Cover Image: Kicking Financial Ass

Kicking Financial Ass

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Member Reviews

The information in this book was great and one can learn many things from it. Its especially great for people who are young and just starting out. I wish i have this information when I was in my early 20s. But most of this advice doesn't apply to those of us in our middle years or beyond. I'd like to see a book written geared to those who start later in life.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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There are a lot of assumptions going in to this book and I was not really please with the laid out expectations of what you will personally accomplish by the end of the book. Assuming that by reading this book you will be able to spend less and be happier as an example is not something I would feel confident in given that there are many reasons people have financial struggles and this statement doesn't account for those in an income problem scenarios.
Overall I think there are some great basics and lessons to share in these pages but I was let down by the upfront hope and false promises. I understand there are a lot of people that may be able to achieve the outcomes as listed by reading this book and following the instructions but that is a very specific target audience. I realize there is an introduction that elaborates on who the book is designed for but by the time someone would read that they may have already spent the money to read this book that may give false hope.
My thoughts are go in cautiously.

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This book was all over the place, and it really suffered for it. That's before the factual errors start cropping up.

Some of the advice comes from Dave Ramsey. Some of the advice comes from the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and Mr. Money Mustache. Some of the advice comes from Tim Ferriss's The 4-Hour Work Week and from Chris Guillebeau. Although he's never specifically mentioned, some of it seems to come from Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You to Be Rich.

Those are all good authors, with good advice to give, but they target very different sorts of people in very different situations. Mashing all that together into one place turns this into a mess of a book.

And all that is before the simple factual errors. Dumont gives factually incorrect explanations of, among other things, mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, "financial coaches", and IRAs. He also bases an index fund investment on recent returns rather than on how closely the fund tracks the target index, recommends against investing in more than one ETF (or index fund, I can't tell because he seems to use the terms interchangeably even though they aren't the same thing at all) because you'll be "overly diversified", misrepresents commissions charged by online brokerages, cautions that 401(k) fees can be too expensive and a page later warns against rollover IRAs because their fees "are often higher than workplace retirement plans", and gives a very wrong figure for the maximum annual 401(k) contribution.

In other words, what starts off messy but with good advice devolves into a disaster of factual mistakes in the chapters on investing, American retirement plans (I can't speak to Canadian plans, other than to wonder why Dumont put both in one book rather than simply producing separate editions for the US and Canadian markets), and real estate.

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Ugh, this was something I really needed to read. In fact, I'm going to purchase the paper copy so I can go back and read it over and over. Paul Christopher Dumont lays out a budget and advice so that you can Kick Financial Ass just like he did.

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One of the best financial books I have read and learned so much from!

This is a book you can always pick up and learn something new to update your financials in any situation.

It definitely helped me along my financial journey ans I am so grateful!

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Excellent book - really put everything into perspective; change your expectations of who you are. Really made sense in the capacity of finances.

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I didn't feel like this is the kind of financial book for people near retirement age (what I purported it to be from the description), rather for younger people just starting out after college or moving out of their parent's home to work after high school.

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Kicking Financial Ass is the straight forward get it done no hold back type of book. I really enjoyed his approach to this well documented and explored topic.

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I wish I had read this book when I was younger, or rather, I wish there had been something like this when I was younger. Instead, I’ve made it to my 50s to be learning about some of this stuff for the first time. I am a firm believer that money management should be taught as part of every high school curriculum, if not earlier, and I think this book would make a great addition to any teaching. Concepts are clearly explained in a conversational tone that is easy to understand and engaging. I took many notes because looking at my notes will be easier than going back through the book and taking notes helps me to remember the important points. I’m glad to have received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It’s well worth reading.

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I've been struggling with my finances for years and never really knew where to start to get my financial house in order. This book helped put many things in perspective. Even better, it provided a roadmap to begin things like: curbing spending, budgeting, side hustles, financial planning and investing, and much more. Thanks for the eye-opening info Mr. Dumont and NetGalley. Sorry it took so long to get around to read and review your book!

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This book is a great read for those that need to get their financial things in order. I highly recommend for younger adults so they can plan and strategize for financial freedom as they get older. Those that are more on their way to being debt-free and have retirement plans set may find this a bit too simplistic. Which is why its a perfect book for older teens and younger adults.

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I found this book to be helpful in planning to find ways to more financially secure. I recommend this book for anyone looking to make their finances and future retirement more secure.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book would be great for high school aged kids or young adults in their early 20s. It provides a lot of practical advice for young people to get their finances on the right track.

