Talking Dollars and Making Sense: A Wealth Building Guide for African-Americans

I read this book about three years ago when I was deeply in debt always borrowing from one credit card to pay another credit card. After reading this book I stopped making Tommy Hilfiger, Perry Ellis and Ralph Lauren so rich and started paying myself and it has paid off in ways I could not imagine. I don't have ten credit cards anymore and I don't bounce checks anymore either, but instead I am reading Black Enterprise and the Wall Street Journal looking for the best investment opportunities.

I have purchased several financial advice books in the past year to get on the road to financial success, especially the books by author Suze Orman, who is an excellent author. But this book tackles the same issues with an African-American perspective that is very beneficial. Ms. Stephens really gets to the "real reasons" why collectively, African-Americans do not have the financial security and the clout that we should have in this country. My grandparents who have always been ardent investors always said the old saying "Black people put their money on their back, whereas other races put it in the bank." I am so glad that the author addressed this phenomena that is so prevalent in our community. We all know people in our community who have this problem..for example, when I attended Howard University, I knew numerous students that could barely get financial aid for school but they would work three jobs to pay for a leather coat and a Gucci bag, but the international students who were strapped for cash would work three jobs to pay for SCHOOL. This book should be required reading for all children and their parents!!!!!

PRIOR TO READING BROOKE'S BOOK I DID NOT HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT INVESTING MY MONEY WISELY. NOW I SEE RESULTS WITH MY MONEY AND MY SPENDING.

While Earl Graves serves as a mentor for business, Brooke Stephens explains how to be financially responsible and smart. Her style is straight forward and easy to follow. I especially like her use of examples from African American history to drive home the importance of her lessons.

This is a must-read book for the entire family! It addresses attitudes, history lessons, and a wealth of information on why African-Americans MUST do better at managing and saving money in order to build wealth. It also includes the nuts and bolts on HOW to achieve building financial wealth.