money can be hope and possibility and dreams. it can also be greed and fear and scarcity.
having it represents freedom to do (or not do) as you please. not having it can make an already difficult life even more strenuous.
it shouldn’t therefore come as a surprise that there are so many people and institutions out there telling us what we should do with our money. add less transparent people and institutions to the mix who benefit from a general lack of financial literacy and personal finance becomes both super important and very daunting at the same time.
this is the reason books like ‘the path’ by peter mallouk and tony robbins are so important.
what i liked about the path
step by step, the authors explain how the financial industry works and how you can make it work for you.
always based on evidence and the occasional illuminating graph, they address novice investors in a simple, calm and rational way. by doing so they take the intensity out of an industry that plays on collective fears and needs until said industry bears an uncanny resemblance with the wizard of oz towards the end of the movie.
what i didn’t like
it is worth mentioning that the book seems rather directed at people who already have a sound financial foundation.
and that the authors stress the importance of choosing a qualified financial advisor a lot. which is ok per se.
if, however, you live in a country or region where independent financial advisors are rare and far between, this is not very helpful. especially as the book provides very little information for the do-it-yourself investor.
another caveat of the book might be the single focus on the US context. so, if you don’t live in the states the value you can get out this this book might be somewhat limited.
