Die Broke: A Radical Four-Part Financial Plan

Amazon.com

Baby boomers, forget all you've learned from your parents about managing your money, your career, and your life. In Die Broke, Stephan Pollan challenges readers to rethink their notions of workplace, money, retirement, and inheritance. He believes that most of us are rooted in thinking that's out of sync with the realities of today's economy. For example, according to Pollan, the "job" is not what it used to be--there's no such thing as corporate loyalty. Making it in today's workplace means putting your own interests first, not your company's. Pollan argues that you should do your best at work, but make sure you're getting the best deal financially. If you're not, then get another job. After all, it's only a job.

Die Broke is organized into two sections: the first lays out the principles for dying broke. Pollan bases his whole argument on these four maxims: quit today and work for yourself, not your company; pay cash, melt your credit cards, and don't even think about using your ATM card; don't retire, retirement is a relatively new concept created during the Depression, instead plan to work all your life, and; die broke, after all, you can't take it with you.

The second part looks at specific instances of how to put this philosophy into action, covering everything from "Automated Teller Machines and Cards" and "Umbrella Liability Insurance" to "Mortgage Loans" and "Real Estate Investment Trusts." The book draws on Pollan's experience as a financial and legal consultant and includes many examples from his own practice.

Some may find Pollan's views extreme. However, if you're starting to think about retirement or are at all worried about your financial future, Die Broke is worth a look. Even if you think you've got it all figured out, this book could change your mind.

Book Description

From America's most trusted financial advisor comes a comprehensive guide to a new and utterly sane financial choice. In Die Broke, you'll learn that life is a game where the loser gives his money to Uncle Sam at the end. There are four steps to the process:

Quit Today

No, don't tell your boss to shove it...at least not out loud. But in your head accept that from this day on you're a free agent whose number one workplace priority is your personal bottom line.

Pay Cash

You should be as conscious of spending as you are of saving. Credit should be a rarely used tool for those few times (buying homes and cars) when paying cash is impossible.

Don't Retire

Your work life should be a journey up and down hills, rather than a climb up a sheer cliff that ends with a jump into the abyss.

Die Broke

It sounds terrifying, the one intolerable outcome to your financial life. And yet, in truth, dying broke might be your best option for a life without fear: fear of failure and privation now, fear of impoverishment in the long run.

Customer Reviews:

revolutionary.......2007-09-12

Every once in a while, a book comes along to revolutionize the way a generation considers a topic. This is such a book. It covers new ground and offers compelling reasons to reconsider the entire notion of retirement. This book is also very readable and really is a must read for anyone who wants to retire or is in retirement. Here you will find the antithesis to all the retirement advice you will get from most every other source on retirement investing. At the very least, grab this book off the shelf of your favorite library or store and read the first 18 pages. This synopsis covers the heart of what the authors have to offer and will help you decide if you need to read the whole volume.

Financial Planning for Stunt Pilots.......2007-07-31

Die Broke is an extremely seductive book. Stephen Pollan's idea is that you'd be a fool to save your money for a rainy day. He says spend it now, which is contrary to what evey other personal finance expert advises. Take a round-the-world cruise, buy that new Mercedes, or better yet, lease it. This advice goes against the grain, and I found myself fascinated by such an original approach. It's tempting to adopt his methods and live for the present, but my advice is read the book, but don't take it too seriously.

changed my view of retirement.......2007-03-09

Finally some advice that I felt comfortable following. This book took the scary part of retirement planning off the table. Common sense for common working people.

A required read (but only the first third).......2006-12-11

First off, I'm from Canada. So some of the details are simply not applicable. We don't tax inheritance and our retirement savings plan has very different rules. Many of the details he discusses are just wrong.

This would get a better rating if he actually wrote less and provided some extra examples for helping yourself. The book is definitely insightful, but it doesn't guide you into "making it work for you".

His 4 principles are completely correct: Quit Today, Pay Cash, Don't Retire, Die Broke. His theories are "radical", though "reasonable" is probably the more accurate term. Of course, if you've read my comments and few others, you have the most important concepts in this book. Borrow the book from the library and read it. Then write down these four precepts on paper and write down how they apply to your life.

That's it.

Once you can apply the four concepts, you can go on with the rest of your life and really ignore the rest of the book (or those parts that don't apply).

For the lazy, here's the quick run-down:
1. Quit Today: your bosses will attempt to pay you the minimum possible amount for the work you do. That's their job, that's how they save money for the company. Your goal is to grab the largest "value" possible for every hour you do work ('cause you're not getting back those hours). These goals run against each other. So be prepared to leave your job tomorrow, this empowers you.

