How to Afford Healthcare, Ongoing Medical Care and Aging

The Wealthy Barber is David Chilton’s bestselling guide to becoming financially successful by following a handful of simple, easy-to-understand principles. These principles are illustrated using a fictional story about a teacher, an auto plant worker, and a small business owner who seek financial guidance from a barber who’s become wealthy by following the lessons he imparts.

Unlike some books on personal finance, The Wealthy Barber is not one size fits all: Chilton advises, for example, that you should only buy a house if it’s right for you, that day-to-day spending choices like whether to order take-out don’t matter too much if you’re implementing big-picture financial planning, and that not everyone needs life insurance.

Our guide compares and contrasts Chilton’s approach with those outlined in other popular personal finance books, such as The Simple Path to Wealth and The Total Money Makeover. We also provide background on developments in the financial and housing markets since the book was published.

In Being Mortal, surgeon Atul Gawande considers our experience of aging and dying in the 21st century. In his view, the modern approach to these stages of life undermines our ability to live well up to the end—to do better, we need to accept death as a natural part of the human experience and prioritize the well-being of the dying.

Critics praised Being Mortal and considered it one of the best books of 2014. It’s since been adapted into a TV documentary and a feature film.

We’ve divided our guide into two main sections to explore Gawande’s theme. The first section examines some of the ways we approach aging and death in our modern era, and the second explores Gawande’s ideas about how we might improve our experience of these profoundly important aspects of life.

In our commentary, we’ve contextualized Gawande’s ideas by citing relevant statistics about end-of-life care in the modern healthcare system and by exploring psychological insights on how we experience our mortality.

According to hedge-fund manager and energy trader Bill Perkins, your goal should be to die with zero dollars in your bank account because you’ve used all your money to lead the fullest possible life. Perkins explains that people generally tend to over-save and under-experience, but at the end of our lives, we’ll actually value experiences more than the money we saved. In Die With Zero, he proposes a strategy for maximizing enriching experiences throughout your life and minimizing unspent funds.

Perkins gears his book toward an audience with disposable income whose earnings will likely continue to grow over time. He acknowledges that his advice isn't a substitute for a professional financial planner, and he focuses on big-picture spending and saving principles rather than specific financial advice. We’ll supplement Perkins’s recommendations with other financial advice and alternative views on how to make the most of your wealth.

A massive bestseller now in its 13th edition, Burton Malkiel’s A Random Walk Down Wall Street provides a comprehensive and entertaining introduction to the world of finance. Malkiel leverages his experience as an academic economist and former Wall Street portfolio manager to explain for the lay reader the intricacies of security analysis, asset valuation, and investment theory. He also offers a wealth of practical investment principles that will be useful for novice and seasoned investors alike.

Does thinking about your personal finances make your palms start to sweat? If so, you’re not alone. The sheer amount of information out there about managing your finances is overwhelming, especially for people in their 20s or 30s who are just starting their financial journeys. Ramit Sethi is a self-taught expert in personal finance whose goal is to help you cut through the noise of conflicting and overly technical financial advice, get past your own hang-ups around money, and take small steps toward a “rich life”—whatever that looks like for you.

In this summary, you’ll learn how to use credit cards wisely, choose the right bank accounts and investment accounts, plan out your spending, and ultimately create a financial system that grows your money automatically.

In The Simple Path to Wealth, blogger and financial expert JL Collins offers a simple road map to achieving financial independence and a secure retirement: Spend less than you make, avoid debt, save “F-You Money,” and invest in stock index funds. He demystifies stocks and bonds, as well as a plethora of investment plan options. In addition to explaining basic concepts such as asset allocation, Collins answers key questions such as how to live on your investments and how to avoid major tax hits.

Whether you’re in the wealth accumulation stage of life where you’re growing your investments, or in the wealth preservation stage where you’re living on them, Collins tells you how to use your money to achieve freedom and a more fulfilling life.

Does thinking about your personal finances make your palms start to sweat? If so, you’re not alone. The sheer amount of information out there about managing your finances is overwhelming, especially for people in their 20s or 30s who are just starting their financial journeys. Ramit Sethi is a self-taught expert in personal finance whose goal is to help you cut through the noise of conflicting and overly technical financial advice, get past your own hang-ups around money, and take small steps toward a “rich life”—whatever that looks like for you.

In this summary, you’ll learn how to use credit cards wisely, choose the right bank accounts and investment accounts, plan out your spending, and ultimately create a financial system that grows your money automatically.

American healthcare is commonly known to be in a deplorable state, costing 18% of GDP while underperforming in quality among developed nations. Changing the situation systemically also seems intractable—passing new regulation is a political landmine, and costs continue to rise without a clear winning strategy.

American Sickness unpacks how US healthcare got to this state. It examines the competing interests of the major blocs in healthcare - hospitals and doctors, pharmaceuticals and devices, and insurers. Written by a Harvard-trained doctor and New York Times reporter, this book clarifies how deeply entrenched the interests are and why it’s so difficult to change anything.

In Being Mortal, surgeon Atul Gawande considers our experience of aging and dying in the 21st century. In his view, the modern approach to these stages of life undermines our ability to live well up to the end—to do better, we need to accept death as a natural part of the human experience and prioritize the well-being of the dying.

Critics praised Being Mortal and considered it one of the best books of 2014. It’s since been adapted into a TV documentary and a feature film.

We’ve divided our guide into two main sections to explore Gawande’s theme. The first section examines some of the ways we approach aging and death in our modern era, and the second explores Gawande’s ideas about how we might improve our experience of these profoundly important aspects of life.

In our commentary, we’ve contextualized Gawande’s ideas by citing relevant statistics about end-of-life care in the modern healthcare system and by exploring psychological insights on how we experience our mortality.

What if the key to understanding and treating mental illness isn’t in the brain itself, but in how the brain gets its energy? In Brain Energy, psychiatrist Christopher M. Palmer argues that mental illnesses result from problems with your metabolism—the process that converts food into energy for your body. He writes that when your brain doesn’t get enough energy, it doesn’t function properly and problems arise. But by making lifestyle changes that boost your metabolic efficiency, you can lessen symptoms or even prevent mental disorders from developing in the first place.

In this guide, we’ll explore Palmer’s brain energy theory and how mental health is linked to metabolic health. We'll also discuss factors affecting metabolism, ways to improve metabolic well-being, and tips for creating a personalized treatment plan. Throughout, we’ll compare Palmer’s ideas to other experts’ views and provide additional advice for improving your metabolism.

In Being Mortal, surgeon Atul Gawande considers our experience of aging and dying in the 21st century. In his view, the modern approach to these stages of life undermines our ability to live well up to the end—to do better, we need to accept death as a natural part of the human experience and prioritize the well-being of the dying.

Critics praised Being Mortal and considered it one of the best books of 2014. It’s since been adapted into a TV documentary and a feature film.

We’ve divided our guide into two main sections to explore Gawande’s theme. The first section examines some of the ways we approach aging and death in our modern era, and the second explores Gawande’s ideas about how we might improve our experience of these profoundly important aspects of life.

In our commentary, we’ve contextualized Gawande’s ideas by citing relevant statistics about end-of-life care in the modern healthcare system and by exploring psychological insights on how we experience our mortality.