Book Description

A major contribution to the study of bankruptcy and to our understanding of debtors and creditors who end up in bankruptcy court. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

SELF-FULLFILLING PROPHECY OF DEBT
This book does an outstanding job of delivering the message that Americans are tapped out of money. From record setting personal bankruptcies to U.S. government's pension for borrowing, it is very easy to see that we as a populis and as a nation are on the edge of a new financial depression. An Excellent Read for Anyone interested in the Truth. - Mason Johnson, President, www.tomorrowsgold.com

A Federally-Funded Tautology?
The federal government funded this "empirical" study of the "choices" available to those who have filed for bankruptcy.

The principal finding? People who file for bankruptcy are broke. A true revelation.

So where is Senator Proxmire when you need him?

Landmark Study of Consumer Bankruptcy in the U.S.
As We Forgive Our Debtors is a result of a landmark study of bankrupt debtors in the 1980s. The authors, three of the leading experts on bankruptcy in the United States, focus on who files for bankruptcy. Contrary to widespread myth, most bankrupts are not irresponsible spendthrifts who could afford to pay their debts. Instead, they cross all income and occupational levels. What they do have in common is they have insurmountable financial problems resulting from crises in their lives, including divorce, job loss, and medical problems.

What is perhaps most disturbing is that single women have been and are increasingly filing for bankruptcy, thanks to their much lower salaries to begin with. It is this group who would suffer most from any kind of so-called bankruptcy reform.

This book, while it is geared for an academic market, is actually highly readable, with copious footnotes at the end of each chapter. The book, while originally published in 1989, is more timely than ever as Congress is considering a fatally flawed bankruptcy reform bill which would be devasting to the vast majority of people filing for bankruptcy but a boon to the credit card industry.

I highly recommend this book and its sequel, The Fragile Middle Class. ... Read more

Book Description

Homeowners who can't borrow from banks have long turned to the subprime lending industry for mortgages. Increasingly, that industry has turned on them by charging outrageous fees and usurious interest, and then taking their homes through foreclosure. Richard Lord explores the spread of predatory lending practices. And it tells the stories of borrowers who've been taken, contractors and brokers who've been co-opted, lenders who've cheated-and the world's biggest financial titans, who've cashed in. A battle is taking shape that could determine whether home ownership for working people will be an achievable dream or an American nightmare.

Richard Lord is a writer for the Pittsburgh City Paper whose work on subprime lending has won numerous awards.

Reviews (2)

An intriguing title all pre-homeowners should read
Many homeowners who can't borrow from banks have relied on the subprime lending industry for mortgages - an industry which has increasingly assessed huge fees and then foreclosed on the house when a buyer couldn't make payments; in effect becoming a predatory lender. American Nightmare: Predatory Lending And The Foreclosure Of The American Dream is one of the first to probe in detail the methods of predatory lending sources, discussing the plight of borrowers who have been taken, lenders cheated, and state efforts to regulate the industry. An intriguing title all pre-homeowners should read!

GOING TO THE POORHOUSE ON THE PREDATOR EXPRESS
This Book is concise, informative, and easy to read. Not highly technical, it is full of anecdotal stories. The layperson can read through its pages and keep saying, Oh My God, that's what happened to me. That's my story. How can this happen? How can Banks and other lending institutions get away with this? It is a clear case of, What you don't know will definitely hurt you. Knowledge is power, and Richard Lord puts the power back into the consumer's hands. Like lemmings running headlong towards the cliff, the american borrowing public are rapidly racing for that precipice. All too many have fallen over and disappeared into the ether of predatory victimization. Read and inform yourself, before you become one of the tens of thousands of victims, herded like cattle, into that mischievous money pit,from which most never recover. A must read for all those who want to be informed before, during, and after personal financial disaster strikes!Concerned Citizen ... Read more

Book Description

Drowning in $20,000 of credit card debt, shopaholic Karyn Bosnak asked strangers for money online -- and it worked!

What would you do if you owed $20,000? Would you: A) not tell your parents? B) start your own website that asked for money without apology? or C) stop coloring your hair, getting pedicures, and buying Gucci? If you were Karyn Bosnak, you'd do all three.

Karyn started a funny yet honest website, www.savekaryn.com, on which she asked for donations to help her get out of debt. Karyn received e-mails from people all over the world, either confessing their own debt-ridden lives, or criticizing hers. But after four months of Internet panhandling and selling her prized possessions on eBay, her debt was gone!

In Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back, Karyn details the bumpy road her financial -- and personal -- life has traveled to get her where she is today: happy, grateful, and completely debt-free. In this charming cautionary tale, Karyn chronicles her glamorous rise, her embarrassing fall, and how the kindness of strangers in cyberia really can make a difference.

Reviews (99)

Hilarious AND true!
Though I have never attained the amount of credit card debt that Karyn did, I found her book to be very realistic in describing just how a person "suddenly" winds up in debt. Living in the "Pacific"---as if there is an "Atlantic"---Northwest, those lattes really DO add up! Someone compared Karyn's writing to that of long-ago notes passed in 6th grade...but that is why it is so much fun to read. I do not believe that she set out to write a financial self-help book; she merely wrote about her own experiences. So, lighten up, literary dorks! I love a well-written book as much as the next person, but this one is just for fun. I also believe it is "well-written" in the sense that Karyn feels like a friend. Maybe not an always grammatically correct friend, but then those friends are never fun anyway....Also, those of you that are lambasting people that helped Karyn get out of debt---did you READ the book? She merely asked for help, did not insist on it and definitely did not expect what she ended up with. Who isn't envious for not thinking of it first?

