The Index Card Audiobook By Helaine Olen, Harold Pollack cover art

The Index Card

Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

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The Index Card

By: Helaine Olen, Harold Pollack
Narrated by: Helaine Olen, Harold Pollack
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TV analysts and money managers would have you believe your finances are enormously complicated, and if you don't follow their guidance, you'll end up in the poorhouse. They're wrong. When University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack interviewed Helaine Olen, an award-winning financial journalist and the author of the best-selling Pound Foolish, he made an off­hand suggestion: Everything you need to know about managing your money could fit on an index card. To prove his point, he grabbed a 4" x 6" card, scribbled down a list of rules, and posted a picture of the card online. The post went viral. Now Pollack teams up with Olen to explain why the 10 simple rules of the index card outperform more complicated financial strategies. In this audiobook is an easy-to-follow action plan that works in good times and bad, giving you the tools, knowledge, and confidence to seize control of your financial life.

©2016 Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack (P)2016 Gildan Media LLC Investing & Trading Personal Finance Retirement Planning Investing Money

Critic reviews

"The most important financial advice is stunningly simple and fits on an index card. The newbie investor will not find a better guide to personal finance." (Burton G. Malkiel, author of A Random Walk Down Wall Street)
Simple Advice • Practical Approach • Essential Information • Easy Understanding • Useful Recommendations
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Great advice and easy to follow along with. (Except the the insurance part but I dont think there is a way to make insurance simple.) Also mentions PDFs, which I believe is on the author's website (?) for reference which is cool to come back to. Great to listen to on the train ride home. Highly recommend for the very useful advice.

Great book! Gets to the point

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I loved it! a lot of great topics for a millennial who knows nothing about finances

Excellent Listen

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Everyone should read this, and you'll be financially better off for having done so. Cheers!

Simple, practical, wise, and indispensable.

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The best overall for to understand about money can be a very good gift to pass others

Fantastic

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this book was easy to follow! I fully intend to put my learnings to work

insightful

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Remarkable read, and cadence! Best teacher & great book for learning, teaching others and for monitoring one’s success in overall finance-life.

Happy student

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I think some sections are great and others are too simplistic. Emergency fund, mortgage, and real estate sections A+, investing maybe a B, Insurance P&C I give an A, life insurance is way, way too simplistic. For those who can't get to the big cash bonanza, some amount of final expense insurance makes sense, I also believe that you over emphasis IRA's, as the net withdrawals could be subject to unknown taxes. I think sometimes a well thought out indexed annuity with the right protection can yield to a better after tax outcome.

Mixed bag

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I’ve heard all this before, but here the authors just package it so simply. Great for teens headed to college and retirees wanting to take more control over their financial plans. I love the emphasis on index funds over fee-paying alternatives. Good and clear voices, too. Should be everyone’s first finance book.

Really no nonsense!

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The book was digestible even when listening while doing other activities. It seems all financial advice replicates itself and is tried and true. We’ll be revisiting for the proportion of where to invest in funds but otherwise - all good and sound recommendations.

Consistent Knowledge That Lasts

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This book was straight forward and Packaged with very usable information that you can implement immediately. I will definitely be coming back to this book to review my highlighted notes.

Really like this book!

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