I’m always grousing and complaining on our blog that I don’t have time to read books and that I’m jealous because my husband finds the time to read lots of books. I do read; I read lots of things – mostly on the internet – news stories, blogs, magazines, etc. But, reading an actual book from beginning to end has been too much of a commitment for me these past five years.
I used to read a book a week, but since the fire in 2007, my focus and energies changed to rebuilding our home and our life. Once that was done and out-of-the-way, my focus shifted into high gear in managing the financial affairs and the emotional needs of 5 elderly family members.
So, reading a book from cover-to-cover is a luxury to me and one with which I struggle to find time to do in my toot sweet life. But, guess what? I read a book! I read a book from beginning to end, cover-to-cover! And, even though it’s non-fiction (my preference is to read fiction, if I had the time. Escape value and all that, you know what I mean?), I loved this book!
Outsmarting the System by Anthony C. Campidonica is just the kind of book to read during tax season. An easy read, Tony has laid out this book in a clear, concise, step-by-step fashion that speaks volumes to the average layperson.
As a business owner (yes, Toot Sweet 4 Two is a business), Tony’s book provides a “road map” of how to tailor our future’s vision from a tax perspective. A former IRS agent, Tony’s unique insight into the operational structure and role of the IRS is a fundamental component of this well-written book.
Also, at 125 pages, a reader can knock this book out in two hours. And, if your goal is financial independence, it’s two hours well-spent.
This is the kind of book that I wished had been handed to me as a gift when I was in my twenties. If I had read this book then, I may very well have taken a different path to my financial future, rather than the one I chose.
What I mean is that I may have chosen an entrepreneurial path, venturing into that world rather than working for others. Tony insightfully addresses this conundrum that is America today. As a nation built by entrepreneurs, we have somehow managed to become a nation of employees.
After contemplating this phenomenon, I’ve only identified three people in my family that have created their own companies: my uncle, Bob, who was an architect and created his own architectural firm before retiring; my brother-in-law, Jay, who has his own air-conditioning contracting company in Arizona (now, I ask you, how smart is that?); and, my ex-brother-in-law and Tiffany’s father, Joel, a professional photographer, contracting his services to others. I believe the rest of my family has always worked for others, either in the private sector or as a government employee.
In a large family (including extended family) of 40+ people, to have only 3 be self-employed, now that’s a compelling story of the shift in the American dream.
Family: if I’m wrong about this, give me a shout out in the comments section. If I’ve forgotten someone who is, indeed, self-employed, my apologies. But, I believe the clear majority of us work for others.
I encourage anyone interested in financial independence to read this book. And, if you have young adults in your family, either graduating from school or embarking on their first job, give them Tony’s book as a gift. They may not realize it when you give them this gift, but you might be giving them the best gift they will ever receive: the permission to think outside the box, take a chance and build their own financial freedom by working for themselves instead of working for “the man.”
Disclaimer: Tony is Toot Sweet 4 Two’s tax advisor and we did receive his book as a gift. His gift came with no expectation. In other words, he wanted us to read his “words of wisdom” and did not ask us to do this review. This review is totally unsolicited and is my own personal opinion. And, the bottom line is that in my personal opinion, the average American consumer would benefit from reading his book!
Also, Tony’s book is available on Amazon. If you link over to Amazon from either our “Shop Toot Sweet” menu bar or through the Amazon advertisement running on the side of our blog AND purchase Tony’s book, we will receive a small fee. This fee does not increase your costs and helps to keep our content free on our site. So, if you buy Tony’s book through us, we thank you!
P.S. By the way, Charlie has read this book, too, and he rates it 5 butterflies.
Tootles,
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