7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life

How to Live Well with the Money You Have

By: Michelle Singletary

Narrated by: Michelle Singletary

The best financial planner Michelle Singletary ever knew was Big Mama, her grandmother. Big Mama raised Michelle and her four brothers and sisters on a salary that never reached more than $13,000 a year. Yet at her death, Big Mama owned her own home, had paid off a car loan, and had a beautiful collection of Sunday-go-to-meeting church hats and a savings account that supplemented her Social Security check and small pension. Most important, she had taught Michelle 7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life. Those mantras serve as the inspiration for this straight-talking book of practical personal financial advice that really works.

The 7 Money Mantras are:
1. If it's on your ass, it's not an asset!
2. Is this a need or is it a want?
3. Sweat the small stuff.
4. Cash is better than credit.
5. Keep it simple.
6. Priorities lead to prosperity.
7. Enough is enough.

In a plainspoken, sassy, non-nonsense voice, Michelle provides answers to the financial issues that confront almost every household: how to teach children the value of money; how to address money issues in a relationship or marriage; household saving tips; getting the best loans; and much more.

With humor and down-home financial wisdom, Michelle Singletary offers practical and realistic advice that will help you live well with the money you have.

©2004 Michelle Singletary (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Singletary's emphasis on simplicity and common sense make this an excellent primer for the novice financial planner." (Publishers Weekly)

GREAT Book

This book is great if you are trying to figure out this whole money thing. I think it is a great book for all young adults to start them thinking of being money savvy.

A bit dated...but still relevant!

It's an older version but the foundation still holds true! Worth it..very much so. Thanks!

Great Book

Most of her advise is pretty good. Few of them I felt were too cheap!
Overall the book does add value and information.

Singletary Says

This book was okay but it should have been read by the Author, the voice does not fit.

The book was filled with ways to save money and common sense issues.

Excellent

Very well written and read. Most of the information was based on common sense (which more and more people today seldom use).

Maybe for Another Audience

This book goes over the most basic concepts and would probably be useful to the least informed on money matters. But if you already have a general knowledge of life insurance, mutual funds, 30-year fixed interest mortgages, etc., you will be wasting your time. Also, it's a bit weird listening to the obviously middle age, white narrator relate the story of the author's "Big Mama," the matriarch who imparted these financial lessons to the author. The book is filled with stories and language that reflect the author's black heritage. But with this narrator, it's like listening to one of the Osmonds read the autobiography of James Brown. It sounds inauthentic, and makes the narrator sound SO PAINFULLY square.

Mostly Common Sense

This book is not much more than conversational common sense. It is a small bit encouraging, not really inspiring and I found that I deleted it from the ipod after a single listen.

7 Cheapness Chants

This book provides hours of advice on how to be truly cheap rather than advising on how to formulate a decent financial plan and put it into action on a practical level. The book is better for someone who is making very little income and needs to pinch every penny to get out of debt rather than someone who is looking to take a proactive approach to planning their finances. I would also add that the authors dabblings into the moral arena (good gift giving) are not appropriate.