“Easy to read” and “finance book” are not two phrases that I have ever used in the same sentence, until now! Simple Money, Rich Life is the easiest to understand finance book I have read. It isn’t just a “How-to” but an in depth study of your finances. Bob Lotich really helps you to understand money.

I was excited to receive this book because I knew my husband was looking to quit his job this October. I thought the timing was great to learn more about how to make my money work for me and gain some basic knowledge of investing. Fast forward to a few months later, we are in June and my husband put in his two weeks notice. At that time, he was hoping to do some things from home. This book allowed me to find unique ways to control my finances. (It also inspired me to start selling my unused items on Facebook again!) It also gave me lots of talking points. The biggest one being how to write out your fears and think through the ways to prevent or repair those particular fears.

Fast forward to today, and my husband has actually taken a teaching job and out situation looks completely different. But I am still working through many of the concepts from this book.

Here are a few particular things that stood out to me:

-It’s ok if you are finding ways to provide for your family that might feel below your abilities. You may have a master’s degree but find yourself selling your kid’s unused toys on Facebook to bring in a little extra cash while you choose to stay home with him.

-Understanding your Assets Under Management really gives you some perspective on what you really have. When I think “money” I don’t think of the value of all of the items I own. I think of the cash in my bank account. It gave me peace to realize that I actually have more than I realized! And at any moment, those things could be sold if necessary.

–Anyone can be good with money when you learn how to attend to your money. Back in May I began to merely track our spending. I literally kept every receipt and wrote it in a notebook under a specific category. We have done this before, but it has been a while. I found it interesting because my husband and I were quick to underestimate how much we were spending on things like groceries. We kept saying about $400… NOT!!! It wasn’t until I started paying attention that I noticed it was much, much more! This really helped us to refocus our spending.

-And of course, for the nearly 2 months my husband was working on some goals at home, we did not want to spend any unnecessary money. Tracking held us accountable. I was less likely to buy something if I knew I had to write it down! (There are apps for this sort of thing but I prefer paper! There is something to literally writing your spending down.)

I also really loved that Bob’s wife, Linda, tossed in her thoughts, opinions, and experiences as well. Overall, this book is a great read. I feel like it may be one I return to often as a refresher! I highly encourage everyone to grab a copy no matter your current financial situation. You WILL learn something from this book!

You can learn more about Bob and Linda Lotich at there website www.seedtime.com