Saturday, May 25, 2019

"From Monk to Money Manager" by Doug Lynam

Knowing how many books I read and how fast I go thru literature, a friend of mine suggested I read a finance book.  He claimed I'd likely be able to get through it faster than the average person and absorb the information well enough to improve my own finances.  So, I got this book to review.  I liked the concept of a religious monk turn money manager.  This book was fascinating and taught me a lot about finances.  I learned the difference between rich people and wealthy people.  Rich people have lots of money but blow it on stuff.  Rich people often end up poor when they are older, their businesses hit hard times, or when they retire.  On the flip side, wealthy people may not have lots of money but they invest what they do have.  Wealthy people live below their means, save like monsters, and have some sort of stock options.  Another key takeaway from this book is that there are stocks called ESG stocks that are environmentally sustainable and governable.  Index funds in ESG stocks will invest in companies that recycle, help the environment, and do good in the world.  ESG stocks exclude companies that involve drugs, weapons, cigarettes, adult entertainment, etc.  Best of all, ESG stocks perform on par, if not better, than standard stocks.  These ESG companies aren't all environmental companies.  They can be mainstream companies that simply have sustainable practices and have no bad ethics.  I will take the lessons from this book and hopefully make myself a little more wealthy.  As Lynam points out throughout the book, money is not evil.  Love of money is evil.  If everyone became a little more wealthy, the world would be a better place.  Don't shun money.  Rather, use your money for good so you don't end up having to have someone else suffer by supporting you.    

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