Special Christmas Bulletin
Home at last, after a whirlwind tour around the country, giving talks about downsizing and launching our new downsizing book. It was great to see so many of you who are subscribers, and to talk to people who brought older copies of my books to be signed and telling me that my books had changed their lives.
This is basically a Christmas catalogue because I haven’t had time to do a newsletter in the last two weeks –I’ll certainly be doing a newsletter before Christmas because there is so much to talk about.
When we think about Christmas, we think about Christmas gifts – and I can think of no better gift than a book that can change people’s lives. So, in this newsletter, I’ve got some suggestions for you plus another three books which are not mine, but which would be perfect gifts also. We’ve also put many of these in bundles, which are better value if you’re buying Christmas presents.
But, first, let me share an email I got recently:
“I’m wanting to write to show my appreciation for your books, ‘The Beginners Guide to Wealth’ and ‘Making Money Made Simple’. My Dad read Money Made Simple when it was first released, and encouraged my siblings and I to read these during high school to give us a good foundation to achieve financial independence.
I am 22 years old on an annual wage of $55,000. I have $50,000 in shares, $35,000 cash in my account and $32,000 in super. I find other people my age simply are not interested in talking about investing, budgets or anything money related unless it’s about happy hour at a pub somewhere. In order to start some positive conversations around money with my friends, I have started gifting your books as birthday presents in the hope they also find them beneficial.
I am grateful my family helped me gain the knowledge to make some positive financial habits early on to create a good start to my adult life. I understand not everyone has the same upbringing and sometimes it is hard to get started. I hope the books I have gifted to my friends creates a kind of a ripple effect, and helps other young people like they have helped me. I am looking forward to continuing to learn as I gain life experience, and I will continue to educate myself and improve my financial skills moving forward.”
Age 12 to 20:
10 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom
This is the time when people should be building good foundations, which was the whole ethos behind my book 10 steps to Financial freedom.
It’s a short book and designed to be an easy read for teenagers. Two of the main lessons are to spend less than you earn and learn how to set goals.
Age 15 to 50:
Beginners Guide to Wealth
The thinking behind this book was to teach young people the principles of life. It covers all the stuff I’ve learnt from studying successful people for 40 years. It started its life as Getting it Together and I know many of you have read that book, but the name was changed to Beginners Guide to Wealth because Getting It Together was seen by some as ambiguous.
It does have a small money section in the back, but basically, it’s about how to become a successful human being. It covers topics like going the extra mile, goal setting and learning success principles. I always laugh when people talk about the secrets of wealth – the “secrets “have been round for hundreds of years.
It’s co-written with my son James Whittaker and the new edition is coming off the presses as I write this. It’s been totally revamped for current conditions.
Age 18 to 50:
Making Money Made Simple.
This is the original book that sold 2 million copies and has changed thousands of lives. The first edition was written in 1987 but so much has changed since then. When I discovered that people need more than information, they need an action list, I rewrote the book so it’s now focused on actions to take rather than merely giving information.
The feedback to the new edition has been fantastic – one of the guys in the golf pro shop told me he saved $30,000 when he bought his house just from the tips he got by reading the chapter on the negotiation.
Value Bundles
10 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom
+ The Beginner’s Guide to Wealth
Only $39.95
Save $9.95
Making Money Made Simple
+ The Beginner’s Guide to Wealth
Only $49.99
Save $9.91
Age 45 upwards
Retirement Made Simple
My Retirement Made Simple, is perfect for anyone aged 45 and over. Retirement is often touted as a worry-free time – but right now it’s not. People are living longer, government budgets are stretched, financial markets are volatile, and interest rates are moving up. On top of that, there are the challenges of understanding investor psychology – including your own – and avoiding scams.
A major facet of a fulfilling retirement is preparation: the sooner you start to plan, the better your retirement is likely to be. Yet so many people facing retirement don’t know what they don’t know. Retirement Made Simple is a gift that can pay great dividends.
