Giveaway: A book all young people should read.

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th-1Know someone who’s graduating from high school or college in the next few months? Have I got a grad gift for you.

Zac Bissonnette’s “How to Be Richer, Smarter and Better-Looking Than Your Parents” would actually be good for any young person who’s flailing around right now. Say, someone who finished a degree in December but hasn’t been able to find himself, a passion or even 40 hours of work per week.

The author was 23 when the book was published — and it wasn’t his first book. Slacker.

Bissonnette wrote “Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships or Mooching Off My Parents” while still finishing that degree. His newer work is aimed at the money traps young people often fall into when starting off, and offers advice that may ring truer to readers because, well, he’s the same age.

That doesn’t mean he’ll cut them any slack. “There’s no secret to avoiding these (money) problems. It’s just that sometimes the stuff you have to do kind of sucks,” he said during an interview for this MSN Money post.

Stuff like, well, not overspending when it seems like your peers are living large. Or using cash instead of credit; in fact, he calls a cash-only system “the budget where you don’t need a budget.” Using a credit card is OK, Bissonnette says — but so is not using a credit card.

His biggest peeve: student loans. “If your kid borrows $30,000 for his freshman year of college, he’s going to graduate college with a disaster of a financial life. Not to minimize the other things, but what really matters is getting the student loan stuff right.

“College students need to understand that if they screw up this financial stuff while they’re in college, their options after college will be dramatically limited. That’s really why it’s important not to screw this stuff up.”

Be honest: If your guidance counselor told you that, might you have zoned out right after the part about getting the loan right?

While I don’t agree with everything Bissonnette says, I think his book should be read by young people (and by their parents). That’s why I’m giving away a copy this far in advance of the graduation season: You can read it and then pass it along to the young person in your life.

To enter:

If you do any (or all!) of these things, please leave separate, additional comments to get credit for each entry.

Since this went up late, the deadline is 7 p.m. PDT Tuesday, April 9. If I don’t hear back from the winner by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, I’ll pull another name.

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75 thoughts on “Giveaway: A book all young people should read.”

  2. I love the title – looking back, I realize that I should have never gone to a private, out-of-state college and I have been paying (literally and figuratively) for that since 2002. Bonus – I still don’t even have my degree, but I’ve got the debt to prove I went in the first place!

    I think this would be an interesting read, as I’m not quite out of my 20’s yet and have been trying to get my financial life back together.

    Thanks for letting me know of a new book to read!

    Reply
  12. Pingback: Weekly Chronicles: Birthday Edition

  34. I would really love to win this book!! We have 2 children in college who each have had to take college loans and this despite the fact that each has a job plus we’ve been able to offer some help as well, so this book may give us insights into different options or at least offer some encouragement!

    Reply

  36. I would love to win this. I have a son who is graduating from high school next month and I know this would be a great benefit for both of us. I subscribe by email and follow on facebook. I always look forward to this site because it makes me feel so NORMAL! Anyway, great site, great giveaway.Thanks and we have snow coming our way in Denver also.That is why my winter boots never leave the entrance way of the house.

    Reply

  37. A book like this gets to young people. The experience by a contemporary gets the reaction “Yea, I get it”.

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  38. Sounds like a good read. We are striving to teach our boys (15 and 12) good financial skills already, but the expense of college is staggering. Any tips are so useful as we begin to chart our course through those years.

    Reply

  47. My daughter is graduating from college in about 4 weeks, on May 11th. Advise from someone other than a parent is essential and profound and a necessity. I can’t think of a better gift to give her.
    Thank you.

    Reply

  49. My daughter sure could use this! I read Zac’s first book. I thought it was good. I’m keeping it on hand for when my daughter goes to college.

    Reply

  60. Lord, have mercy! I’ve got a kid graduating from college next year, and while she doesn’t seem to worry about her future, I certainly am! I hope and pray she finds a decent job after graduation! I would love to give this book to her!

    Reply

  71. I used to read your articles on MSN money. Your articles were my favorite. Are you writing on any other sites besides Thriving and surviving?

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    • Thanks for your kind words. I do some guest posts here and there and am also writing for a couple of women’s magazines (Woman’s Day, All You). Now that I’ve dropped down to three days a week at MSN Money, I hope to focus more on my own site.

      Reply

  72. Great advice. The fact he was 23 when he wrote the book is INSPIRATIONAL. My own son is about to leave High School and his ambition is to be rich. What subjects should he consider? I don’t know but I’m betting this book will have the answer.

    WELL DONE.

    Reply

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