The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

I've been in the financial planning business for a quite some time and read just about everything in the industry, and The Behavior Gap is truly original thinking. Most of the books in the field are advice driven whereas this book is more about challenging your thinking about money. This forces you to think about challenging questions about how you deal with your finances.

This is a good book for both the consumer and the financial planner. I think a lot of financial advisors tend to get caught up in the nuances of financial planning such as getting a higher interest rate or saving the maximum amount on taxes, but it is really behavior that challenges most people with their money.

People usually know what to do with their money, but they don't always do it. This book addresses those topics and is an important contribution to both the public and the financial planning community.

In full disclosure, I received an advance copy, but I did not know the author prior to reading the book. I highly recommend it.

I ordered a copy of the Kindle version and listened to it on my way to and from work. I must say, I really enjoyed listening to the first 3-4 chapters, but after that, although the author had different stories and comments, it seemed that his advice became somewhat repetitive. There's only so many ways to tell someone not to lean to heavily on their feelings and not follow the herd...

Also, while I did not expect to receive actual financial advice (where to put money, how much, etc), I felt that the author could have used more examples of what he typically recommends to his clients in specific areas (not just, "move out of stocks" or "invest in bonds") for those of us who are new to the process of saving.

Overall, a good book for the thought concepts that one can appreciate when it comes to finances.

This is an excellent book for helping casual and novice investors become aware of the psychological issues that negatively affect investment performance.

The book is written breezily, almost humorously, yet clearly. I did find it to be rather repetetive, but perhaps that helps make the advice sink in.

However, mass and individual investor psychology has been a hot research topic in recent years, and deservedly so. I would have preferred to see more discussion of recent learning and a bit more detail.

4.5 stars for inexperienced investors
3 stars for those who are already somewhat familiar with the issues.