I loved it.
I thought this would just be a regular chick-lit book and was really looking forward to reading it. I had never heard of Karyn before the book. It felt completely real to me. I really liked Karyn and her friends and family. The whole getting into debt and realizing what you've done also felt too real. I wish I had thought of her idea first.
Since reading the book I have checked out the website and she sounds happy with her life now. Good for her.

Why all of the negativity?
I had never heard of Karyn Bosnak before I read her book. (Maybe I don't watch as much TV as I thought I did.) I was just looking to read some good chick lit. I had no idea that it was based on a true story.

Karyn moved from Chicago, Illinois to Manhattan, New York to be a TV producer. She once worked for the Jenny Jones show. Like many Americans, she was looking for a new life, identity, and of course, to make some money. Which she did. She made about 8,000 a month working on a Court show, but spent it faster than she earned it. Her rent was 1,800 dollars a month, she discovered Bloomingdales and Gucci, personal trainers, pedicures, etc. You name it. She spent money on it.

At first, it seems that she was rationalizing everything she spent her money on. "I made a vow to use it (Amex card) only for emergencies and this was an emergency!... I would charge the shoes, and then walk to and from work every day for a month. Since the bus was 1.50 either way, I'd save myself $60 in a month." ...and so on and so on.

After a while, you could tell that her spending got out of control. She didn't even rationalize anymore. She basically was looking for a way out. She had run up about 20,000 dollars in debt from credit cards alone. She started to do something called a Buy and Return Credit Payment Management Plan where, if you buy something, then return it, it will credit the card, and then she won't have to pay the full balance until the next month. (Apparently, the credit card she had makes you pay off a full balance every month. Could you imagine paying off a 20,000 dollar balance in one shot?)

She realized that she had to downsize a little. She moved to Brooklyn with a roommate, started using drug store makeup instead of department store makeup, and tried to pinch pennies, all while paying off credit cards. It wasn't easy though. She lost a couple of different jobs (that's how television is, I guess) and needed a miracle.

Jokingly, her roommate told her that she should put a sign out that says she needs money, kind of like a panhandler. Later, she took him seriously and started a website, called SaveKaryn.com. She basically asked people to donate money, told the truth why she needed it, and sold some of her "expensive" items on ebay as well. Did it work? You'll find out when you read it!

Also, with with every positive reaction from people, she received negative ones as well. This is where I was shocked. There were people that called her an idiot, a fat pig, a liar, a cheater, etc. Someone actually threatened to come to her house and shoot her. Yes, I believe that what she did wasn't the smartest thing (charging everything and running up debt.) But, I don't know a lot of people who HAVEN'T been there. I myself owe money on credit cards from books, movies, and I was dumb enough to put my college terms on a credit card. Basically, people shouldn't be so judgmental. I think that the real problem is people are angry with her because she did what others wish they had thought of. She is asking for help, getting a lot of news and radio coverage because of it, wrote a book, and there might be a movie. So, instead of being jealous, they should just go out there and do it themselves.

Now, would I have donated to her website if I found it earlier? Probably. I believe in karma and random acts of kindness. Plus, I give a dollar to a homeless person once in a while, or give food on the street if someone doesn't have any. The only difference between them and Karyn is that they aren't as lucky. But, maybe they ended up there for the same reasons. You never know.

Anyway: about the book:

* It was entertaining, somewhat funny (she is not AS funny as she likes to think she is, but her responses to the "mean" people's letters are pretty good. You can tell that she put thought into them.)

* Her writing needs a little work and a little more editing. I know she probably wants to be looked at as "cute and quirky," but some of her vocbulary and writing style can be just plain annoying.

* I read it in about three days. It was very interesting (and stressful) to see someone get in and out of that mess.

* While I would never duplicate what she did, I don't have a problem with it. If you like it, donate. If you don't, go somewhere else.

Enjoyable!

I got a kick out of it
I am a finance professor who regularly teaches personal finance seminars. One thing I've found is that the level of sophistication with regard to personal consumption spending is highly variable throughout the various age groups. What Karyn did to get into debt is not all that uncommon among today's young people. What she did to get out of debt is creative and laudable, and it provided a certain level of entertainment for those who tracked her progress on her web site.

This book is similar to her web site. It is lightly written by a literary layperson, but it is entertaining nonetheless. What I find disturbing is the level of contempt some people have for this enterprising young lady. She didn't expect the government, her parents, or her creditors to bail her out. She simply entertained people with her folksy writing and her "send a buck" slogan. Nobody was required to do anything. Now, it seems, the offended have even taken to manipulating the Amazon reviews. Notice how the early bad reviews receive "all helpful" votes and the good reviews receive no helpful votes. Come on, people. Get over it. Maybe I'll start requiring this book in my seminars, just to spite all these holier-than-thou mulletheads.

her honesty is refreshing; her shopping habits are not
read like a grade school girl's diary. overkill on ANYWHO and exclamation points (!) anyone!?!

however, her story was very real. almost any average American could relate (to some extent). the book included a good portion of laugh-out-loud moments. and she's lucky to have had the kind of support and understanding that her family gave her. overall, i thoroughly enjoyed it. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

FINALLY! A BOOK THAT DELIVERS
"THIS EASY-TO-USE GUIDE CONTAINS ALL THE INFORMATION YOU"LL NEED TO REPAIR YOUR CREDIT"; THAT STATEMENT IS ON THE FRONT COVER OF THIS BOOK AND BELIEVE ME IT'S A TRUE STATEMENT.THIS BOOK GIVES YOU ALL THE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION NEEDED TO REPAIR YOUR CREDIT;

THIS BOOK HITS AN INSTANT HOMERUN BEGINNING WITH CHAPTER 1,WHICH IS A WELCOME CHAPTER.THIS CHAPTER MAKES YOU AWARE OF WHAT'S TO COME IN THE CHAPTERS AHEAD AND WHAT YOUR GOALS SHOULD BE.THIS CHAPTER IS A DEFINITE ICE BREAKER.

