Jack Canfield

Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer)

Jim Cramer, bestselling author and host of CNBC’s Mad Money, has written the ultimate guide to lifetime investing for readers of any age.

Whether you’re a recent college grad trying to figure out how to start investing, a young parent struggling to decide where and how to put away money, or someone well into middle age and worried about whether you’ve saved enough for retirement, Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life has the answers. Cramer covers all the essentials: how to save, where to invest, which pitfalls to avoid. He offers valuable advice on everything from mortgages to college tuition. He explains what professional money managers do right that amateur investors do wrong. Because there is always a bull market somewhere, Cramer tells readers where to find the bull markets of the future, and for those willing to do the homework, he chooses twenty stocks that could be long-term moneymakers. For those who don’t have the time or the temperament to invest in stocks, he identifies the mutual funds that are proven winners. He’s investigated these funds by using his own twenty-five years’ experience managing money for himself and dozens of America’s wealthiest families. Throughout, in addition to his own enormously successful experience, Cramer draws on rigorous research to back up his advice.

Jim Cramer is America’s #1 financial guru. Every day he advises investors on how to get ahead of the markets and stay ahead on his daily television show, Mad Money; in his online columns and commentary at TheStreet.com; in his popular “Bottom Line” column in New York magazine, and on television programs from early morning to late night. His books have all been national bestsellers and have helped educate hundreds of thousands of investors about the perils and promises of the financial markets. USA Today called him “the media’s most electrifying market pundit,” and his legions of fans agree. Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life is the definitive money book, a practical, concrete, insightful book of invaluable financial advice that is a joy to read.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Disconnect between title and contents
I obtained this book hoping that it will do for my investing what another book did for my trading. That is increase the value of my 401K and IRA by managing it better. I was disappointed in that the book’s focus was geared to basic financial information such as bad debt vs good debt,stocks for a 10 year old kid, paying off credit cards,not placing all your 401 K in company stocks etc. I felt I was reading a book by Suze Orman rather than Jim Cramer.

One uncommon advice Jim gives regarding 401K is not to fund your 401K above employer’s match due to the limitations on investment choices through your company. Unfortunately no specific investment advice is given on what to do with the money you do not place into your 401k except to use it to fund your IRA.

Considering this book was borrowed from the library and did not cost me anything, I felt that for a person unfamiliar with the basics it can be useful thus a 4 star rating

1 Stars Beware the clowns!!!
Simply put, Mr. Cramer is a self-admitted criminal who frequently flip flops on the advise he offers. I won’t speculate on his motivation, but I know that in my case, the $ 375,000 that I had invested in Dendreon would be worth $450K at best, instead of $ 2,450,000, a 544% gain. So, follow Cramer’s advice at your own risk! Best wishes to all honest investors!

2 Stars Investement Information
Not for serious investors. Information changes as he publishes more books. If you watch his TV program he at least apologizes (sort of) for poor investment recommendations. If you follow his rants and trust what he says, changing his mind after the fact does not repay your investment losses.

He just likes to hear himself talk and get richer and richer at your expense.

4 Stars Great for people who don’t know about retirement plans
This review is for the audio version. Jim Cramer gives the listener a great plan for retirement. He goes through the different types of retirement plans that are available and talks about the pros & cons of each type. Where his book differs from others is that he gives you specific stocks and mutual funds to purchase now for your retirement portfolio.

He is incorrect about a few things about 401k plans. First he says that if you borrow money from your 401k plan you have to pay the tax and the 10% penalty. Most plans have a payback plan over a period of time usually 2-3 years where you have additional funds put back into your account and there is no penalty. Second he does not mention that if you have a 401k plan and your company plan allows it, you can retire at 55 and start using the money without paying the 10% early withdrawl penalty if you leave the money in the 401k plan and not roll it over into an IRA. You cannot do this with an IRA. He doesn’t mention at all about a SEPP which allows you to retire earlier than 59 1/2 and not pay the penalty on your withdrawls.

I think this is an excellent book/audio and Mr. Cramer reads the audio version.

