Financially Forward: How to Hack Your Wallet in the Digital Age by Alexa Von TobelMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I picked this up because it looked like it covered interesting topics, was by someone I had heard of, was short, and was showcased at our local Barnes and Noble. This promised to analyze the current crop of fintech tools. Since I use some of these tools, and I’m always looking for better, this was promising. After reading this, I was a bit underwhelmed. This book meanders all over the place within personal finance. There are basic definitions, some intro to planning, trends in personal finance, pointers on raising financially aware children, and the future of blockchain. Having read quite a few personal finance books, I found that this wasn’t really written for me. I did get something out of it though – the author includes a list of apps and services that are currently available. Some I heard of, some I use. The author also tags the large number of these services where she is an investor. Given she has spread her investments around this arena, you might think this book was written to help “advertise” these services, and there is a feel that this is part of the purpose of the book, given the focus on some of the lesser known highlighted apps. I often don’t appreciate books that are written as advertisements, but given the topic this is interesting and has some value, if only to increase awareness. Probably a better question is whether this book provides value to readers that are new to personal finance and planning. The author covers some of the basics, with advice aimed at the uninitiated, so it probably isn’t a bad book to read early in your learning. So for newbies, not a bad read. For more experienced readers, more of a skim or a skip.
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