The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach with John David Mann

The Synopsis:

In this compelling, heartwarming parable, Bach and his bestselling coauthor John David Mann (The Go-Giver) tell the story of Zoey, a twenty-something woman living and working in New York City. Like many young professionals, Zoey is struggling to make ends meet under a growing burden of credit card and student loan debt, working crazy hours at her dream job but still not earning enough to provide a comfortable financial cushion. At her boss’s suggestion, she makes friends with Henry, the elderly barista at her favorite Brooklyn coffee shop.
Henry soon reveals his “Three Secrets to Financial Freedom,” ideas Zoey dismisses at first but whose true power she ultimately comes to appreciate. Over the course of a single week, Zoey discovers that she already earns enough to secure her financial future and realize her truest dreams—all she has to do is make a few easy shifts in her everyday routine.

I read this book for my own personal pleasure and was not required to write a review. Therefore, all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Review

So I have a habit of randomly finding books on my to-read list and having no idea how I actually found it in the first place. That was the case with this book. I was immediately intrigued by the title (once I re-found it on my to-read list), had no idea what it was about (other than the title), and was admittedly a bit skeptical going in. My initial guess was that it was going to be full of the “treat yourself” mentality, but with a responsible twist. Something like, “Buy that gorgeous Gucci bag you want, but either save for it for months and/or find a way to buy it cheaper.” I was quite pleasantly surprised.

For starters, this book started out with a story. That was definitely unexpected. It was actually entirely comprised of a story, which was an act of absolute brilliance on the part of the author. Zoey is a young professional who lives paycheck to paycheck and can never seem to get ahead on her college loans or credit card debt, much less even dream about buying a photograph that she has been admiring at a coffee shop forever. While bemoaning this to her boss, she is directed to Henry, a local barista at said coffee shop. Throughout the course of the book, Henry shares three simple but profound principles that will completely redo how Zoey views money.

So in addition to using a story to teach financial principles (have I mentioned that was a win?), Bach also made this book short, which worked out well for my schedule and attention span. He also managed to pack a ton of information into the short length. By utilizing the narrative format, he was able to keep my attention actively engaged while subtly bringing up arguments or concerns with the ideas that he was writing about. He was also able to seamlessly work in explanations about how to make his suggestions work.

The other thing that I loved was that he addressed saving and spending from a practical viewpoint. He didn’t say that everyone should save x amount – he gave guidelines for how to make saving work best for you. He also addressed long-term goals (like retirement) and short-term goals (such as a photography course) for saving, but still emphasized the importance of living life to the fullest now.

Overall, this was a brilliant book. I have no complaints, and would highly encourage everyone to add this to their to-read list.