It's not often that I read a personal finance book that gives me a "call to action." But, this book was one of those. Interestingly enough, David Chilton's,"The Wealthy Barber" teaches basic personal financial planning by way of a dialogue among several friends and well, a Wealthy Barber. The down-to-earth, everyday talk, heard as if one is actually in a barber shop awaiting a haircut, is what sets this book a part from other personal finance books that I've read.

Surprisingly, the book is structured really well. After reading "The Wealthy Barber," there was no wonder why it is a timeless classic, still purchased though it's last edition was published in 1997.

"The Wealthy Barber" is in a novel format. Its story is about a few friends, all with different lifestyles (a new father, a well-paid business owner, and a single guy) who need to get their financial affairs in order. The different lifestyles among the characters sets the book up such that all of the financial advice given by the wealthy barber caters to different financial situations that its readers may have.

Once Chilton introduces his readers to each character's personal situation in the first few chapters of the book, each subsequent chapter cover a personal finance tenet-each tenet being one to follow to set one's self up to live a future prosperous life.

Although some of the information is dated (e.g. the Roth IRA was newly written into law at the time of this book's publishing, so it is said that the max contribution limit is only $2000 vice $5000) it covered every basic thing that every one should know in order to build a solid financial plan, if they choose, and it covered several perspectives for each topic. It cover topics such as:

Save 10% early to advantage of compounded interest, so that the money can be used in our retirement years to purchase luxuries or other things.
Make sure wills are in place, along with the right amount of life or disability insurance
Save for retirement in whatever vehicles that you can such as a 401(k), SEP, or Keogh Plan
Purchase or Rent a Home
Manage Everyday Spending
Take Advantage of Tax Deductions and Savings

I absolutely loved "The Wealthy Barber." The thing that I loved most about this book was it gave no absolutes. Too many books about personal finance argues only one point. "The Wealthy Barber" respectfully lays out that some people can choose or choose not to carry a credit card balance (as long as they are aware of the possible ramifications), rent or mortgage a home, or invest in CDs or aggressive mutual funds. The overall tone of the book is that there are different ways and approaches to everyone's path to financial success though, there are some "best practices."

In fact, this book made me rethink a few things:

My retirement account is not necessary just for me. All the time, I was only accounting for the money that I'd need at retirement. I had been calculating my retirement account for an income stream of only $4500 monthly, because it's what I need for me and a future wife. But, believe it or not, I may need to calculate for a bit more if I foresee myself taking care of my parents. At the time that I age to 59 1/2, my mom will be a bit over 80 years old. I'm pretty sure that if I have to take care of her, be it through assisted living or a live-in nurse, I will need to start saving at a more aggressive rate.
It's totally not okay to have $10,000 sitting around in an "emergency" account. Who in the hell has a $10,000 emergency, especially if they are in a stable job?
Having a sound financial plan, once set up, should not be very restrictive. If we do the important things correctly and make them a priority while starting early in life, we should be comfortable spending all other monies.
Once again, "The Wealthy Barber" is a great read for anyone looking to revisit or learn the basics of what it takes to build a sound financial plan.

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The Wealthy Barber, Updated 3rd Edition: Everyone's Commonsense Guide to Becoming Financially Independent