#13 Start Late Finish Rich

Well, I finished David Bach's Start Late Finish Rich. And I'm more convinced than ever that people like Bach make millions telling people things they should know. And I'm even more convinced that any many that recommends buying McDonald's or even considered buying a McDonald's franchise has no place telling me what I should be doing with my money.

See, I'm tired of all the money books telling me I shouldn't be buying shoes. Telling me that the "Latte Factor," Bach's all encompassing term for the money you waste buying frivolous things, is what's separating me from being a millionaire. Because you know what, it's not.

Money books don't speak to women, and even if they try to, they don't speak to my generation of women. Women who have grown up knowing they'll work, raise a family if they choose, live in mainly urban settings or have urban mindsets even if they live outside a city.

A few things he talks about every single book I've read about money make sense: buy don't rent; if you make more money, you'll save more money; invest in a variety of stable investments like mutual funds. But what the book doesn't do is tell me how to be a girl and still save money. The book simply tells me to forget the fact that I love shoes and therefore the value in them is threefold to spending the money. The fact that I think it's worth it to buy brand names because they last longer and while it might cost more to buy something from the Gap vs. Wal-Mart, I know it's better made--or at least it used to be. I still have t-shirts from the Gap when I worked there in high school--they're still wearable. I'm not going to tell you how long ago that was...

In a sense, what's missing from all these books is finding a balance in an urban lifestyle. That not everything to do with money is making more or cutting out the things in life that you love. Retirement is important, but so is enjoying yourself. Money is serious, and people should take it seriously, but it's also a made up thing that has take over how we approach everything in life.

I'm tired of books that tell me to work more. That's not the answer at all; the answer is to use your talents to their full potential. To capitalize on the things that you love to do and find the pathway to get there without sacrificing your heart. I know it's cheesy, but I just finished a big fancy paying job and hated myself. What I need a book to tell me is how to spend money in an increasingly throw-away world, in a world where people would rather not worry about the affects of their decisions because they can't see the impact on a global scale.

Be girls, buy things, have your coffee, don't abuse your credit cards, live a balanced life and don't read silly books like Start Late Finish Rich. I need to write a Girl's Guide to Money. I think that's the solution to my problem.