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karang's reviews
141 reviews
Life Skills: How to Do Almost Anything by Chicago Tribune
3.0
Some basic how-to's here. Nothing too special.
Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi, and the Chinese Dream by Clay Shirky
2.0
Not a fan of this small thin book. I was expecting a few essays drilling deep into how Xiaomi came to be and works now. About half the book however is didn't feel coherent with the main theme of the book. I would have appreciated a more thorough review (or a biography) of the company or its founders.
If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly by William J. Bernstein
3.0
A very light and basic introduction to savings and asset allocation. I liked it because there's no fillers, but I highly recommend the reader to dig further into the topics, especially taxation, retirement accounts and the stock market. In general, the book's approach is a safe one best for retirement - equal parts of savings in US total market stock, International total market stock and US bonds.
Personally, for the younger millennials, after they max out their retirement accounts, I'd suggest to play with higher risk investments too - stocks, startups etc.
Personally, for the younger millennials, after they max out their retirement accounts, I'd suggest to play with higher risk investments too - stocks, startups etc.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
2.0
I skimmed this book because it's language is far more complex than it should be for a personal finance book. Some concepts are sound and practical but I feel like I missed a huge part of the essence of the book just because I didn't like the author's writing style.
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
5.0
This is the bible of investigating. There's a lot of advice in there, most of which is applicable to new and older investors. You don't have to be rich to become rich, just smart and careful. I would not recommend this book to someone who's completely new to the stock market and investing. Read up some 101 books first and then this content will be more useful. Do not skip Jason's commentary as they add more value with updated examples.
One thing I did not like about Jason's commentary was that he used the 1999 boom for almost all his examples. In my opinion that was an outlier and result of a lot of things, there's definitely a lot to learn from it, but Jason should have diversified his examples a bit.
One thing I did not like about Jason's commentary was that he used the 1999 boom for almost all his examples. In my opinion that was an outlier and result of a lot of things, there's definitely a lot to learn from it, but Jason should have diversified his examples a bit.
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko
4.0
One of the best reads on the topic of personal finance. I do think there's a lot of filler and redundancy in the book that you can just skim. The one main point that the book makes is that you should always live under your means. Which does make sense. If you save an extra $100 every month in less than 30 years that can add up to more than $83,000. The less you use the more you save. I also liked that most of the learnings in the book are not anecdotal but rather based on data obtained through surveys of millionaires.
Other than the "save more" point, the one major startling discovery was that when it comes to wealth, you cannot judge a book by its cover. or in this case a person by the car they drive, the clothes they wear, the phone they have.
One thing that it surprised me, was that the wealthiest individuals spend more time planning their finances. On the one hand being ruthless about knowing where your money goes does make sense but on the other hand I do think that spending a lot of time on your finances backfire. anyways, I'm still undecided on this issue.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone entering the workforce. I will also definitely be gifting this book to some of my friends.
Other than the "save more" point, the one major startling discovery was that when it comes to wealth, you cannot judge a book by its cover. or in this case a person by the car they drive, the clothes they wear, the phone they have.
One thing that it surprised me, was that the wealthiest individuals spend more time planning their finances. On the one hand being ruthless about knowing where your money goes does make sense but on the other hand I do think that spending a lot of time on your finances backfire. anyways, I'm still undecided on this issue.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone entering the workforce. I will also definitely be gifting this book to some of my friends.
Never Be Lied to Again: How to Get the Truth in 5 Minutes or Less in Any Conversation or Situation by David J. Lieberman
3.0
This book was a quick short to the point read. I like the way everything is laid out in sections with sensible bullets. As for the content itself, I don't think most of it is practical. Take for example the clues that someone is lying - the author has listed 48 of those and I don't think anyone can I remember them all, much less use them. It would have been useful if he also listed when to use which clues in what combination.
The probing techniques mentioned in the book are interesting and intriguing. But again, I think they're lacking in practical applicability.
Accusing someone of lying is not the nicest thing to do, and certainly not in front of them. I think the types of the books are more applicable in a hierarchical organization where the boss has to confront an employee. But if you want to confront your friend just be honest, don't play mind games.
The probing techniques mentioned in the book are interesting and intriguing. But again, I think they're lacking in practical applicability.
Accusing someone of lying is not the nicest thing to do, and certainly not in front of them. I think the types of the books are more applicable in a hierarchical organization where the boss has to confront an employee. But if you want to confront your friend just be honest, don't play mind games.
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman
2.0
I've read about a hundred pages of this book, and sadly I'm not liking it so far. I really do want to know more about Feynman's life, but the way he writes is mundane and he just comes off as obnoxious.
I think I might just have to pick this back up at the wrong time. So maybe in the future I'll give it another go, but for now I'm just going to let it sit.
I think I might just have to pick this back up at the wrong time. So maybe in the future I'll give it another go, but for now I'm just going to let it sit.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
4.0
I started reading this book after numerous recommendations from successful people like Tim Ferriss. I loved the content of the book itself. It is a goldmine for learning about irrational persuasion.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I put what I had learned to test. I managed to get free WiFi and more from my hotel. It's a small example but just validates the research.
I'm taking off 1 star because the book has a lot of filter content. It would've been a much nicer and tighter read at about half the page count.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I put what I had learned to test. I managed to get free WiFi and more from my hotel. It's a small example but just validates the research.
I'm taking off 1 star because the book has a lot of filter content. It would've been a much nicer and tighter read at about half the page count.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
2.0
A very average book that won't really teach you anything new. This book could probably be summarized in a single page, so I believe that the author just use filler pages to fluff up the book. Not only that, there's a lot of missing links in the book. For example the author suggests imagining what it would look like to live in clutter free space. But a lot of people don't know what the clutter is, and if they are living in clutter. So they don't know what living in clutter free space would be like.
If I had to summarize the whole book in one sentence it would probably be this: throw away as much as you can. That's it. This is all this book is about.
If I had to summarize the whole book in one sentence it would probably be this: throw away as much as you can. That's it. This is all this book is about.