "Reads" just prior to the horrible market "adjustment" a few years ago and it saved me thousands in my 401K and other investments. While I did lose a little $, it was not nearly as bad as it would have been if I had stayed positioned like I was! I have suggested Ric Edlemans books to all my friends and coworkers. Even if you have a financial manager, education is a powerful thing! Be informed, or be a victim!

I picked up Ric's book "The Truth About Retirement Plans and IRAs" at the library on a whim, having never previously heard of him. I was prepared for the book to be trash. It was in fact so far from trash, that I borrowed every book of his that was available from my library (sorry Ric) and then bought this one to keep on the shelf as a reference. These books have actually changed my life, in that I took a good look at my retirement planning, increased my contributions, and moved as much money as possible out of expensive mutual funds and into ETFs as advocated in the book. And what are ETF's? Well i didn't know either. Read the book! Ric's writing style is playful, amusing and entirely accessible. This particular book "The Truth About Money" covers much of the breadth of various areas of financial planning. If you want a shorter book, look at his other more targeted offerings.

Edelman works hard for his business and his clients. There is no shame in the fact that he is running a business, and that his business is about educating his clients about how to make their money continue to make money. Many would like to villinize Ric or Suzie or other top tier / popular financial advisers because they don't know everything and aren't perfect. Ric does an excellent job of doing the right financial things in a very methodical and well founded way. He wants his clients to know why they are making their financial decisions and wants them to be educated about the impacts of their decisions. Its interesting that Joe Nobody is so often willing to take shots at successful people for trivial or non-issue items. This book is very well laid out and provides a wealth of knowledge on financail administration. Read It!!! its light, humorous and educational.

I have a copy of the 2nd edition and decided to purchase the update copy, 4th edition. I am not disappointed as one might expect. It continues to provide the necessary financial sense that one needs to consider during their lifetime. As with all investment and financial advice books, it is always up to the reader to not only read, but adapt the advice to their own situation. I think the lack of action for many is the reason that such books have been in print for so long. Mr. Edelman (Ric) has been around for some time now in the publishing world and I for one appreciate his candor and observation about money. More or less, one gets the impression that it is up to us to take the advice seriously and incorporate it into our daily lives when and where possible and practical.

Good insight about financial planing in a simplest way. Very useful to those who are just starting their financial life.

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