skinny on — Beating Broke

By: Jim Randel

I recently did a review of The Skinny On: Credit Cards, by Jim Randel. This book came along with that one and several others. Disclosure: The publisher sent them to me for review.

As any of the other Skinny On books, this one is short and to the point. Randel wastes none of your time filling you with fluff. Instead, he breaks down several much more complex time management systems, adds a few things of his own in, and then presents it in a stick-figure laden slide show of a book. Having read most of the books that he talks about previously, most of the information was merely a review. The few things that Randel added in of his own were minor. What I really liked about this book is that it can act as a quick and easy refresher of the principles that I’ve learned elsewhere. If it were my first book on time management, I might feel a bit differently, and it might have been much more educational.

I did like it, though. And it’s probably one that I’ll keep around to reread every once in a while for that reminder factor. And since it’s nice and short, I don’t have to worry about taking a whole lot of time out of my schedule to reread any of the longer time management books that I have read, just a quick read through this one.

The Skinny On: Credit Cards

By Jim Randel

I’m sure a few of you have heard of this series of books by Jim Randel. He was kind enough to send a few of them my way for review purposes. <– That’s my way of disclaiming that I was given these books specifically for review. My review remains honest, but the FCC says you gotta know that. The first book that I decided to review was the Credit Cards one. Seemed like a good topic to cover here and if the book was valuable to you, then it would be even better.

The Skinny On books are a somewhat novel idea. They are put into a narrative and the narrative is given to you by stick figures in a layout that is reminiscent of a comic book. The language used is simple and easy to read and understand. Any jargon is explained, either with a definition or a short dialogue. And, they’re short books. This one is one of the larger ones and it’s only about 160 pages. A quick read to be sure.

The content is incredible. In less than 200 pages, Randel was able to give the basics (and even a few not so basics) on getting and using credit cards as well as the effect they have on your credit score. He takes several pages to discuss paying off cards for those who are already in trouble. The books remind me a little of Cliffs Notes. All the highlights and none of the filler. Well, except for a terrible joke about a guy with bananas in his ears. 😉

The one downside to these books is their size and format. It’s not even really a downside, but I think that some might discount the books because of their size and format. Which would be a mistake, but it could happen. Overall, the book is well thought out and put together. The information is up to date and well given. This would be an excellent book for a teen or a less personal finance savvy person. I did get a few things out of it, however, so give it a quick read before you gift it.

You can buy the book directly from theskinnyon.com or at Amazon.