2. Pay Cash: paying with credit is easy, it has no "weight" or "mass", it's always there and it allows you to satisfy impulses. Of course, it can wreck your finances and cost you big interest. Paying with cash acts as a natural spending cork. If you save part of your paycheck every time and then only spend cash, you simply can't go broke. You'll run out of short-term money, but you'll be fine come next payday.

3. Don't Retire: who knows how long you'll live and what would you do with retirement anyways. Plan for retirement as working less and playing more. This will actually improve the quality of your retirement.

4. Die Broke: why do you need money when you die? If you think your kids want the money, I'm sure that they'll be happier to have it when you're alive (i.e.: Now). Plan your financial life like a big hill. Start by saving lots of money (uphill). When you slow down your work schedule, you can start siphoning off the savings (downhill). Rather than saving millions and living off the interest (common "logic"), just save enough to fund your extra years.

There you go, the rest is "details".

Rethinking finances in light of longer lifespans.......2005-10-09

Some of the negative reviewers missed the main point that Stephen Pollan makes in "Die Broke": In an era of longer lifespans new financial strategies are required. The era of leaving a large inheritance is over. That money will be used, instead, to fund longer lives.
People still need to plan, save and invest for their future, but rather than leaving money behind at death, money is used-up/given-away during our lifetime so that the benefit is seen and enjoyed. Pollan points out that there is something very wrong and morbid about the expectation of gain at the death of a loved one (under the old system of inheritance).
Pollan recommends a portfolio of stocks/stock funds until such time that we need current income; then an immediate annuity with lifetime payments could be purchased. He recommends fixed annuities because they generally pay out more than bonds would over a long period.
Most of his ideas are aimed at saving money and minimizing debt so that we can live as well as possible for as long as possible. Some very good, practical advice.

Die Broke: A Radical Four-Part Financial Plan

Average customer rating:

Die Broke: A Radical Four-Part Financial Plan
Stephen Pollan; Mark Levine
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WJXY98

Average customer rating:

Die Broke: a Radical, Four-part Financial Plan
Stephen M., And Mark Levine Pollan
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J2JU00

Book Description

It teaches anyone exactly how & where to borrow up to $25,000 in just one hour on their signature alone!

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Classic and Modern Reading in Biology
Randy Moore
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The author introduces the reader to the creation and implementation of space-related models by applying a learning-by-doing and problem-oriented approach. The required procedural skills are rarely taught at universities and many scientists and engineers struggle to transfer a model into a computer program. The purpose of this book is to fill this gap. It moves from simple to more complex applications, covering various important topics in the sequence: dynamic matrix processing, 2D and 3D graphics, databases, Java applets and parallel computing. A file (SMOP.zip) with all examples can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet at http://de.geocities.com/bsttc2/book.

Book Description

Das bekannte Lehrbuch zur Physik und Technik der kernmagnetischen Resonanz liegt jetzt auch in deutscher Sprache vor. Es beschreibt den physikalischen Hintergrund der Scan-Methoden und ihren Einsatz in der medizinischen Diagnostik. In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch neue Wege und Verfahren aufgezeigt. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit gilt der Behandlung von Artefakten und ihrer mathematischen Beschreibung. Das Buch ist mit vielen Illustrationen zu Scan-Verfahren, wie z.B. RARE, GRASE, EPI, Balanced FFE und Spiralscan ausgestattet. Detaillierte Aussagen über Echoamplituden in Multi-Echosequenzen, wie TSE, FFE und BURST sind in einem besonderen Kapitel mit Hilfe der Konfigurationstheorie ausführlich abgehandelt. Eine kurze Einführung in die Geschichte der MR-Bildgebung rundet dieses Buch ab.

Book Description

Meet Viva Cohen: her bedroom walls are plastered with posters of silver-screen legends, and underneath her school uniform she wears vintage thigh-high stockings. Her best friends are a drugged-out beauty queen and an aging rock star. She lives in London with her gay uncle Manny.

A bitingly funny and fiercely intelligent first novel, Namedropper takes you on a rowdy romp from London to Los Angeles, where Viva and her two best friends search for love, experience, and Jack Nicholson. It's a wild ride as she uncovers the icon in every person she meets.

Customer Reviews:

Namedropping across the world.......2006-06-16

Coming-of-age novels are usually boring and self-important, and most of them are just ripoffs of "Catcher in the Rye."

But that isn't the case with Emma Forrest's razor-sharp, bittersweet "Namedropper." Instead, Forrest writes of a smart young woman encountering first love, world travel and friendships. And she does it with such world-weary wit that every page sparkles.

"He was a super-shiny boy and I liked the shape of him." This dream introduces us to Viva Cohen, a teenage Londoner who lives with her gay uncle, flunking high school. Her only friends are insecure rocker Ray and sexy wild-child Teena, and her thoughts are full of acerbic insights about the people around her.