I'VE BEEN IN THE CREDIT REPAIR BUSINESS FOR A WHILE AND I FEEL ANYONE WHO READS THIS BOOK WILL BECOME HIGHLY EDUCATED WITH THE CREDIT REPAIR PROCESS AND WILL ACCOMPLISH THIER GOALS.THIS BOOK IS SO EASY TO USE,IT MAKES YOU FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT REPAIRING YOUR CREDIT.ANYONE USING THIS BOOK WILL FELL LIKE AN EXPERT AT THE END!MY FINAL STATEMENT,"YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS BOOK".

Good Book Overall & Helpful
I thought this book was very helpful. While it wasn't as in-depth as I expected (which is not necessarily a good thing) its attack to a very serious problem and methods of approach were very useful for me. I would definitely recommend this book to others who need help from their credit problems. As long as you don't think that this will be a quick solution to your problems (it took a year of hard work to clean up my credit report), you will be pleased at the end of the process.

BTW, I don't know what these two other bafoons are saying online when they say the author preaches religion to you (I did not see one reference to God) and nor do I see where the author says to stay away from banks with a 'C' in their name. I think they're just 14 year old punks with nothing better to do.

Good Luck!

Simple, easy-to-read & to the point
This is a great book if you need or want to clean your credit up immediately. This book is not extremely detailed which can be good or bad. Credit repair is fairly simple that's why I think its a good book. It has very good sample forms & letters, along with basic knowledge of how credit works. It gives you a step-by-step plan of repairing your credit. Anything else would be a bit too much & make credit repair sound more complexed than it really is. This is a great read

I found more info online for free.
I thought that it would be a little more in-depth. It's very basic and I was not that happy with it. I even found better form letters online for free!

JUNK
This is a waste of time. Spending 15 minutes surfing the net will yield you better and more accurate info than this piece of garbage. ... Read more

Book Description

A lucid and original account of where money comes from and why most people and businesses are so heavily in debt. It explodes more myths than any other book this century, yet it's all about subjects very close to home: mortgages, building societies and banks, agriculture, transport, global poverty, and what's on the supermarket shelf. The author proposes a new mechanism for the supply of money, creating a supportive financial environment and a decreasing reliance on debt. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

It is vital you read this important work
Readers appear divided over this book.

I happen to believe it is one of the most profound economic and political tracts of the last 30 years. I have studied economics and much of what Rowbotham says is uncontroversial and has its basis in Austrian Economics (for those who are interested they should read Prof. Rothbard's works on monetary economics). The shrill criticism below is just a little too loud for me. If they don't like the book why tell others NOT to read it? Why can't people make up their own minds? Methinks they protest too much.

It is also disturbing that even Amazon.com no longer has the book in stock. Could Amazon.com please make this important work available for the public to purchase.

You should try to gain access to this important work before access to it is taken from you. If you are confused by where the world is headed and disturbed by what is happening in the economy please get hold of this book - it may just give you the answers you have been seeking.

Get a copy of the book and make up your own mind. I beg you.

the detractors can't back up their claims
You'll notice that people either love it or hate it. Please also notice that the detractors don't offer any summary to rebuke the book's basic thesis. Monetary reformists disagree with allowing banks to control money by the creation of money within the fractional reserve banking pyramid of "credit" (read DEBT). The debts of governments never decrease. Reduction of government debt actually hurts the economy (if you consider lack of growth to be a negative). Multiply the average per capita income of the U.S. by the popuplation of the U.S. and you'll yield a rough estimate of the amount of money in circulation (notice I said in circulation, not sent off to Swiss bank accounts). Guess what that number is always approximately equal to? It equals the debt of the U.S. government, about $6.4 trillion as I write this - a debt owed mainly to the financial establishment, the "elites" of the world who live off usury. How do the people who hate this book explain such facts? They don't. They can't explain the creation of money because they just don't get it. They are defenders of the status quo. They want us to believe that our money is honest so the privileged can retain the appearance of having earned their respected positions.

I don't think Rowbotham wants to abolish money. He's only asking for a more genuine and democratic monetary system. Let governments create money for themselves - no borrowing from the rich money that can never be paid back. Conservatives shout and wail that such a method would cause inflation. SO! Inflation happens in the current system. If you create more money, all vendors will raise their prices to try to scoop up those new dollars in circulation. The problem is that the wealthy control that very creation by fractional reserve banking - lending out more money than they really have to lend, which they are able to do because money is not a physical thing, but instead just numbers on ledgers. If you don't see a problem there, you've simply been duped by years of believing that banks are somehow honest institutions...

Able to confuse some
Judging by some of the reviews posted here some people who have looked at this book feel like they have stumbled onto something profound and new.

The same reviewers also use the words: 'disturbing' and 'confusing'.

This is a book written by a hack who preys on those 'disturbed' and 'confused' minds by quoting some eminent people out of context, using some real statistics then drawing absurd conclusions.

I was lent a copy in April this year and browsed this site out of curiosity and was surprised to see so many people had read it. My understanding is that most of the original print run had to be pulped, and the copy I was lent was a rarity. When I read it I could see why.

Poorly written, poorly researched, full of errors of fact and logic (too many to remember now 6 months after reading the book). The title is memorable but perhaps better suited to a B grade horror flick. The publisher was embarassed, I am sure. The author appears to have been swept away in his own world and is probably busy today muttering in some alley-way about lack of coins, and the coming end of the world due to shortage of such.

Apparently there are still some 2nd hand copies available. It's a buyer's market, I would say...

