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2 out of 4 stars
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Reader, I’m not really a finance kind of gal. Math is one thing, but when words like principal and interest and deduction start to pop up? That’s when you start to lose me.
That being said, I still had some interest in Lindsay Hay’s Set Yourself Free: A Kiwi’s Guide to Financial Success. Part self-help book, part guide to the property investment arena in New Zealand, it’s a rather short book. In its pages, you’ll find Hay’s thoughts on how attitudes and behaviours affect one’s success in life, as well as his own personal plan for making money through property investment and rentals.
I decided to give the book 2 out of 4 stars for two reasons, the first being the errors I found. While they aren’t major errors, they are many, affecting how easily the book can be read. In the case of a book that purports to give financially enriching advice, this tended to work against it because it showed a lack of careful editing on the editor’s part. Given the author’s advice regarding experts and surrounding yourself with them, this reflects poorly on him.
The second star also stemmed from the mechanics of the book, as often the author came off as condescending and more than a little rough. As a reader, how Hay speaks of those he believes are not as smart as he is with his investments was completely unappealing to me. It turned me away from the book several times, making it difficult to finish despite the rather short page count. Moreover, it made it difficult to take his advice to heart, given that his way of doing things seemed to be more of a state of luck than anything else.
That being said, this second reason is completely personal. I understand that others may not find his tone to be as abrasive as I do, and I encourage those readers to pick the book up. After all, it does have its good points.
For one, Hay’s abrasive tone doesn’t stop the friendliness of his attitude from seeping into his words. He comes at the reader with their best interests at heart, wanting them to experience the same success that he has.
It’s also clear that this is something Hay is passionate about. He has the knowledge and expertise in his field to make his advice worth listening to, and he’s willing to help others learn. It’s definitely a mark in his favour, as far as books go.
It’s a good book, and if you’re interested in property investment, I do think you should at least take note of it. However, the abrasive tone and errors just did not do it for me.
Happy reading, everyone!
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set yourself free
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