But as sophisticated as she is, Viva is captivated one night when she glimpses fragile musician Drew, who is wrapped up in his own morbid world. When he apparently commits suicide, Viva tries to escape her grief by going on tour with Ray, only to find that Teena and Ray's relationship has become something more -- which excludes her.

Not many first novels are as well-written as "Namedropper" -- and definitely not when they have a jaded romantic teen as the narrator. Most characters in that mold are just insufferable twits. So it's a credit to Forrest's writing that she can create a book like this -- an eccentric teenager's summer -- and make it seem so wonderfully realistic.

Forrest has that rare knack for summing up a place, a feeling or a character in one insightful sentence ("She's not interested in the politics and mechanics of love and peace, just the enamel-plated peace-sign ankle chain"). And at a moment's notice, she can switch on the poetic prose ("... let the soil consume him and fall into his mouth") and change the whole mood. Sights, sounds, smells and quirks are sprinkled all over each page.

And what of Viva herself? She's the most intriguing character of all, a mixture of youthful naivete and sophisticated intelligence. Her tastes and insights are light-years ahead of the people around her. Yet this mature girl can still fancy herself in love with pretty, suicidal rock stars.

Emma Forrest takes readers into the fast-changing life of a young "Namedropper," with zesty writing and bittersweet wit. This is a truly scintillating debut, and definitely not to be missed.

A true teenager's voice..........2006-06-11

I was looking for something worthwhile to read, and I found it in this book. Granted, some of it may involve a bit of suspension of disbelief, but once that's done it's amazing. Admittedly, there are some things about this book that I enoyed but other people may not like. It is a bit disjointed, but it made it more realistic for me. Teenagers, in general, tend to be like that, at least the ones I know. They'll go off on tangents about something completely different than what they were talking about. So, since this novel is told from the point of a teenager, this makes perfect sense. This novel is also saturated with pop culture references. It can be a bit excessive at times, but it contributes to the novel, to both its humor and its deeper meaning. The protagonist, Viva, is extremely likeable. Although she doesn't find value in standard education- she thinks of college simply as a continuation of childhood for the people who don't want to grow up- she is extremely intelligent. She makes several points that made me excited because of how true they were. Even if I hadn't liked her rambling style, such instances would have made it worth it. She loves having intellectual conversations. She is also a dreamer, a quality that I can not help loving in anyone. Her character will stay with me for a while. This book is not Jane Austen, but it has a lot to offer a reader.

The Amazing Work of Emma Forrest.......2005-05-26

This book was absolutely amazing. I'd suggest it to anyone who is interested in things beneath the surface. This book says things plainly so anyone can understand them, yet there's such a depth to the book. I enjoyed it so much and recommend it to all teenage girls.

Not good.......2004-09-09

I stuck with this book against my better judgment because I expected it to get better. It didn't. It was just dull, dull, dull. The main character, 17 year-old Viva, is quirky, but not in a good way. The book seemed like it should be interesting based on the strange cast of characters in Viva's life, but nothing ever happened! I didn't like the author's writing style, either. I found it annoying. Even though she's only 17 years old, I found myself wishing Viva would just have sex already and get it over with, since the author kept teasing us with the possibility of sex. Just a very disappointing read. Save your time for better stuff, like any of Rachel Gibson's books or Bridget Jones's Diary if you've never read that.

An Anti-Book.......2003-08-06

Dear God or whomever,

NAMEDROPPER is frighteningly bad. It is cosmically bad. It is bad to the same extent that God is said to be good. This gives the book a kind of importance, I suppose, in a negative galaxy in which everything that is bad in this world is regarded as good.

The "protagonist" resembles the type of character of whom Bret Easton Ellis makes fun in his novels, except here she is presented utterly without irony.

She is shallow, stupid, hollow, has meaningless and superficial relationships. She says things such as, "it splished [sic] along like a Tom Hanks film." Her mind resembles an empty Ziploc bag, filled with pop-cultural sound-bytes. She has no identity. She cannot even said to be narcissistic, since narcissism presupposes that one has a self with which to be obsessed.

There is nothing wrong with pop culture per se, unless it is used to make up for the fact that one has no self.

The endless pop-culture references are a poor substitute for character development.

But does this book have a character? Who could be developed?

She is an empty vessel.

Along the way, we are treated to numerous annoying syntactical, orthographical, and grammatical errors.

Good books are quotable books. NAMEDROPPER is an absolutely unquotable book, except for the purposes of self-amusement (the humor here is entirely unintentional).

My favorite sentence: "Men ought, if they can help it, to be [sic] working-class."

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books