A Money Resource Book: The Finish Rich Dictionary (Book Review)

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The Finish Rich Dictionary: 1001 Financial Words You Need to Know by David Bach, is a resource that could sit on my bookshelf and not get dusty. The wealth of go-to information in this book makes it a must-have for anybody wishing to increase their financial IQ.

David Bach is not a new financial guru to the markets, with over 5 million books in print. One of his first hits, The Automatic Millionaire, showed people how easy it is to save money, and to actually become millionaires. Simple concepts like the Latte Factor catapulted him into practical financial planning fame.

The Finish Rich Dictionary differentiates itself from many of Bach’s other works in that it is a resource more than a sit-down-and-read-it-from-cover-to-cover sort of book. It truly is a financial dictionary, alphabetically describing financial terms, many of which I (as a former financial planner no less) found to be educational and informative.

There is also a collection of essays disbursed throughout such as “What you Need to Know about Insurance”, “How to Buy a Home”, and Understanding Your Credit Score” that round out the dictionary nicely, along with an Interest Rate Calculation Table (very useful) and a list of Common Financial Equations that continue to make this book a useful resource.

I’ll admit, some of the “financial” terms in the book are a stretch for me. “Brand name”, “megastore”, and “weak” as examples, had “weak” definitions in relation to all things financial.

But at the same time, I had no idea what “poison pill”, “countervailing duty”, nor “cheabol” meant, and am now all the wiser for it. Couple the definitions with some explanations of their origin and usage (I bet you’ll never guess the origin and usage of the word “average” according to Bach) and you will know some interesting facts that you can stump a room with at a boring party.

I am also pleased to report that this dictionary illustrates both Canadian and US financial terms, so this is a practical guide for any North American looking to increase their knowledge of financial jargon.

Here are a few of David Bach’s other books that might be of interest to you:

Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner

Smart Women Finish Rich

Start Late, Finish Rich: A No-Fail Plan for Achieving Financial Freedom at Any Age

Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying

(Note: The author received a free copy of the book in exchange for this review).