{"product_id":"pound-foolish-exposing-the-dark-side-of-the-personal-finance-industry-paperback","title":"Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eHelaine Olen\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you've ever bought a personal finance book, watched a TV show about stock picking, listened to a radio show about getting out of debt, or attended a seminar to help you plan for your retirement, you've probably heard some version of these quotes: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"What's keeping you from being rich? In most cases, it is simply a lack of belief.\" --SUZE ORMAN, \u003ci\u003eThe Courage to Be Rich\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Are you latte-ing away your financial future?\" --DAVID BACH, \u003ci\u003eSmart Women Finish Rich\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I know you're capable of picking winning stocks and holding on to them.\" --JIM CRAMER, \u003ci\u003eMad Money\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey're common refrains among personal finance gurus. There's just one problem: those and many simi-lar statements are false.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the past few decades, Americans have spent billions of dollars on personal finance products. As salaries have stagnated and companies have cut back on benefits, we've taken matters into our own hands, embracing the can-do attitude that if we're smart enough, we can overcome even daunting financial obstacles. But that's not true.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this meticulously reported and shocking book, journalist and former financial columnist Helaine Olen goes behind the curtain of the personal finance industry to expose the myths, contradictions, and outright lies it has perpetuated. She shows how an industry that started as a response to the Great Depression morphed into a behemoth that thrives by selling us products and services that offer little if any help.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlen calls out some of the biggest names in the business, revealing how even the most respected gurus have engaged in dubious, even deceitful, prac-tices--from accepting payments from banks and corporations in exchange for promoting certain prod-ucts to blaming the victims of economic catastrophe for their own financial misfortune. \u003ci\u003ePound Foolish \u003c\/i\u003ealso disproves many myths about spending and saving, including: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSmall pleasures can bankrupt you: \u003c\/b\u003eGurus popular-ized the idea that cutting out lattes and other small expenditures could make us millionaires. But reduc-ing our caffeine consumption will not offset our biggest expenses: housing, education, health care, and retirement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDisciplined investing will make you rich: \u003c\/b\u003eGurus also love to show how steady investing can turn modest savings into a huge nest egg at retirement. But these calculations assume a healthy market and a lifetime without any setbacks--two conditions that have no connection to the real world.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWomen need extra help managing money: \u003c\/b\u003eProduct pushers often target women, whose alleged financial ignorance supposedly leaves them especially at risk. In reality, women and men are both terrible at han-dling finances.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFinancial literacy classes will prevent future eco-nomic crises: \u003c\/b\u003eExperts like to claim mandatory sessions on personal finance in school will cure many of our money ills. Not only is there little evidence this is true, the entire movement is largely funded and promoted by the financial services sector.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeaving together original reporting, interviews with experts, and studies from disciplines ranging from behavioral economics to retirement planning, \u003ci\u003ePound Foolish \u003c\/i\u003eis a compassionate and compelling book that will change the way we think and talk about our money.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHELAINE OLEN\u003c\/b\u003e is a free-lance journalist whose work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, Salon, Forbes, Business-Week, \u003c\/i\u003eand elsewhere. She wrote and edited the popu-lar Money Makeover series in the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in New York City with her family. Follow her on Twitter at @helaineolen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.82 x 8.38 x 6.02 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 31, 2013\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51759260500256,"sku":"9781591846796","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/6afb63be771de50f78eb0c3c12724450_73bde870-d1bf-47a1-89b1-cdc10886e9a4.webp?v=1780147129","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/pound-foolish-exposing-the-dark-side-of-the-personal-finance-industry-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}