Just as Peter Sorrells hints in the title, the proper way we should approach personal money management is exactly like our constant attempts at fitness: it just doesn’t magically happen over night. It involves a change in regiment, a reprogramming of our current mindset. Fortunately, there are several approaches of utilizing 100 Ways to Save and Grow Your Money: Financial Fitness for Regular People. As the author recommends in his introduction, reading the book in linear order allows the reader a more thorough understanding of the causal connections toward financial prosperity. But for the busy reader who seems to always be in a time crunch, you can always skip ahead to whichever chapter most relevant to you like “Tax Minimization,” or “The Art of Self-Discipline.”

Perhaps a subliminal consequence of the particular methodology the book is structured; you can even read it like a daily calendar and adopt a steady progress to financial prosperity. The author manages to combine a distinct style of fusing three different components to each blocks of information: application through practical psychology, concrete statistics and charts, and reinforcement through scripture verses. A few of the scripture verses can come across as a little bit preachy as there is a not-so-subtle undertone of judgment in the ones the author chose to select. But it seems the author intentionally adds this component in order to give readers the potential understanding of how to accurately identify the intent of their desire for financial increase, and how to maintain a continuous commitment to financial progress by successfully recalibrating their perception of the currency’s malleable nature and its inevitable ties to our own spiritual development.

If you don’t let the scripture verses get under your skin, Sorrell provides a great workbook for those “regular people” who are striving for “financial fitness.” There are even sections in the book that gives the reader access to areas in which he can write notes learned through the chapter’s lesson. The rest of Sorrell’s text provide a steady framework broad enough but specific enough for any Joe Blow to apply into his own life. Overall, the book is ideal for those who enjoy reading and applying Joel Osteen’s line of self-help books or those who are serious about obtaining financial fitness through a casual collection of peppy, but realistic set of mantras to adopt into your very own life. ( )

I've read through a number of books in this genre, and I honestly began this one thinking that it would be similar to many of the "get rich quick" or "hypnotize yourself into being a millionaire" type books that are already on the market. Suffice it to say that I was pleasantly surprised!

Peter Sorrels provides some great advice, a number of references to some very helpful, and often free, resources to get readers started with their fitness plans, sample budgets, savings tips, and far more than I could cover here. I was reminded of Dave Ramsey's work in this same area, which I very much love, but was glad to see that "100 Ways" still branches out into its own territory in many helpful ways. If you're looking for some great financial strategies, concepts, tools, and motivators to undertake a reasonable plan that will quite literally change your life - and very likely the lives of your children and grandchildren - forever in a VERY positive way, then this book is certainly a worthwhile investment. If you're not looking for any of those things, but just want to obtain some new and useful financial tips and information, or read a well put together financial book then this book is for you too!

I think the very best features of this book are: the many scriptural references, which outline the financial concepts that have proven themselves time after time since the distant days when they were written; the tons of links, references, and suggestions for useful tools that will enable a positive financial transition to begin, and continue to develop; and also the frank, unadulterated assessment of some of the existing materials and strategies that are on the market today. An example of the latter that springs to mind is Peter Sorrels' honest assessments of some alternative "financial fitness" packages currently on the market that honestly cost far more than a consumer would need to spend to become and remain financially disciplined.

What I didn't like about this book was its occasional brevity in areas that might have been even more effectively presented by sharing people's real-life experiences with the outlined principles, or by delving a bit further into some of the concepts so readers might more easily see ways to implement those concepts in their own lives. This is a minor complaint to be sure, but I frankly didn't find anything major here to nitpick, for which I heartily extend my thanks to Peter Sorrels.

This book earned a smooth an easy 4.7 stars in my humble opinion, and I'm glad for having read it. Although I was already familiar with most of these concepts, I still learned about quite a few free tools that will help me to continue with my own financial plan, and the words in these pages sparked a number of ideas that I had to stop and write down just to be sure I wouldn't later forget them.

Thanks for the great read! ( )

“100 Ways to Save and Grow Your Money: Financial Fitness for Regular People” is exactly that — a short, straightforward discussion of no-nonsense, practical money management for “regular” people. This pragmatic approach to making sense out of increasingly complex matter is refreshing and the ideas presented are doable by anyone at any stage of financial life.
Author Peter Sorrells has put together ten chapters that simply and methodically outline ideas that can and do work. Beginning with getting yourself out of debt, and moving through plans for savings and growth, tax minimizing and advantaging, and retirement, he presents practical examples, concrete evidence and Biblical principles for creating an environment of security about finances. Sorrells stresses that the priority should always be getting out of debt and then staying out of debt.
Probably the most important idea presented in Sorrells’ book is this: “A person can be broke at any level—and a person with small income can become a millionaire. The amount of income doesn’t make as much difference as lifestyle equalization.” The examples in this chapter were stunning to me — reducing expenditures by as little as 10% on items such as groceries or clothes can add up to huge yearly savings to use for Christmas spending, or even that vacation you dearly want —without going into debt for it. To this end, Sorrells stresses, “…specific, well-defined goals challenge us to find solutions and energize us to work toward those solutions. This applies to financial goals for sure. But just as important, it applies to personal growth, professional growth, spiritual growth, any area of self-discipline or self-improvement.”
Included at the end of each chapter is an area for notes, and a good budget sheet is also included at the end of the book. There are quite a few resources listed as well, both print and on the Internet. Good advice for practical application. ( )