4 Stars Useful Introduction to the Basics of Investing - Cramer Style
This book by Jim Cramer is porbably the one that is most useful for the typical Joe or Jane on the street. He discusses at some length basic personal finance information, retirement savings, investing using mututal funds, IRA, 401k’s and other vehicles. The advice is practical, easy to absorb, and generally pretty useful. His advice may not be all that great for the high net worth person whose income limits some of his investment strategies (like the Roth IRA), and unlike some of his other books, this one feels a bit more cursory and superficial. Not a bad intro book for those new to investing - not a great read if you have some insight and are looking for more. Cramer’s earlier books will be better suited to you.

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Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing is a guide to understanding the real earning power of money by learning some of the investing secrets of the wealthy.The rich are different from the rest of us, if for no other reason than U.S. tax and securities laws allow them to invest in ways that keep us from catching up to them. That’s why 90 percent of all corporate shares of stock are owned by 10 percent of the people. Kiyosaki believes it’s possible for anyone to move up into that 10 percent, but it takes a different view of investing than most people have: it takes a plan to be a successful investor. And a plan is more than simply buying and selling, or collecting “assets” that bring in no cash and are thus more akin to liabilities. The way most people invest, “they might as well be pushing a wheelbarrow in a circle,” he writes. A plan is “mechanical, automatic, and boring,” a formula for success that has worked historically for most of those who’ve used it. Kiyosaki’s “rich dad” (actually, the father of his best friend) tells him the simplest analogy is the game Monopoly: buy four green houses, trade them for one red hotel, and repeat until you become rich.

The overall message of Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing is that this is an abundant world, full of opportunity for the sophisticated investor. However, it sometimes takes a while to find this point. Much of the book is told in dialogues between young Kiyosaki and his rich dad, and these conversations can ramble. There are rewards for the careful reader–for example, in the middle of a section on the basic rules of investing, Kiyosaki’s rich dad compares investor education to toilet training: difficult at first but eventually automatic. But getting to these inspired metaphors means wading through a lot of repetitive dialogue. It’s a bit ironic that someone who advocates investor discipline should show so little as a writer. But by the end of the book, even the rambling starts to make sense. By the hundredth time you read that the rich don’t work for money, and that you don’t need money to make money, both concepts start to make sense. It still looks difficult to apply these ideas, but Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing certainly makes the case that they’ll work for anyone bold and smart enough to practice them. –Lou Schuler

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars I Love this Book!
This book was the read that finally kicked me into high gear into my true calling of Entrepreneurship and Investing….the light bulb finally went on!

It will take you to the level of the mindset of a Super-Star Investor…teach you how to think like the mega-wealthy do. And you will start to question yourself on what you really want from life…average mediocrity like the rest of society, or a life of abundance and prosperity.

Then the rest is up to you.

5 Stars His Best by far
I’ve read RD Guide to Investing 3 times now and it has helped me to make an average of 22% annually in the stock market. He does not pick stocks for you but rather tells you what to look for. There are a lot of gold nuggets in this book for those who are willing to read and learn.

3 Stars 400 Pages of a Few Simple Points
I enjoyed this book a great deal yet I still believe it only deserves 3 stars. The author gets only a few ideas though yet this book is 400 pages. He could have expressed his views and educated the reader just as much in only 200 pages or less. There was a lot of repeating but after reading three of his books you begin to realize that he does this to get his points across more than anything. Don’t get me wrong though, there are some interesting and educational tidbits scattered throughout the book that make it just worth reading. Out of the three books in the series I would say this is the most important; even though the most popular one is obviously Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

5 Stars Kiyosaki has done it again.
Regardless of whether you are interested in learning more about real estate investing, buying or selling a business, creating a second income or a new career or just general financial issues, you will find the advice you are looking for in RDPD and in the Rich Dad’s Advisors Series. For one, Kiyosaki explains the 90/10 philosophy. This is Rich Dad’s version of the famous Paretto principle. In this case, Kiyosaki via rich dad explains that 90% of all investments are actually owned by only 10% of investors. Kiyosaki cites a Wall Street Journal article to support this.