Worth reading
I say worth reading because this book is an example of what claptrap can get published and read. Some semi-educated people will even take it seriously, if a few of the reviews here are to be believed. This book is a good case study in getting the wrong end of the stick and swinging it wildly in all directions. Worth a read - but be prepared for pages of dull and repetitious prose.

Brainless twaddle
This book proceeds from a number of basic misunderstandings, which are then amplified by speculation and exaggeration. The statistics quoted give the reader the feel that there is some scholarship involved - but this book would not have passed undergraduate peer review. Sad for the publishers, sad for the author. Exciting for some readers who think they have discovered a new economic tract, but this is twaddle of the lowest order - full of first-year undergraduate errors. ... Read more

Book Description

This expanded Credit Secrets will save you thousands of dollars in fees, finance charges and interest payments as you learn the very latest techniques to get rid of debt once and for all and establish good credit. Discover proven tricks used by lawyers, credit counselors and other pros who charge handsomely for their services. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This is a crock AND it's illegal.
He touts something called "file segregation". He also claims it's legal.

It is ILLEGAL...do an Internet search for "ftc.gov" and "file segregation" for more details. It involves getting another social security number (actually it's an EIN--employer ID number that's used for business purposes--but you're asked to use it as an SSN).

Don't waste your money on this...there is no quick-fix for credit problems. There are much better books out there that show you how to rebuild your credit legally.

Informative reading.
This book has good information for those with minor credit problems. It also has info on file segregration, which is only useful if credit applications do not ask if you had previous credit problems. Disappointingly, for anyone who has a bankruptcy, this book does not provide information on how to re-establish your credit with what I consider to be 'straightforward' means. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Finally, Someone Who Understands
Reading This book has been the most helpful thing I have done in my 30 year search for help with compulsive spending. It has understanding, advice and I recc'md it to everyone who has or loves someone with this condition. I only wish my husband and I had it 15 years ago. Thanks to Karen O'Connor. ... Read more

Book Description

Each year, millions of Americans sink further into debt and the sad truth is that most Americans have been conditioned to believe that debt is a normal part of life. If credit problems are adversely affecting your life, there are ways to improve your financial situation, and Credit Hell: How to Dig Out of Debt can show you how.

Written by Howard S. Dvorkin—a nationally known expert in the debt counseling field—Credit Hell walks you through the "getting-out-of-debt" process from assessing the state of your finances and developing a budget, to negotiating with your creditors, consolidating your debts, and rebuilding your finances after your money troubles are over. Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, this user-friendly guide:

• Shows you how to deal with important debts like your mortgage, car loans, and taxes owed to the IRS
• Discusses why having a good credit history and a high credit score is important; how to order your credit report from each of the three national credit reporting agencies; and what you can do to improve your score and correct problems in your credit records
• Educates you about important laws that can protect you when applying for credit, using credit, or if a debt collector is hounding you
• Explains when filing for bankruptcy is your best option and provides you with an overview of the process

If you want to dig yourself out of debt and stay out of debt in the future, pick up Credit Hell and discover the best way to regain control of your financial life. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Credit Hell: How to Dig Out of Debt
Very informative and easy to follow. There are so many good pointers that I can use to improve my financial situation now and in the future.

Great book
This book provided the details of what I needed to know to get my credit and debt situation on track and out of hell The tactics are very easy to understand and have worked wonders for my credit problems.

I would say this is a must have if you are having any credit or debt issues at all.

A Must Have
This book is so informative and gives all the ins and outs that the credit card companies don't tell us. Finally someone spelled it out for us. People in debt must read this book, it will save you so much in the long run!

Very Helpful, Practical
This is a great book to help you manage your debts and get them under control.I really liked the section on your legal rights as you go through this process.The book is very easy to understand and provides step by step instructions that anyone can follow.

Life Altering Reading
Awesome!!!This is one of the most helpful and informative books I've ever written. I truly was beginning to believe that my debt was unmanageable.This author really provides great advice, based on hands-on experience, for dealing with credit issues.Easy reading.Thank goodness someone finally has explained all the pitfalls of credit usage in understandable terms.This is definitely must reading.Thank you.Thank you.Thank you. ... Read more

Book Description

Own your own home-regardless of your credit rating

You can be a homeowner—even if your credit is nothing to brag about or virtually non-existent. This practical, fact-filled guide shows how to achieve your goal of home ownership with your current credit. Mortgage loan officer Thomas K. Masters teaches you the basics of home buying, from alternative mortgage programs to financing tips that will help you avoid the red tape of many home loans. Clear, concise, and free of technical jargon, this accessible, straightforward reference is filled with real-life examples. Here's where you can find essential information on:

• "Qualifying ratios" set by the federal lending authorities
• Assumable financing, wraparound financing, quitclaim deeds with refinance options, lease options, and quick qualifying loans
• What to look for in a lender
• Ways to qualify for low-down and no-down payment home loans
• Understanding loan applications and forms
• How to clean up your credit profile

Reviews (4)

A must for the people who are trying to get finances managed
You will gain a lot, there is a great deal of information in this book, If you have decided to put your financial life back together this is the starting point. A MUST for the people who need help.

Happy in Irvine
I read the No-nonsense Credit Manual and found it very helpful in cleaning up the "wreckage of my past". It has helped me to better plan for the future and it's very easy to understand. Thanks for all the help.

satisfied in Irvine
I recently read this book and found it very helpful. I have taken direction and started writing my creditors letters and had marvelous results. I have re-established my credit by getting a secured credit card and am very happy to say I am repairing my credit myself through reading this manual.

