Abandon Nest

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, all links to Amazon.com are affiliate links.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a post by Dan Appleman over on his blog, Thinking About Money. It was a sales pitch for his e-book The Graduating Geek’s Guide to High Finance. I was intrigued because it sounded extremely related to this very blog. I obtained a copy last night and must say that it is very well done. I’ll start with a recommendation before diving into the details. I give this book an 8/10 and recommend a purchase for anyone who is currently adjusting from college-poor to having a regular decent paycheck. You can find the book on Amazon.com.

Let’s start with the few negatives about this work. There are very few things to mention, so I might as well get them out of the way. First, the organization is very loose. There aren’t any distinguishable chapters that I can see. There are clear subheadings, but I wish the topics were organized a little more than they were. Second, I wish the author had expanded on a few things or provided resources to find more information. For instance, starting a business, something I’m very interested in, was merely lightly skimmed. Perhaps Dan is writing another book on the subject, but I wish her would have said so or point readers to somewhere like SBA.org.

Now, on to the positives. First, the book is short enough to be read in one sitting easily. At 25 pages, the book is a breeze to skim through while running on the treadmill or watching TV. Second, in those 25 pages, Dan packs a ton of great content and advice. Something that I think merits repeating is his view of specialization:

But avoid specializing - breadth of knowledge is as important as depth of knowledge, especially in a world where that particular specialty you focused on could become obsolete overnight. You may need to jump to something else quickly.

That’s just great advice that comes from experience. Third, Dan includes a quick primer on financial math in an Appendix. This is a great thing for anyone who isn’t familiar with a lot of the more advanced Excel functions. Finally, the book is cheap. You can get it for $3.99, exclusively from Amazon.com. This is a great price for a great product.

All in all, I have to give this e-book a hands down recommendation. To me, it’s like Standard and Poor’s Guide to Personal Finance, another book I reviewed. It contains a lot of the same information, but this book is infused with experience and real-life examples. Go ahead now, and purchase the book from Amazon.com.

Over at DebtFree4Ever, Kevin has posted a very interesting article about his financial mission statement. Taking a cue from him, I’ve written out my own. Here goes:

I will always strive to do my best in everything I do. While maintaining a positive outlook on life, I’ll take the good with the bad and always roll with the punches. In the future, I want to be known as someone who gives respect to those who deserve it and I want to be respected for the things that I do. I will be a role model to those around me.

My mission, in my current employment, is to provide technical and project management support as part of an integrated team. It is my duty to fully explore options that would save my company money in the long term and attempt to execute those projects that I deem workable. I report weekly to my supervisors on my progress and seek to bring in projects under budget and on time.

My mission is to best use the gifts and abilities I have been given to accomplish as much as I can in this life. I want to be successful as a businessman, family man, and individual. I will be part of a team that makes an impact on this world. I will be a good father, husband, uncle, and son.

For myself, I want to learn as much as I can about the things that interest me. I will always push to know the ins and outs of things that catch my eye. It may be web development, Ancient Roman history, or comic book backstories, but I want to know it all. I want to start my own business, be in charge of my destiny, and ultimately be successful enough to provide for everyone I care about.

So what’s your financial (or personal) mission statement?

Do you like fast food? Even a little bit? I know I do, and that poses quite the problem when I’m driving home from work. You see, on my way to my apartment I pass:

• Taco bell
• Burger King
• McDonald’s
• KFC
• Wendy’s
• Long John Silver’s

That’s on a 20 minute drive. Isn’t that crazy? The worst part is that I’m usually really hungry after work, so I’m always attempted to stop. How do I resist? I think of three important points about fast food.

• It’s not good for you - This should be self-evident. As much as Burger King and McDonald’s want you to think of their food as healthy, it just isn’t. A milkshake from Dairy Queen is 1170 calories. A Big Mac is grease and fat primarily. You’re killing yourself by eating this food regularly.
• It’s expensive - Fast food, in general, is quite pricey. You can buy a burger from McDonald’s for $1.00. Great deal, right? No. At home you can make a better, healthier, for less than a $1.00. Much, much better.
• It tastes like junk - When is the last time you had a really good meal from a fast food restaurant? Not something that tasted ok or fulfilled a craving of yours; that’s different. I mean a really great tasting piece of meat, salad, or sandwich. I can’t remember the last time I had something that filled my palate with joy from a fast food restaurant, can you?

Reiterating these points in my head makes me think twice about stopping for that burger, that sandwich, or that Crunchwrap Supreme. It should do the same for you. Good luck.