Study Edition books (including a DVD Title) you must add to your collection:

Think And Grow Rich: The Personal Study Edition

The Master Key System: The Personal Study Edition

Path To Prosperity - Mastery Of Destiny - Acres Of Diamonds: The Personal Study Edition

The Science of Getting Rich: The Movie - 2 Disk Set

4 Stars Not one of his best, but worth the read
I’ve read 3 of Robert’s books now and I still think his advice on investments is lacking a bit. I am in the investment business and some of his advice is simply not realistic or accurate. BUT, his main ideas and concepts are strong and useful. This isn’t my favorite book of his but it’s solid. Just take his investment advice in conjuction with others.

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Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life

In his more than twenty years coaching the Blue Devils, Coach Mike Krzyzewski has made his program the most admired in the nation, with back-to-back national championships in ‘91, ‘92, and again in 2001, and ten Final Four appearances since 1986. Now, in Leading with the Heart, Coach K talks about leadership-how you earn it, how you practice it, and how you use it to move your organization to the top. From the importance of trust, communication, and pride, to the commitment a leader must make to his team, this inspiring book is a must-read for anyone who loves college basketball-or who simply wants to win in any competitive environment today.In some respects, a top-level college coach is a lot like a manager in any business. He has to turn a group of talented individuals into a smoothly running team, and he has to produce results that please the fans of his team–the shareholders of the athletic program. Thus, in Leading with the Heart, Krzyzewski reviews the lessons he’s learned as basketball coach at Duke University, and tries to universalize them so they translate to any leadership position. For example, he writes, “Adjustments are not unusual, they are usual. So a leader’s ability to think on his feet … to do things without instruction … is of paramount importance.” Makes sense, as does this admonition: “When teaching, always remember this simple phrase: ‘You hear, you forget. You see, you remember. You do, you understand.’”

The book has four sections–”Preseason,” “Regular Season,” “Postseason,” and “All-Season”–and each of those has four chapters. Each chapter begins with three quotes (”Too many rules get in the way of leadership” leads off chapter 1), and ends with bulleted tips summing up the chapter’s message. Between the quotes and the bullet points are anecdotes about Duke basketball games and (occasionally) Krzyzewski’s life outside basketball. What you come away with is an understanding of why Krzyzewski is a great basketball coach, why former Duke assistants such as Tommy Amaker and Quin Snyder are probably going to become great basketball coaches, and how anyone who’s currently a coach can become a better coach. It would be great if other types of managers in other types of businesses could incorporate these lessons in compassionate, focused, highly flexible leadership, but it seems unlikely. Most managers in business rise through the ranks not because of their ability to lead or inspire but because of their knowledge and competence (if not their connections). On the other hand, it would be nice if each of us, just once, could work for someone like Coach K, someone who could push the right buttons and lead us to our own version of the Final Four. Not likely, but a pretty sweet fantasy. –Lou Schuler

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Leadership in the Experiences of Coaching Basketball
I attended Duke from 1987 to 1991. In all four basketball seasons, Coach Krzyzewski led the Duke Blue Devils Basketball team to four straight Final Fours. In 1991, Coach K and the Duke basketball team won the final game of the NCAA tournament and became National Champions. Duke basketball was very magical to me in those four years to say the least.

Coach Krzyzewski relates a lot of different ideas and practices to how to lead a team. He speaks of the team being like a fist where when all “fingers” or players are united they are stronger than when alone. He also talks about the way he focuses for a game. It is interesting that Coach K stated that he coached each team differently due to different characteristics of each team. He shows the ability to adapt to changing situations and to different crises that he details in the book. Another interesting idea is the trust and a feeling of family that bonds between coach and players. He shows this with events that occur on and off the basketball court. Another point Coach K makes is that he tells the reader that success should be determined internally in a team and not from an external source. Especially interesting and moving is when he speaks of his friendship with Coach Jim Valvano of NC State in the time that Coach Valvano was struggling with cancer. After finishing the book, it is easy to see why Coach K has such success in collegiate basketball. He is definitely a winner in many aspects. Coach Krzyzewski writes in a very simple and straightforward manner and gives ideas of leadership that should be standard in any successful organization.