Easy to understand and full of useful and practical advice!
Shaun Aghili's "The No Nonsense Credit Manual" is by far the best do-it-yourself credit repair guide I've come across. He shares with his readers his own experience with credit disaster and the mistakes he made along the way. This book offers not only advice on getting yourself out of debt and cleaning up your credit, it also provides you with sample letters to send to creditors and credit bureaus for various situations. I found this book to be easy to understand and full of excellent advice. Whether you find yourself in "credit hell" or want to simply more knowledgeable about credit issues, this work is good reading. ... Read more

Amazon.com

No interest for one year! No annual fee! No minimum payments for six months! And, if you want to believe Robert Manning, there's no way out of the debt that we find ourselves in, as individuals and as a country. Credit Card Nation combines debt of every kind--consumer, corporate, and governmental--and creates a vast landscape of profit-spewing lenders and struggling debtors present at every level of economics. Appalling statistics set readers off on a depressing journey: the years between 1980 and 1994 saw annual consumer charges skyrocket from $170 billion to $581 billion, with the average household carrying over $4,000 in revolving debt. Accompanied by the erasure of nearly $100 billion in corporate debt and tremendous tax cuts for ever-merging conglomerates, the end of the 20th century seems to be just the beginning of an overwhelming cycle. While Manning's book is extensively researched, it is also extremely readable. Individual stories of junk bondsmen, corporate raiders, and middle-class consumers are threaded throughout the pages of charts and statistics, with a few surprises. While most media would have us believe that students who rack up charge accounts are totally irresponsible, the reality is that some of these students are helping their families with cash-advance loans to make mortgage or insurance payments. Emphasis is also placed on the tremendous advertising budgets of credit card companies: Manning comments on "how quickly the cultural norms have changed in the Credit Card Nation," we see a poster insisting "money can't buy you love, but a credit card can get you started." This is not a self-help book, and Manning has no 12-step program for debtors at any level. Credit Card Nation simply tells it as it is. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Must Read!!
I bought this book after I heard the author on NPR. It shows how the credit card companies "hook" in young college students with promises of low "teaser" rates and "no payments" for certain amounts of time. The companies market heavily on college campuses, and unfortunately many people get into trouble. I am not totally blaming the credit card companies-parents need to teach their children financial responsibility, which the book also acknowledges. The book doesn't just focus on college students, but others as well who get themselves in debt with credit cards. There are some statistics, etc.. which are not too cumbersome for us "non-economists", but all in all it is a very informative read-a good graduation gift for kids starting out on their own, as well as for those who want to know how people do end up in the unfortunate situation of massive debt, and bankruptcy. Several people were interviewed for the book, and their stories are harrowing.

Had this professor when he was researching this book
I know Professor Manning from his days teaching class at Georgetown and American universities in DC. He was a fairly nice guy and a decent professor, with some fun arguments. My problem with this book was how selectively he researched some of the information. Not that he ignores importent sociological and economic trends, but for example I remember him polling me about my credit card spending as a college student. When I responded that I got the card as part of a through-the-mail low-interest offer when I was 18 and had successfully managed the debt and payments, he seemed uninterested, largely because my response did not fall within the paradigm supporting his book.

All in all an interesting book, with some important facts, but skewed.

Comprehensive Study of Consumer Debt
A striking and keen assessment of the credit card industry and damning expose'of corporate tactics to lure the unsuspecting and inexperienced into a life of consumerism. This comprehensive text outlines many of the megabanking tactics to increase their bottom line at the expense of the American consumer. The predatory marketing strategies and extensive profits of the credit card industry are exposed and provide the reader with information the banks do not want you to know.

Yawn.
Having just finished Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," I had high expectations for this book as well. I suppose if I were drowning in debt myself I might appreciate it more.

Here are the problems: While Schlosser's book explores many issues surrounding the fast food industry, each of them has clear relevance to the central theme. Not so, alas, with Manning's book.

For instance, chapter 2 seems to be mostly about corporate mergers. Chapter 3 appears to have as its central theme the fact that banks decided they wanted to make more money off credit cards. But while the fact that banks want more credit card money is relevant to the book, the reasons why they want this money, and the statistics that relate to this, are profoundly uninteresting. (Honestly, is is that hard to figure out that everybody wants more money than they have?)

Fortunately, later in the book we get some personal interest material. But the people profiled in these chapters can be hard to identify with. Were those college students really too dumb to know that credit cards have interest rates? Many of them seem to insist, for instance, that credit card companies shouldn't issue twenty thousand in credit to a student who makes nine thousand a year. Perhaps they're right; but then, would they similarly insist that McDonald's shouldn't serve its high-fat food to a person who weighs four hundred pounds? Chalk up one more for the American culture of self-victimization; God forbid I should take responsibility myself for my finances.

Manning's book fails where Schlosser's succeeds brilliantly: showing the human side of things. Manning does give us some anecdotes that help to show the human consequences of credit card debt; but these have to be sought out between the droning statistics. I think that with some heavy editing this could be a great book. Right now, though, much of it is simply a cure for insomnia.

Just a question of free will? NOT!
Several reviewers here of Manning's *Credit Card Nation* take him to task for proposing sweeping regulatory reforms to get Americans out from under the stupendous national credit card debt. These regulations would include reining in the frenzy with which banks, savings and loans, and retailers offer their high-interest cards to everybody under the sun (from young students, to aged indigents, to already over-stretched middle class types). Critical reviewers argue that the regulations are unnecessary and, worse, intrusive. All we consumers need do, they say, is exercise some old-fashioned self-restraint. When the pre-approved credit card arrives in the mail, toss it into the dustbin.

In the best of all possible worlds, this would be the most likely strategy. But this isn't the best of all possible worlds. The consumerist culture in which we live encourages us to spend, spend, spend. It teaches us to measure our individual worth by how many possessions we own and how much buying power we control. Marketing experts study our psychological profiles and target us. Television and radio bombard us with near nonstop ads. Television sitcoms teach us that the average family ought to have hundreds of gizmos and gadgets to make life comfortable. Individuals living in poverty who are painfully aware of the disparity between their lifestyle and the "Great American Dream" are promised as easy piece of the pie by credit card merchants. To his credit, Manning goes out of his way to document and discuss these and some of the hundreds of other ways in which our consumer culture encourages us to spend money we don't have.

