Facing Financial Dysfunction

I have read both editions of Facing Financial Dysfunction and have been helped by the sound reasoning of Mr. Whitehead. Especially for people who do not have a professional financial advisor the book makes it possible to understand why we do what we do and how better to manage money. The author has a way of getting to the psychological aspects of accumulation and helps create awareness of the stages of life and how to take steps to maximize what assets you have at each stage. If you think you should pay off your mortgage and if you think you need to create special savings for your children's college fund and if you think you need to save every penny, read this book, it may surprise you.

Whether you are 35 or 65, it is never too early or too late to get it right. This book tells you, in an easy to understand format, just what you need to do in all aspects of your financial life. The best parts are in Chapter 7 and 8 which give you some really sound advice on retirement, housing/mortgage and the holistic approach of building wealth among all your assets into a "Cambridge Pyramid". Most other investment books just talk about asset allocation from the point of view of stock and bonds. This includes cash, real estate, employer stock, gold, small business and venture cap. There are also some really interesting chapters that allow you to identify the causes and symptoms of financial problems. You can use the book to identify your "financial personality" and overcome your limitations. This book is a really really good read and will save you $1000s of dollars by avoiding financial mistakes and making much better financial decisions. It is a "must read!"

Bert shows the reader all of the building blocks for a financial pyramid, and it is a clear guide for where to direct your money. After I came to understand it I bought 3 more copies for my sons so they could build their own pyramids. The pyramid shows me the areas that are covered well and the areas that I need to work to achieve my financial goals. Superb roadmap! Bob Mungovan