So I’ll be blunt and just say it right away: Get Money is awesome. It’s Kristin Wong’s new personal finance book and it is going to change how you look at money. It’s easy to read, easy to understand, and has interactive worksheets which make optimizing your finances easy. Get Money is great for two big reasons:
- Kristin Wong is a great at explaining complicated topics in an easy to understand way. (You know how some finance articles leave you more confused then when you started reading them? That never happens with her.)
- Get Money is gamified. Kristin carefully designed the book with principles from game design so looking at money doesn’t feel tedious. I have no idea how she pulled this off, but somehow she has actually made financial optimization–dare I say it–fun.
You should order it now–here’s a link–but, if you want to know more (and I know you do) keep reading.
Personal stories make it relateable
One reason Get Money is so powerful is that Kristin sprinkles personal stories about how money has effected her family and friends. She goes through how her mother looks at money, how she looks at money, how her husband looks at money, and how you can work with and understand people with different money personalities. Instead of some approaches which judgmentally assume that there is only one way to look at money, Kristin breaks down some of the different money personalities:
For example, people with money vigilance are your classic frugal savers who keep their net worth hidden, while people with money avoidance “stay away from money because they think its bad and greedy.” While these people may look similar on the surface, they way they look at money is actually dramatically different. And while no one way is the best way to look at money, you can always optimize and change your money habits to get your financial house in order and improve your relationships.
Get Money is packed with good advice
Get Money is also packed with easy-to-remember rules that make staying on top of your finances easy.
For example, in order to help beat impulse spending, Kristin created the the 10/10 rule. It says that if you’re debating over a purchase, spend no more than 10 minutes thinking about whether to buy it. After those 10 minutes are up, if it costs more than $10 and you still aren’t sure, don’t buy it.
The worksheets are actually useful
Unlike many personal finance books Get Money includes worksheets and fill-in-the-blank sections of the book. With some other finance books I just read it, then forget it. But by making you literally write down your individual financial situation in the book, I found that I actually finished the worksheets and made progress tracking my spending.
Get Money isn’t just for broke people
Of course, Get Money is awesome if you are in debt or need to get you financial house in order. You learn all the basics and Kristin explains the complicated stuff so well that even the hard stuff starts to feel easy. But, the great thing about Get Money is that the advice even applies if you are financially rock-solid. She breaks down little-known tax deductions, ways to make your money work for you, and investing tips and tricks that help you no matter how much money you earn.
Get Get Money (see what I did there?)
Get Money is the rare financial book that isn’t preachy, is actually useful, and is fun to read. That makes it well worth reading, no matter what your financial situation is. Kristin Wong is a great writer, and she’s done a fantastic job with Get Money. You should get it.
For more on Kristin, check out the interview she did with us back in 2016. For more on Get Money, check out the official website.
Update: Kristin and I created an online course and blog called Come Write With Us to help make you a better writer. Check it out!