So it just won't do to casually say the problem will go away when we toss away the credit cards. Given the marketing saturation of everyday life, this wouldn't be an exercise of free will so much as an act of near-omnipotence. To claim that credit card debt is just the consequence of lack of personal discipline is to ignore the consumerist culture that increasingly fashions us. We should exercise more personal discipline. But we should also be increasingly aware of the high payoff for bankers and retailers if they can manipulate and encourage our addiction for buying on credit. This is a social problem, not just an individual, psychological one. Readers tempted to take an exclusive "it's a matter of personal responsibility" position might want to supplement Manning's very carefully argued book with others such as *Culture Jam* or *Affluenza*. ... Read more

Book Description

Debt is like cholesterol, says author and lecturer Jon Hanson: Some kinds are good andsome are bad. Too much bad debt can wreck your financial health, but so can too littlegood debt. The problem is that many people never learn the difference. Hanson himselfbarely survived a "near debt experience" a few years ago.

In Good Debt, Bad Debt, Hanson explains how good debt can help readersachieve their dreams, such as buying a house, a car, or a college education. But he’s alsotough about diagnosing the symptoms of bad debt. If you’ve ever gotten into trouble withyour credit cards, or leased a car that’s way more expensive than you can really afford, orbought a house with only 5 percent down, it’s time for a reality check.

Hanson has been researching this topic relentlessly since pulling himself out of the holehe dug with bad debt. His book blends personal stories, humor, and even twenty originalcartoons, making it more fun to read than the typical personal finance tome. It coverstopics like income/wealth confusion, emotional spending, and marriage issues—as wellas nuts-and-bolts chapters on car buying, home buying, retirement, and more.

Good Debt, Bad Debt is an entertaining and inspirational guide to improving yourlife so that bad debt can’t rob you of your joy. In the tradition of Rich Dad, PoorDad, it shares the secrets that only a minority of lucky people already know. ... Read more

Book Description

"This new book on retail banking is both readable and innovative. Its analysis is unusually accessible in its style, and the book's conclusions and predictions will be rightly thought provoking. The customer is gaining real power and this new book's insights on the importance of leadership, the need to unleash creativity and to make a bank's IT and people resource work together more effectively for customer satisfaction are important pointers to the shape of future competitive differentiation."
--Sir Mervyn Pedelty, Recently retired Chief Executive, The Co-operative Bank plc, smile, CIS and Co-operative Financial Services

"A stimulating read. A readable and lively book that is always informative, sometimes controversial and invariably challenging. The authors don't expect readers to agree with it all, but the readers will undoubtedly gain some fresh insights and perspectives on the multiple issues facing management in a rapidly changing industry."
--Chris Lendrum CBE, Recently retired Vice Chairman, Barclays Bank

"This book is clear enough for the layman and thorough enough for any banker to obtain an excellent sense of the options for successful strategies for their retail businesses. The challenges of technology introduction, cost of production and scope of service are driving banks into responses increasingly similar to other industry sectors. These forces have been apparent for some years but are so evident now they can no longer be ignored. This book provides an excellent guide to mapping that future."
--Joseph DeFeo, CEO, CLS Bank.

"This is a useful guide to retail banking that provides a thought-provoking view on the state of The Art (of Better Retail Banking). Clearly retail banking can get better, and must! To steal an analogy from the conclusion, there is a sea change going on - consumers are looking more and more for greater simplicity and value, and so many banks are still making such heavy weather of it. This book does a good job of charting the current developments."
-- Lindsay Sinclair, CEO, ING Direct UK.

"A whistle-stop tour of all aspects of retail banking. This is a very readable and insightful real world mix of theory, strategy, tactics and practice. They have even managed to make banking sound exciting. But mostly they have been able to cut through the complexity to remind us all that success in retail banking is not just about finance and efficiency - it is about customers and staff, who are all too often forgotten about."
--Craig Shannon, Executive Director - Marketing, Co-operative Financial Services.

"The authors live up to their promise of providing managers and students with a clear exposition of the retail banking sector and how banks can confront the challenging future they face. This book is a practical manual with lots of useful advice. I was looking for new insights in this book - and I found them!"
--Professor Adrian Payne, Professor of Services Marketing, Director, Centre for Services Management, Cranfield School of Management.

"A key determinant of any organisation's success will be an enhanced understanding of 'value' as defined by customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. Value can mean different things to these different groups, and this book has set itself the objective of identifying the approaches that will improve the value proposition for all of these interested parties. It achieves this objective."
--Professor Steve Worthington, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University.

"An enjoyable and useful read. It provides a good perspective on the role of IT and how IT suppliers and professionals need to contribute to future developments in retail banking strategy and implementation. It helps provide guidance for the significant challenges ahead for both suppliers and the Banks."
--Nick Caplan, Managing Director, Global Financial Services, LogicaCMG. ... Read more

Book Description

Identity theft will cost U.S. consumers and their banks or credit card companies more than $1.4 billion in 2004.

A typical victim spends an average of $800 and 175 hours over almost two years cleaning up after an ID theft incident.

In an information-based economy, your personal information means as much to you as money in the bank meant to your grandparents.

This book explains, in plain English, how to make sure your credit history, financial data, account information and other essentials remain safe. It combines interviews with law enforcement and security experts with case studies and examples to give readers the knowledge they need to avoid ID theft. And it includes practical advice about what to do when someone gets your information and starts using it illegally. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great book!
Identity Theft is excellent! I am recommending it to others for purchase.

