Synopses & Reviews
This book can save you more than $100,000.These days, most people assume you need to pay a boatload of money for a quality college education. As a result, students and their parents are willing to go into years of debt and potentially sabotage their entire financial futures just to get a fancy name on their diploma.
But Zac Bissonnette is walking proof that this assumption is not only false, but dangerous-a class con game designed to rip you off and doom your student to a post-graduation life of near poverty . From his unique double perspective-he's a personal finance expert (at Daily Finance) AND a current senior at the University of Massachusetts-Zac figured out how to get an outstanding education at a public college, without bankrupting his parents or taking on massive loans.
Armed with his personal knowledge, the latest data, and smart analysis, Zac takes on the sacred cows of the higher education establishment. He reveals why a lot of the conventional wisdom about choosing and financing college is not only wrong but hazardous to you and your child's financial future. You'll discover, for instance, that:
* Student loans are NOT a necessary evil. Ordinary middle class families can- and must-find ways to avoid them, even without scholarships.
* College "rankings" are useless-designed to sell magazines and generate hype. If you trust one of the major guides when picking a college, you face a potential financial disaster.
* The elite graduate programs accept lots of people with non-elite bachelors degrees. So do America's most selective employers. The name on a diploma ultimately won't help your child have a more successful career or earn more money.
Zac can prove every one of those bold assertions - and more. No matter what your current financial situation, he has a simple message for parents: "RELAX! Your kid will be able to get a champagne education on a beer budget!"
Review
"If the National Association for College Admissions Counseling had anticipated the dire consequences of one of the smartest teenagers in America encountering the ill-examined assumptions of their profession, they might have found some way to buy him off, maybe a full ride scholarship to Harvard. Too late. Bissonnette is 21 now, a senior at the University of Massachusetts. He has written the best and most troubling book ever about the college admissions process."
-Jay Mathews, The Washington Post
"Let Zac Bissonnette help you plan for college-where to go, what to study, and how to pay for it-and you will finish rich"
-David Bach #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and Start Late, Finish Rich
"In the new economy, your college choice is critical. Zac Bissonnette's Debt- Free U is the one book you need to make this life-changing decision-- thoroughly researched, smart, and funny.
Review
“Are you there, Zac? It’s me, Chelsea. I loved your book. Plus, I’m only half-Jew so your financial wisdom really balanced out my Mormon side.”
—Chelsea Handler
"Though only a third of 2012 has passed, Zac Bissonnette is already a strong contender for the cheekiest author of the year award."
—The New York Times
“Our four daughters learned ‘Waste not, want not’ before they knew their ABCs, but Zac Bissonnette says it better and more credibly than a mere father could. His enjoyable romp through the basics of debt-free personal finance will be in their next Christmas stockings.”
—Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana
“Zac Bissonnette puts the ‘smart’ in smart-aleck with his irreverent, hilarious, and eminently sensible financial advice. This may be the one personal finance book that actually delivers on its title. Parents, give it to your kids. Kids, leave a copy on the kitchen table—maybe your parents will pick it up and learn something."
—Daniel Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind
Synopsis
The world is full of people telling you how to live your life. Sometimes the advice-givers fall ever-so-slightly short themselves.Bestselling author Zac Bissonnette has gathered more than seventy-five jaw-dropping gems, including risk-management advice from the man who triggered the world's largest hedge fund collapse and tips from gay-prostitute-patronizing pastor Ted Haggard on how to build a marriage that lasts a lifetime. The result will keep you smiling while you glean all the wisdom you need to build the life you want . . . if only you can follow it better than the people who gave it.
- "When you know what you are talking about, others will follow you, because it's safe to follow you." --Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld, 2006
- "I think the most important thing is restore a sense of idealism and end the cynicism." --future Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, 2002
- "The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuse, that's the day you start to the top." --O.J. Simpson, 1975
Synopsis
Striking out on your own for the first time is exhilarating. But in a culture full of bad advice, predatory banks, and splurge-now-pay-later temptations, it can also be extremely dangerous—leading you to make financial decisions that could hurt you for years to come. Combine this with a slumped economy, mounds of student loans, and dubious examples from reality TV stars to politicians to your own parents, and it’s no wonder so many twenty-somethings are struggling.
Twenty-three-year-old Zac Bissonnette—the author of Debt-Free U—knows exactly what you’re going through. He demystifies the many traps young people fall victim to in their post-college years. He offers fresh insights on everything from job hunting to buying a car to saving for retirement that will give you a foundation for a secure, stable, and happy life. In the process, he reveals why FICO scores are overrated, online job applications are a waste of time, car loans are for suckers, and credit card rewards are a scam.
With detours to discuss wine connoisseurs, Really Broke Housewives, and Lenny Dykstra, Zac shows you how to make better choices today so you can be richer, smarter (and better-looking!) for years to come.
Synopsis
The world is full of people telling you how to live your life. Sometimes the advice-givers fall ever-so-slightly short themselves. Bestselling author Zac Bissonnette has gathered more than seventy-five jaw-dropping gems, including risk-management advice from the man who triggered the worlds largest hedge fund collapse and tips from gay-prostitute-patronizing pastor Ted Haggard on how to build a marriage that lasts a lifetime. The result will keep you smiling while you glean all the wisdom you need to build the life you want . . . if only you can follow it better than the people who gave it.
When you know what you are talking about, others will follow you, because its safe to follow you.” Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld, 2006 I think the most important thing is restore a sense of idealism and end the cynicism.” future Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, 2002 The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuse, thats the day you start to the top.” O.J. Simpson, 1975
Synopsis
Good Advice From Bad People is a daringly original humor book based on real quotes from murderers, stock swindlers, and other ne'er-do-wells.
The world is full of people telling you how to live your life. Sometimes though, the advice-givers fall ever so slightly short themselves. For instance:
"The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuse, that's the day you start to the top." - O.J. Simpson, 1975
"When you know what you are talking about, others will follow you, because it's safe to follow you." - Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld, 2006
"I think the most important thing is restore a sense of idealism and end the cynicism." - future Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, 2002
"It is easier to get into something than to get out of it." - Donald Rumsfeld, 1974
Bissonnette also includes risk management advice from the man who triggered the world's largest hedge fund collapse; a pair of #1 bestselling relationship experts who married each other and promptly divorced; and gay-prostitute-patronizing pastor Ted Haggard on how to build a marriage that will last a lifetime.
The result will keep you smiling while you glean all the wisdom you need to build the life you want... if only you can follow it better than the people who gave it.
Video
About the Author
Zac Bissonnette wrote two acclaimed bestsellers before his twenty-fourth birthday: Debt-Free U and How to Be Richer, Smarter, and Better-Looking Than Your Parents. He has also written for the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the Daily Beast, NYTimes.com, and Mental Floss, among others. A 2011 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, he is currently working on his fourth book. He lives in New York.