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Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Excellent book on how to become financial successful through debt free methods, saving for retirement, emergency funds and more! The author references many of Dave Ramsey methods and improves on them. I'm definitely getting a copy for myself and family. Very easy to follow with resources to help you land on the right track.

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Aimed more at the financial novice, this book is a thorough and easy to understand introduction into different types of investments and ways to save with practical advice that goes beyond cutting your coffee house habit. Different from other books in this genre, the author gives information relevant to those living in the US or Canada, with sections in the chapters devoted to each. While I can see where this is helpful and makes the book appealing to a broader audience, it also means you're getting less bang for your buck since each chapter will be filled with pages you cannot utilize. As mentioned by another reviewer, the author assumes the reader has a decent paying job (though, to be fair, most financial advice does this), but for those this is aimed at (20's) it could be they will be there someday but aren't yet, making the advice perhaps difficult or impossible to follow. However, if you're looking for something a bit beyond financial info for dummies but not ready for MSNBC, this a fun and engaging book that hits all the relevant topics.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ebook. This had no impact on my review.

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This book had some good advice but not everything was realistic in some aspects. If you live in New York trying to only use 25% of your salary for housing is not realistic. The cost of living is high. The authors gives some ideas to try to get a side hustle going. Not a bad start for someone who wants to get started in taking control of your finances.

Not my favorite book on getting your finances together but you will find some good points in it.

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This book provides very comprehensive and valuable financial advice. I really appreciate how the beginning of the book addresses being content with what you have and where to find true happiness as this will really curb a lot of spending. Great financial advice and a must read for high school and college students starting out in life.

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The book identifies and explains the matters in smaller portions,,,keeping it simple.
The author shares actual, simple things to follow to achieve financial goals.
By reading real life anecdotes in the book, one can easily correlate to his/her own life.
The author shares websites, apps one can refer to get the information on available options in various aspects of financial planning.
US & Canada: special coverage on retirement plans for US and Canada. People from other countries still get a fair idea about how to go about it.
Real estate: should one buy/invest, own or rent, what other option available for real estate explained, Investments like REIT discussed appropriately. Even mortgaging concept and options explained.
All in all - a very practical book to read!

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Trying to keep your financial house in order is one of life's more daunting tasks yet ever so necessary. Kicking Financial Ass is a guide to help you do just that. Paul Christopher Dumont takes you through many of the various aspects of finances one must tackle from early in life through retirement as well as a way to psychologically look at how you look at finances and what you need to make you happy.

Personally, I found this book to be a mixed bag of advice. Some very good while I found a few things not all that accurate or maybe forced to fit an outcome. Like so many other books on personal finance, it tended to lean towards being way too cookie cutter by totally ignoring so many other demographics and factors that exist in real life that just did not fit any of these guidelines. Some of the numbers were also way off. All too often, I found myself trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. Good advice for the square pegs but impossible for the round ones.

Early on in the book, Dumont mentioned that his intended audience was for millennials. After reading the book, it really is best marketed to millennials as much of it didn't do a whole lot to be all that helpful for anyone older though could help those younger. That's all fine and good but I feel that there should be some notation of that on the cover.

The book is not an one size fits all guide by any means but still contains some basic understanding that is very useful. Rather than nitpick on specifics, I think it's best to do what financial advisers always suggest (which, oddly wasn't mentioned in the book) and to diversify. In other words, diversify your financial reading material and hone it all down to what suits your own personal life circumstances. Also understand that what might work today in Dumont's suggestions may not work at all in the future. Extract what you can from the book to help set you off onto the road of personal finances but keep learning and paying attention to any changes and warnings along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of the book for a fair and honest review.

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Paul Dumont's book "Kicking Financial Ass" is one of the better personal finance books I've read this year. Instead of just telling me to get a second job or a side hustle, he offers other suggestions. He also suggests ways to make cheaper meals and batch cooking so you don't buy when you are are working a difficult work schedule. He suggests what I've been doing already not buying things, or going to a second hand store, making coffee, ditching cable. One of the things I do that I do not know if he mentions is get books, movies, and magazines from the public library because they are either free or cheap.. He will teach you to save money, build an emergency fund, negotiate salaries, have a side hustle. I liked Paul's writing and it didn't feel like I was reading a book that made you feel like it was your fault if you weren't retiring at age 40.. I would recommend this book to readers.

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