Very Useful!
The book says it all: what it is, whom it targets, how it is accomplished, how to prevent it, and, if it's too late for prevention, what to do once it happens to you. I especially liked the fact that they use real-life examples garnered from interviews with enforcement agencies and offer tips and checklists that allow readers to review their own habits and vulnerabilities.
Really helpful! ... Read more

Book Description

In this entertaining chronicle, Nocera illuminates how the vision and ambition of pioneers like Charles Merrill, Gerry Tsai, Dee Hock, and Peter Lynch reshaped the American economy and brought the rewards--and risks--of financial opportunity to the middle class for the first time in history. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great book for finance buffs!
A great book about "how the middle class became the money class." Talks about great pioneers like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Visa, and many others. If you are finance buff or want to learn more -- read this book.

Particularly interesting is the stories of people like Charlie Merrill and Dee Hock -- real pioneers in modern consumer finance.

Exciting story, about your attitude toward $
What a thriller! Nocera describes the way Am. attitudes toward debt, investment, savings, and inflation have been transformed since 1958 (the day 60,000 credit cards got mail-dropped in Fresno). Every chapter revealed another fascinating aspect of our changing relationship to $: Credit cards, money market funds, the discount brokerage boom and Charles Schwab's relationship to that force, the superstart fund managers and the personal stories of Peter Lynch and Fidelity, as well as the second wave of credit card design, which focused on poaching upon those most prone to run up debt. This book can give you a deeper understanding of your own attitudes toward finance, while also offering many insights into America's ambivalent relationship toward the dollar and debt.

Greatest Book Written on the History of Personal Finance
I reviewed this book for the Lexington Herald Leader when it was first published and have purchased over 200 copies for friends, clients and employees over the years. If you don't just want to understand personal finance but understand American socialogy in general, this is the book to read.

Don McNay don@mcnay.com

Informative and easy-to-read.
Mr. Nocera has done a phenomonal job of putting the entire evolution of consumer financial products into an easy-to-read story. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the development of products such as mutual funds, credit cards, and discount brokerage accounts.

Terrific narration!
Anybody who wants to understand the world of finance has to read this book. Nocera has maintained a very high level of narrative power throughout this amazing book. The description of the events that led to the famous stock-market crash of 1987 is fantastic. That, in my opinion, is the most fascinating chapter of the entire book. Those who were not following the US stockmarkets at that time will find it very exciting to get an "action replay" of the events of those days. As I read the book, I could not help but draw parallels with the thriller "Moneychangers" written by Arthur Hailey. Well, Nocera is the better of the two! But then, we have to keep in mind that Hailey was at a definite disadvantage -- he was writing fiction... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not Practical
I had high expectations for this book as it's from an "expert." But he wrote as an expert who hasn't done collections before. It was mostly just old, old theories. Waste of time reading & money. That's just my opinion. ... Read more

Book Description

Which credit card is REALLY offering the best deal?How do you refinance debt using existing credit cards?Why is it sometimes better to use credit cards instead of a home equity loan?How long will it take to pay back ALL your debt?The answers to these and many more questions are contained in this powerful guide to consumer credit management.Using numerous real-life examples the reader is shown how to lower monthly payments, save money on finance charges and reduce the interest rates of loans.By applying these valuable strategies, it is possible to save thousands of dollars! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Save your Money!!
The book itself is not bad, information is good, somewhat dated in parts, but good. The problem is, nothing new is in the book. All of the information can be found at one of several websites like quicken.com, or bankrate.com, etc. Most of the information is pretty common sense. If you have to get the book or don't want to look on the internet for the information, then at least go to the library and check it out and save your money.

Awesome tools for financial self sufficiency!
Scott Bilker is a financial expert that turns the tables around to save money with credit. It is hands down advice on taking a radical approach as a consumer that is in charge of your money, not credit in charge of your money. Scott's book goes beyond traditional ideas in fianance and offers functional finance ideas that will move you ahead in your goal to be financially independent. It is a step in the right direction no matter where you are in your budgeting skills. Scott Bilker also provides an exciting free DebtFree email newsletter that is full of information that is understandable and realistic in pracitically to obtain fianancial freedom! Thank you Scott!

Excellent Financial Teacher
What a refreshing,knowledgeable and easy to understand book. Many others have failed to teach us about debt and credit card management in a language we could relate to. This book not only teaches but guides you along the way. Intimidation of debt management and saving money is not a factor anymore, thanks to the author. It opened my eyes to many things I didn't know, or should already have knowledge of but could never understand. This book has encouraged me to take charge of my financial management and I now subscribe to the Debtsmart Newsletter, to keep the educational process going. I enjoyed the book tremendously and highly recommend it.

The best debt management tool on the market!
"Credit Card and Debt Management" is without a doubt the TOP OF THE LINE in its class. After having read through several debt management books, this one assisted me the most in debt reduction and managing personal finances. It's clear, concise and practical, with real world examples to learn from. As a member of the U.S. military who has had to relocate every few years, the use of credit cards has been essential in maintaining an enjoyable quality of life. This book has greatly assisted in balancing it all. Investing in "Credit Card and Debt Management" is money well spent!

