Want to Retire Before Mom and Dad? Start Here

Rob Berger starts off his magnum opus, Retire Before Mom and Dad, with a startling statement: we’re all being lied to. With an eerily accurate comparison being drawn between real life and the Matrix, Berger paints a picture of what society has led us to believe is the reality of finances (The Five Lies) and contrasts it with what he calls, The Truth.

What are these lies we are all being fed (and, as uncomfortable as it may be to admit, that we are devouring voraciously with blind appetite)? The biggest one is that financial freedom is a luxury that can only be afforded by the elite few.

Robert Berger is the Deputy Editor at Forbes and founder of DoughRoller.net. He also retired at the age of 49, is debt-free, and is living the life of his dreams secure in his financial freedom. Suffice it to say, he knows a thing or two about managing money properly. Releasing his latest project, Retire Before Mom and Dad, Berger continues his mission: educating the masses about a colossal misconception that we’ve been led to believe all of our lives.

Retire Before Mom and Dad is filled with wisdom mixed with a bit of humor. Berger has done an excellent job of tackling a serious subject in a playful yet powerful way.

Reading Retire Before Mom and Dad: A Pleasant Task Everyone Should Undertake

Rob Berger’s writing is informal throughout Retire Before Mom and Dad.  The chapters are easy to read and the language is clear. There wasn’t any of the typical, confusing industry jargon, or, more importantly, condescending tone that you usually get with these personal finance self-help books.

What’s more, Retire Before Mom and Dad is broken up into short chapters so you can sit with the book and conquer an important chapter in just a few minutes. The concepts you’ll read about are easy to follow and the ideas are well-presented. So, you aren’t left wondering about a topic that should have been covered more thoroughly.

Perspective, Objective, and Getting the Point Across

Does Berger say it straight? Yes. Does he show you what success looks like? More or less (though I also like that he left plenty of room for you to define your own ideas of what success means to you). Yet he does everything with an air of humor, keeping a tough topic lighthearted and palatable. Berger also adds in a heaping serving of well-researched information and mind-blowing stats. These both keep the subject matter interesting and add further validity to his statements. One thing is for sure: it’s obvious that Berger did a lot of research before writing this book.

Added Value

In addition to being an easy (dare I say, entertaining) and valuable read, Berger also loads up Retire Before Mom and Dad with several useful resources. He packs each chapter with:

• Detailed videos that help explain some of the more complicated concepts, breaking them down even further and going into even more detail than the short book covers
• Tons of interesting tidbits that actually make financial freedom seem like it could be a realistic goal…for anyone
• Real-life investing tips and applications–I would have liked even more tutelage about investing, though I guess you can’t expect a full-blown Wall Street 101 from a 250-page book
• Solid, realistic, and actionable strategies for attaining financial freedom

That last one might have been my favorite. Because, while Retire Before Mom and Dad was without a doubt amusing to read (I chuckled out loud several times as I read through the pages)–The real value that you can walk away with when reading Retire Before Mom and Dad is the practical strategies on how to gain financial independence. A lot of personal finance books, tools, and guides talk a big talk. But Berger actually delivers on his promise.

There are also chapter summaries to keep things organized. At the end of each chapter, the material from that section is broken down into neat, concise bullet points. These are helpful ways to remind you of the previous chapter’s lessons, and they are a convenient way for you to quickly look back and see what the main takeaways are.

The book takes financial independence and sets a clear path for you to follow, so you can actually get there. The biggest benefit of all is that step-by-step, Berger walks you through the complex process of investing in a strategic, simplified, and understandable manner.

A Worthwhile Read or Just More Rhetoric?

Retire Before Mom and Dad has a lot of good points to it, but let’s get back to the opening statement. Berger claims we are all being lied to. Do I agree with the premise? Well initially, I was skeptical, as any intelligent body should be of someone making grand promises of fortune and financial freedom for all. After reading the entire book cover to cover though, I have to admit, I think Berger has the right ideas.

Practically, the writing is clear, concise, and witty, something most of us can appreciate when reading a book about how we need to clean up our spending act. Throughout Retire Before Mom and Dad, Berger subtly, gently, and effectively disproves the financial lies we’ve been fed. More notably, he then replaces these lies with new truths (or old ones that we may have forgotten or been blinded to by social misconceptions) that can help reshape, redefine, and redirect your outlook on personal finances and even life on the whole.

More than that, I would say that Retire Before Mom and Dad provides you with the roadmap to conquering your own financial fears, fallbacks, and faux pas. Ultimately, Berger’s book will be a huge asset to anyone who has ever dreamed (no matter how remotely) of achieving financial freedom. You can get a copy of Retire Before Mom and Dad here.