Dave Barry's Money Secrets : Like, Why is There a Giant Eyeball on the Dollar?

Basically about what you'd expect from Dave when he turns his humour-columnist gaze to the world of finance: plenty of jokes about Donald Trump, recurring gags involving photographs that are attributed to incongruous sources, and amusing anecdotes from his own life (especially ones that make him look silly). I was particularly amused by his thesis of "Furniture-Induced Brain Shrinkage": the idea that corporate executives make boneheaded decisions because they are surrounded by high concentrations of nice office furniture. And if you've read his books on turning 50 or raising children, you'll nod in recognition when he discusses the high costs of college tuition and the perilous state of Social Security. This book is probably worth show more reading if you're a completist, but if you're new to Dave you'll probably want to try a collection of his columns first. show less

Was looking for something funny and lighthearted to listen to after the soul-wrenching Russian novel I listened to prior to this, and this one fit the bill perfectly. Parts of it were more humorous than others, and like most comedians, sometimes Barry seems terribly in love with himself and thinks he’s the funniest man alive. Once you get past that, you realize that it IS mostly pretty funny stuff. Some parts were definitely laugh-out-loud funny. My favorite bits were about the history of money, saving for retirement, choosing and paying for your child’s college education (hint: encourage them to get mediocre grades so they don’t get accepted to Harvard), and ‘making money in real estate,’ especially the section on OHDD—Old show more House Delusion Disorder. The section on starting your own business and what type to start is also great—especially the part about starting a pet-related business, because pet owners are especially stupid with money when it comes to their "babies." Highly recommended unless you are listening in a public place, because people will definitely look at you funny when you start chuckling, cackling and then chortling for no apparent reason. show less

I am not a fan of Dave Barry, I really have no knowledge of Dave Barry (sorry!) so I picked up this book with no idea what it was going to be like except that 1) it was about money and 2) it was probably comedic, judging from the cover. Well, I found it to be completely hysterical- laughing out loud, rolling on the floor, and fairly relevant to real life (such as, what AM I going to do with the thousands of pennies that have been collecting in that jar since the dawn of time in the hopes that they would one day pay for a trip to Disney World). The ratio of funny to actually true was not exactly what I was expected (there was so little that was actually true that when I stumbled across something I BELIEVED to be true, it immediately show more forced me to reconsider whether I actually knew it to be true at all), but that’s not the point. The point is, if you want to read a book actually about economics that is also vaguely entertaining, read Freakonomics. If you just want a good laugh, the occasional picture of Donald Trump, and the frequent reference to Angelina Jolie (occasionally naked), stick with Money Secrets. show less

Dave Barry puts out two kinds of books. The first being collections of previously written columns, the second (which this books falls under) is original material. I seem to enjoy his original work better than his columns. Maybe it's because he's allowed to go all out with no restraints. Nonetheless, this book doesn't disappoint. With the economy like it is today, it is a great relief to be able to laugh about it (and you may actually learn a little bit, too!). Highlights for me are the sections on the history of money as well as the constant references to our favorite financial guru, Suze Orman.

I remember enjoying Dave Barry's columns, and this book reminded me of why I did. However, reading this in only a couple of sittings is probably not the best method, as the humor becomes a little predictable.

Dave Barry is funny as always, but this book seems to lose focus and get (really far) off the topic on a regular basis. Good material, doesn't always go with the theme.

Standard Dave Barry fare. The narrator for this version does an excellent interpretation.