Before you get in trouble - read this book
This book is excellent! It tells you the ins and outs of how credit cards work and how to use them to your advantage. It explains how to use them wisely and dispells many of the myths that so many people still believe about credit. It gives you in very simple terms the ability to compare different credit offers. The easy to use tables in the back of the book help you figure out if an offer will help or hurt you in the long run and how long it will take to pay off accounts. I also took the advice of getting a credit report. So much on there from the past that didn't need to be there that wasn't helping my rating. ... Read more

Book Description

Maximize your bankruptcy filing benefits. If you have to file a personal bankruptcy case, you can find the accessible, authoritative guidance you’ll need to do it right in order to get the fresh start you deserve. One of America’s top bankruptcy lawyers, Henry J. Sommer, clearly and carefully takes you through the process of filing under chapter 7 and chapter 13…helps you determine which course is better…alerts you to the legal protections you enjoy under the sweeping Bankruptcy Code…assists you in getting the right legal counsel…and helps remove concern about the stigma associated with bankruptcy. This plain-English version of Sommer’s definitive manual, Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Practice, provides you with a lucid overview of how bankruptcy works, then helps you:

• Determine if bankruptcy is finally the best path for you to take
• Select an alternative means of financial restoration if it is not
• Understand the myriad forms involved when filing
• Prepare for the sometimes complex proceedings once the paperwork is done
• Effectively use such "shields" as automatic stays and exemption provisions
• Capitalize on the many advantages of using bankruptcy court as a forum
• Work more wisely with your attorney—and much, much more!

Reviews (2)

Generally good but laws have changed since 1994
This book is a basic one with good general facts, but many of the bankruptcy laws have changed since 1994 when the book was published.

The Best Book on Bankruptcy
I have reviewed a lot of books on consumer bankruptcy -- and this one is the best. It is comprehensive, up-to-date and accurate. If you are thinking about bankruptcy, are owed money by someone who has filed for bankruptcy (or who might file for bankruptcy) or if you have filed for bankruptcy -- you should buy it. You won't regret it. ... Read more

Book Description

Credit applications are a dime a dozen. Unfortunately, the easy access to credit has led many into deep debt without any idea on how to get out. Debt-Free Living has the solution. This updated bestseller now comes with the Snap-Shot God CD-ROM, a powerful tool that creates a customized plan to help anyone get out of debt. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Good, if you can wade through the fluff
I had few problems with the main crux(es) of this book, but not based on the bitterness that reviewer Beth obviously has. The book proposes broad underlying principles which, if followed, will definitely leave a person/family in a far superior position than they would otherwise enjoy. I would ask reviewers that criticize the book for its inapplicability if they consistently violate some of the principles it espouses and if perhaps this just might have some bearing on their present financial condition. I don't speak from a position of having arrived at a place of superiority; being presently deep in debt, my finances represent the antithesis of the principals promoted by Mr. Burkett. The book has merely allowed me to see some of the errors in my thinking that has led me into making the bad decisions that resulted in my indebtedness, and I'm now on the way out.

The form of the book is its downfall - hoaky, irritating stories of couples with financial problems comprise the bulk of the material. Sometimes, these real-life stories can be helpful, but I think much of this could have been kept to a minimum. Mr. Burkett seems to have "padded" the book in this way to make what could have been a book half its size more meaty. But overall, a good read with Biblical principals, although I'm still a little skepital about the controversy of the "tithe".

Solid Information
This book is written from a Biblical perspective and non believers will find it hard to follow Larry Burkett's advice to tithe (give away 10% of your income to church or charity), one of the most important secrets for achieving financial independence. It also has a wealth (!) of information for people who are close to caling it quits before deciding on bankruptcy. And to the reviewers who found the stories corny, I can only say that any of these scenarios could easily happen to anybody who is less than savvy about their finances (80% of the general population?). I didn't give this book 5* because I wished there had been more information on how to whittle away at credit debt, and some of the optimal housing costs recommended totally ignore the reality for people living on the Northeast coast of the US (The West Coast proably, too!).

Must-have reference book!
Money. Is there a way to escape dealing with its hold on us? Only with God's help, and Burkett succinctly demonstrates and explains God's financial plan and how He expects us to approach money management.

Burkett, founder and president of Christian Financial Concepts, provides a thorough line by line guidebook to eliminating debt-all debt.

He shows us real life examples of couples who have come to him for counseling, (some so extreme that you would think there was absolutely no hope) and by applying God's principles brought them back to peace with God and their finances.

This book is a must-have reference book for those who are interested in studying God's view on money management or those who hope to counsel others.

--- reviewed by Robin Rider for Christian Bookshelf

Don't waste your money! no advice worthwhile here
Unfortunately for me I actually bought this book. It [bites], just like their website crown dot org. They don't give good advice about how to get out of debt, not at all... they just admonish people who are IN debt. I have a friend who's written a really good book about getting out of debt... sensible, easy to follow information. It's called "Debt Free - One Paycheck at a Time". Look for it on her website called onepaycheckatatime dot com, but since I'm building her website (for free) it won't be up until mid January. Too bad, her course is great! I'm doing it now and very grateful that she took the time to write it. But THIS book by Larry Burkett stinks. I am going to take it back to the Christian book store where I bought it and ask for my money back. Make a note of Kim's website, when it is 'up' and you can buy the book, you'll be glad you did. It will be worth whatever she's gonna charge for it. 19.95 I think.
Seriously. I get no funds from her sales. I just know she knows what she's talking about.

Don't Waste Your Time - Really Bad
While there are a few good principles in this book, it is nothing more than a bunch of scare tactics about how 3 couples got into tremendous financial hardship. The title of the book suggested something far different than what the actual content was. Hearing about how a couple got married without telling anyone and had no job and struggled financially is such an elementary and incredibly dull story. Of course you'll struggle financially if you don't prepare and live below your means. How this book sold over 150,000 copies is beyond me. I could honestly write a better book than this. There is VERY LITTLE instruction on practical things to do to enjoy debt-free living, which is why I got the book. Nothing more than 3 worst-case scenarios, which went on and on and on. Whoever wrote the review that this was the best financial planning book they've ever read has never read another financial planning book. It's that simple. A great alternative book would be The Richest Man in Babylon. If you can deal with the old English style of writing, you'll love it! ... Read more