5 Stars Coach K on Leadership, and Life
I have always found Coach K’s Duke basketball teams to be good, disciplined, and well prepared. I respect Coach K for his teams’ accomplishments, and for his demeanor on and off the court. I thought this book would be interesting, and a good learning experience for me. I was right on both accounts.

The book is written in an easy-to-read, almost conversational style. The material was presented and explained in a logical and organized way that made Coach K’s points easy to understand. I definitely sensed that the book was written by a master coach, a master teacher. I found Coach K a lot more philosophical, intellectual, and psychologically-oriented than I ever imagined. The book was a very honest glimpse inside the head and heart of one of college basketball’s most respected and successful coaches.

One of the most interesting things about this book is that it discussed many leadership situations not usually covered in other leadership books (e.g. academics, dealing with success, respect for authority, the links between individual and collective responsibility, nurturing and developing leaders at all levels, etc.).

Another aspect of the book that I liked was that it contained many examples of how Coach K learned from his own personal experiences and then taught those lessons to others: caring for his players (his `other family’), from his parents; the tradition of honoring seniors, from his college days at West Point; what it means to focus on and accomplish your mission/objectives, from his military service; dealing with defeat, setbacks, success, tragedies, adversity, and changing environments, from all throughout his coaching career. I was also impressed with how he constantly transforms his beliefs into actions for himself and others.

Coach K’s book is a great, detailed look at leadership from someone who continues to successfully live and teach leadership on and off the basketball court.

2 Stars cannot consider new
I purchased this book to give as a gift. It was described as new. When I received it it had a bend in the book and a big black marker across the top of the spine. I could no longer give this as a gift and had to go to a store to buy a good one. I would never purchase from this vendor unless you didn’t care what it looks like !

5 Stars Great book
If you want to lead any kind of group, this is the book to read.

4 Stars team leadership
This book gave insight into great leadership techniques whether you are leading a team or an office. The principles used for leading a team can be applied to most real life situations. I appreciated that the author used real life scenarios to illustrate his points and it wasn’t just theory.

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The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness: Miniature Edition

From Stephen R. Covey, the author of the 15 million copy bestseller 7 Habits of Highly Effective People–named one of the 25 most influential Americans by Time magazine–comes The 8th Habit, a book that holds powerful insights that challenge us to find our voice and inspire others to find theirs.

This mini edition is culled from the original The 8th Habit, which has already sold nearly 200,000 copies since its November 2004 release. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People guided individuals to effectively improve their lives and organizations. The 8th Habit takes it a step further, and inspires us to thrive, innovate, and lead in order to move beyond effectiveness and into greatness.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars 8th habit
All good except I didn’t know it was going to be mini. Not sure if that was my fault.

3 Stars Miniature

Hello

The 8th Habit book was ok,I had order this book thinking that it was the big book.It was so funny that my daughter put it on her face book. I have had great result from ordering my books by amazon.com , I thank God for this website. Thanks Deborah

1 Stars mini 8th Habit
Unless you know exactly what this is, DON’T order it! It is not really a mini-book of the 7th habit, it’s more like a book trinket with one or 2 ideas. It’s cheap and cute but pretty worthless if you are teaching Covey.

2 Stars Kind of Cheating… Sorry
Hi,

Once I recieved the book, I found it almost 30 or 40 pages and its size not more than 4X5 cm. The nice thing that it came with a hard cover. I bought it along with the 7 habits book. actually if you made the 7 habits with a hard cover it would be better. But for sure… for money saving purposes you did not do so. on the other hand, when the book was presented on the site, it seemed to be having a size similar to the 7 habits one. I like the book of 8 habits and I respect it and it’s author as well, but I suggest to add something regarding the sizes and -at least- nomber of pages on the sold books. I liked the idea of taking the opinions online. sorry if I used some words you did not like. as along with ending, have my sincere respects.

Hytham Abu-Latifa

Dubai - UAE

5 Stars Completes the journey for those of us that have enjoyed, benefited and applied the seven habits effectively
Completes the journey for those of us that have enjoyed, benefited and applied the seven habits effectively

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