[My review of the 12min summary]

Ugh. Another book about money. I tire of these. They're usually written by somebody who was born with advantage, succeeds, and then thinks that the road to financial independence is simple.

I don't know what advantages Grant Sabatier has had in life. Maybe a lot. Maybe none. So, then, is his book usable by the rest of us? Overall, it seems to be.

He seems to be mostly realistic about how to better yourself financially. I'm not sure how easy it is to follow all the way up the ladder that he talks about in this book.

He says there are seven stages of financial freedom: 1 Clarity 2 Self-sufficiency 3 Breathing room 4 Stability 5 Flexibility 6 Financial independence 7 Abundant wealth

He has a nice test that you should apply to anything you want to buy:

Eleven ways to think about money before you buy anything 1. How happy will this purchase make me? 2. How much money do I have to make to afford this? 3. How many hours of my life am I trading to afford this? 4. Can I afford it? 5. How do prices compare in terms of percentages? 6. Can I get it for less or trade for it? 7. How much am I spending on convenience? 8. How much would this cost me each year or for the rest of my life? 9. What is the per-use cost of this item? 10. How much will this money be worth in the future? 11. How much time (freedom) is this buying me in the future?

I'm giving him four stars, because the advice is reasonable. I especially like his advice to think not about the pricetag on a potential purchase, but what it costs you in your labor and pre-tax dollars and what you could have made by investing that money.

FINAL NOTES (quoted from 12min) Becoming financially independent is a lot easier than you might think. Stop guilt-tripping yourself for overspending and start getting some clarity on your finances!

'Financial Freedom' is an international bestseller. Coryanne Hicks wrote about it for the U.S. News & World Report: 'Financial Freedom changed my life. Reading it showed me a new way of looking at money and work that's opened my eyes to how life ought to be lived. Grant's book will not only guide you to financial freedom, it'll teach you to stop being limited by conventions and what you think you can and cannot achieve.'"