Book Review: "Everything That Remains"

Book Review: "Everything That Remains"

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about The Minimalists' book "Everything That Remains"?

I gave the book a 4.5 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus's memoir takes the reader on a journey from their early days to the present as each, in their own way, went about building the life they thought they wanted: getting the right job, marrying the right girl, buying the right house, car and stuff--only to find out that the life they built for themselves wasn't at all what they wanted. It might have looked like the perfect life to others, but inside they were broken, empty vessels. They'd lost themselves by spending too much time looking from the outside in instead of the inside out.

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Book Review: "The Total Money Makeover"

Book Review: "The Total Money Makeover"

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Ramsey's TTMM offers a no-nonsense approach to household money management, but some of the author's tenets seem overly prescriptive. That said, I would say that anyone who has debt and is looking for the motivation and the system to help them pay it off is not likely to be disappointed.

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Introducing My Gratitude Jar

Introducing My Gratitude Jar

I came across this image on Social Media (see top right) while attending FinCon16 in SanDiego this past September. I mentioned it to my roommate and long-time friend Michelle and we had a good discussion at that time about the power of having a Gratitude (aka "Happiness") Jar, including her sharing with me her personal experience with the daily exercise.

That discussion stayed with me and, upon my return to Winnipeg, I went on the hunt for my very own Gratitude Jar (see bottom right). Unfortunately, my interest quickly faded and I did not maintain the activity past the first few weeks.

It was a talk I gave at a Christmas party in mid-December that reawakened my interest in it.

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Book Review: "Your Money or Your Life"

Book Review: "Your Money or Your Life"

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez's book "Your Money or Your Life"?

I gave the book a 5 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Vicki and Joe invite us to rethink how we invest our time and our money in this powerful and transformative book. 

Here's a quick overview of what the authors walk us through that enables us to reframe how we think about time and money:

  1. Where We've Been: Gaining an understanding of how much money we've spent in our lifetimes and evaluating our return thus far in the form of life satisfaction.
  2. Where We Are: Evaluating the magnitude and quality of our current spending to determine whether we’re maximizing how we use our life energy (0ur most precious resource).
  3. Where We're Going: Measuring our self-sufficiency by tracking our progress toward financial independence and beyond.

If you want to stop having to work for “The Man” sooner than later, YMOYL is a must read. It’s a powerful book and should be part of every person’s lifetime curriculum.

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Book Review: "Born for This" by Chris Guillebeau

Book Review: "Born for This" by Chris Guillebeau

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Chris Guillebeau's book "Born for This"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Chris helps the reader navigate career success by helping us focus on the following:

  1. Maximizing the joy-money-flow model
  2. Trying new things and eliminating what doesn’t work
  3. How building up our banked savings and goodwill can make all the difference
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Book Review: "The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die" by John Izzo

Book Review: "The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die" by John Izzo

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about John Izzo's book "The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Here are the five secrets:

  1. Be true to your self
  2. Leave no regrets
  3. Become love
  4. Live in the moment
  5. Give more than you take

I dare you to read this book and not be moved, or at least inspired.

To know more about the book, read my full review here.

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Book Review: "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi

Book Review: "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Ramit Sethi's book "I Will Teach You to Be Rich"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Here’s the information and advice that makes this book unique. It:

  1. Helps us navigate service providers… and negotiate with them.
  2. Offers a primer on investing by debunking the myth of financial service expertise.
  3. Compares the benefit of paying down debt to investment returns in a systematic way.

One word of caution, his writing style is an acquired taste. It can be a turn off for readers looking for solid advice and who prefer to avoid sources that include some off-colour humour.

To know more about the book, read my full review here.

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Book Review: "Dear Debt" by Melanie Lockert

Book Review: "Dear Debt" by Melanie Lockert

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Melanie Lockert's book "Dear Debt"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

The book’s format is straightforward, yet it includes some gems, some unique features you won’t necessarily find in other debt reduction books:

  1. A focus on the individual
  2. The hidden power of side hustles
  3. How reducing debt affects your outlook

Read my full review here.

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