Age 60 upwards
Downsizing Made Simple
Downsizing is now a big topic and it’s been the subject of our national tour in the last two weeks. Downsizing Made Simple is the updated version of the old edition, but it’s 100 pages longer and contains much more information.
This is such a complex topic and one of the main goals Rachel Lane and I had when we wrote this book was to highlight the things people need to take advice on. It also links to the special calculators on the downsizing made simple website.
Value Bundle
Retirement Made Simple + Downsizing Made Simple
Only $49.99
Save $9.91
The Mindful Body – Thinking our Way to Chronic Health
Ellen Langer is one of the great psychologists of the 21st century. For more than 50 years she’s been studying the mind-body connection and her new book takes her work to a new level. One of her most famous experiments was in 1979 when she took six elderly people back in time by retrofitting their environment to what it was 20 years ago. In just one week their health improved dramatically.
There is a range of experiments along similar lines in the new book. Examples include hotel chambermaids who lost weight when they were told their work constituted exercise, or patients whose wounds healed faster when the clocks in their rooms were sped up. She even points out that the way a doctor describes a diagnosis to a patient can make a massive difference to how well the patient responds to the treatment. This is a book that can change lives and I recommend it highly.
Magic Words
By Jonah Berger – professor of marketing at the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. I found this book riveting – the whole thrust of it is how the words we use can make a profound difference to the outcome of many situations. Interestingly, the book starts with a famous 1978 study by Ellen Langer. In this experiment they studied people queued at a Xerox machine awaiting their turn to make copies (this was the old days) and they discovered that if a person wished to jump the queue all they had do was give a reason why they had to get the copy in a hurry. From that it was determined that simply giving a reason when you make a request increases the chances of that request being agreed to by 85%.
Berger and his team analysed millions of words, and discovered that using “recommend” rather than “like” makes people 32% more likely to take your suggestion. They analysed over five million interactions in call centres and discovered the use of concrete language did not just increase customer satisfaction, it also led to many more return orders. There is also a wealth of material on the words to use to make your presentations more effective.
This is not a huge book, just 220 pages, but it’s packed full of examples, such as those mentioned above. It is a step-by-step guide to make your writing, your conversation and your presentations, much more meaningful and effective. This is a must for anybody in the communication business. Isn’t that all of us!
Andrew Carnegie’s Mental Dynamite
Many of you would know Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill which has sold more than 130 million copies, and I am thrilled that my son James is now one of the leading authorities in the world on this book.
In 1908, Napoleon Hill met industrialist Andrew Carnegie who spent hours detailing his principles of success to the young magazine reporter. He then challenged Hill to devote 20 years to collating a proven formula that would propel people of all backgrounds to happiness, harmony, and prosperity. Hill accepted the challenge, which he distilled in the Think and Grow Rich.
A year or two ago the Napoleon Hill Foundation released the previously unpublished transcripts of these conversations and chose James Whittaker to write all the annotations explaining why they are essential for reaching your goals and prospering – for you, your family, and your community.
This book is an easy read – it’s just the transcript the conversations between Carnegie and Hill with comments by James as appropriate. I found it riveting to read Andrew Carnegie’s words. Don’t miss this one. You’re learning from the master.
And Finally
A Student got 0% in an Exam!
I would have given him 100%! Each answer is absolutely grammatically correct and funny also. The teacher has no sense of humour.
In which battle did Napoleon die?
“His last battle.”
Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
“At the bottom of the page.”
River Ravi flows in which state?
“Liquid.”
What is the main reason for divorce?
“Marriage.”
What is the main reason for failure?
“Exams.”
What can you never eat for breakfast?
“Lunch & Dinner.”
What looks like half an apple?
“The other apple.”
If you throw a red stone into the blue sea, what will it become?
“Wet.”
How can a man go eight days without sleeping?
“No problem, he sleeps at night.”
How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
“You will never find an elephant that has one hand.”
If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?
“Very large hands.”
If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
“No time at all, the wall is already built.”
How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without it cracking?
“Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack.”
