The Smartest Money Book You'll Ever Read: Everything You Need to Know about Growing, Spending, and Enjoying Your Money

By Daniel Solin. Perigee Trade, 2011. 304 p. ISBN 978-03995-3721-9.

Book Release Date: December 27, 2011

The Smartest series by Solin includes The Smartest Portfolio You’ll Ever Own: a Do-it-Yourself Breakthrough Strategy, The Smartest Retirement Book You’ll Ever Read, The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read: The Simple, Stress-Free Way to Reach Your Investment Goals, The Smartest 401k Book You’ll Ever Read: Maximize Your Retirement Savings…the Smart Way!, and the newest addition, The Smartest Money Book You’ll Ever Read. Billed as “the ultimate guide to financial independence,” Solin (Senior Vice President of Index Fund Advisors, author, and financial blogger) attempts to give readers the keys to financial independence. Each section of the book tackles an area of personal finance – from buying a home to investing for retirement – and Solin offers his simple tips for achieving success in each area. The sections are short and easy to read, and each chapter concludes with a short summary entitled “What’s the Point?” His investment advice focuses on the need to create a team of advisors who only have a responsibility to you (fee-only advisors) and to steer clear of those who make money on commissions or fees, and prefers a more hands-off approach to investing through the use of index funds over more actively managed funds. Solin also ties Mint.com to each section of his book, pointing out the places where it could be beneficial to use the online financial planning site to put his ideas to immediate use.

Valuentum’s Take: Some of the content of this book is duplicated in his other titles, and the compact nature of this work means that it doesn’t have the depth needed for more advanced readers. However, the easy-to-read sections will serve as a good introduction to those just needing the basics.