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Why do so many books sound like TMF?

A post of a ranting nature...

Ashish Kulkarni

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I listened to TMF on Audible. Loved it.

I also listened to Unscripted on Audible. Again, loved it.

After listening to these brilliant books, I have been listening to a few other books.

The one I am currently listening to is "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. So many parts of the book sound very much like TMF .

The question is, is this my imagination? Or are other authors borrowing material out of TMF?

It's really annoying.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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The one I am currently listening to is "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.

How in the hell does a Slowlaner's bible sound anything like TMF ? Isn't that what it is?

I haven't read Total Money Makeover, but I hear its decent financial education, but nothing Fastlane.

I'm sure Dave Ramsey has read nothing of mine, and I can say the same.
 

Ashish Kulkarni

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How in the hell does a Slowlaner's bible sound anything like TMF ? Isn't that what it is?

I haven't read Total Money Makeover, but I hear its decent financial education, but nothing Fastlane.

I'm sure Dave Ramsey has read nothing of mine, and I can say the same.

I haven't listened to the entire book yet. Only the first 2 chapters. I agree with what you are saying @MJ DeMarco. I am returning the book on Audible.
 

MJ DeMarco

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I haven't listened to the entire book yet. Only the first 2 chapters. I agree with what you are saying @MJ DeMarco. I am returning the book on Audible.

I didn't say to return it.

I haven't read it.

I've heard from others that it is a good financial education; budgeting, savings, etc -- but general Slowlane stuff, nothing like TMF.
 

Ashish Kulkarni

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I didn't say to return it.

I haven't read it.

I've heard from others that it is a good financial education; budgeting, savings, etc -- but general Slowlane stuff, nothing like TMF.
Thanks MJ. That was a personal decision.
 
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ShamanKing

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I listened to TMF on Audible. Loved it.

I also listened to Unscripted on Audible. Again, loved it.

After listening to these brilliant books, I have been listening to a few other books.

The one I am currently listening to is "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. So many parts of the book sound very much like TMF.

The question is, is this my imagination? Or are other authors borrowing material out of TMF?

It's really annoying.


Right when I saw that you were listening to "THAT" book (Total Money Make Over" I knew MJ would say something.
 

amp0193

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Dave Ramsey is better than nothing.

If you are buried in debt, and have no plan for how to improve your financial situation, you could find it helpful. He's done a lot of good for a lot of people.

I wouldn't have found TMF, if Ramsey hadn't gotten me on the right track in the first place.

It's all about cutting expenses, paying down debt, and savings.

Almost nothing about radically improving your income... which is why MJ's books are the next step.


Ramsey is a fastlaner though. 55M net worth and basically lives in a castle. Do as he does, not as he says.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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ZF Lee

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Yup, he's the Joel Osteen of Slowlane personal finance.
Funny you mentioned Joel Osteen....he's been popping up on my feed more often, and listening a few seconds into his sermons somehow get the alarm bells ringing like hell in my head.

I try not to judge many preachers, but somehow the cringe comes in for Osteen. I have no idea if religious speakers are subject to speech training the same way world leaders are.
 
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ChrisV

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The one I am currently listening to is "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. So many parts of the book sound very much like TMF.
I think I read that book and if I’m not mistaken I remember it being the total opposite of TMF. Like it was all about penny pinching. I remember getting annoyed and putting it down. Maybe I’m thinking of a different book? I’m pretty sure it was that one though.
 

SethLBender

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I read both books.

Ramsey talks immensely about frugality, mutual funds, and snowballing debt. It did help change my behavior but I became more of a penny pincher and I didn’t agree with all of it.

TMF points out what’s wrong with the mindset of only just striving to retire at 65 with x amount of $. We want wealth at an age we can enjoy it and don’t want to settle or trust Wall Street just because everyone else is doing it.

Read Unscripted !
 

MJ DeMarco

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I try not to judge many preachers, but somehow the cringe comes in for Osteen. I have no idea if religious speakers are subject to speech training the same way world leaders are.

Joel found a need and filled it. And then he sold his prosperity gospel to millions, and hence, made millions. And obviously, kept millions.

Yet, I'm sure Joel don't care our opinions as he relaxes in his 15,000 square foot mansion while jet-setting around the globe in his G3, a true reflection of Christ-like values. Kinda reminds me of the POPE lecturing us about poverty as he sits on his gold throne. The SCRIPT is in every thread of society, and it is what makes these glaring hypocrisies possible.
 
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The Abundant Man

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Joel found a need and filled it. And then he sold his prosperity gospel to millions, and hence, made millions. And obviously, kept millions.

Yet, I'm sure Joel don't care our opinions as he relaxes in his 15,000 square foot mansion while jet-setting around the globe in his G3, a true reflection of Christ-like values. Kinda reminds me of the POPE lecturing us about poverty as he sits on his gold throne. The SCRIPT is in every thread of society, and it is what makes these glaring hypocrisies possible.
Reminds me of this one recent pastor who aksed for money to buy a new private jet so that he could preach the gospel
 

ChrisV

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I'm sure Joel don't care our opinions as he relaxes in his 15,000 square foot mansion while jet-setting around the globe in his G3, a true reflection of Christ-like values. Kinda reminds me of the POPE lecturing us about poverty as he sits on his gold throne.
A little off topic for this thread, but on topic for this forum, but there’s actually a bit of controversy surrounding the notion that Jesus was actually poor. A number of biblical scholars argue that he and his family may have actually been pretty wealthy. For example, the robe that he wore was supposedly of the absolute finest quality.

"Mary and Joseph took a Cadillac to get to Bethlehem because the finest transportation of their day was a donkey," says Anderson. "Poor people ate their donkey. Only the wealthy used it as transportation.”
I’m not a historian so I don’t know the validity of that claim, but I’m just pointing out the controversy.

I mean Jesus was a carpenter, which is hardly the wealth-building profession, but even if he were poor being in his social position, it’s not a far stretch to think that he anything he wanted would have been on the house. “Sir your money is no good here. Please, come sit at our finest table and anything you want is compliments of the chef.”

The New Testament reports that Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothing while he hung on the cross. They wouldn't gamble for Jesus' clothing unless it was expensive, Anderson says.


The 12th chapter of the Gospel of John says that Jesus had a treasurer, or a "keeper of the money bag.”

"The last time I checked, poor people don't have treasurers to take care their money," says Brown, author of "Devil, Demons and Spiritual Warfare.”
Although many churches have a treasurer to take care of collections.

But anyway, one of the articles:

Passions over 'prosperity gospel': Was Jesus wealthy? - CNN.com

Regardless of how true it is, it’s still inteeresting to think about.
 

The Abundant Man

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My favorite part of Indianna Jones and the Last Crusade was when they had to choose the right cup that was the Holy Grail. The Nazi leader chose the most lavish cup and melted. Indy finds the cup made of wood. He drinks from it and is okay. He then gives it to his dad. His dad is now alive.
 
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bilkar1985

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"Why so many books sound like TMF?"

if you have read TMF and/or Unscripted , it's in both books well explained:
A lot of people make money by writing books on self-development and wealth and say they want to help, do it for the others etc. and they "describe" (actually not) the process to make money and get out of the rat race.

The thing is, as MJ describes, that all these people did not build wealth or make money, by following the principles described in their books. They are making money by (well you got it) selling YOU their books, regurgigating (i hope i spell it right) the same things over and over.

In fact they sell you Slowlane (at best) principles, while they are or blink the Fastlane. Most of these people are NOT in the Fastlane and/or the principles they describe do NOT lead to the Fastlane.

3 years ago I broke my ankle, while playing football(soccer for our US friends). Actually it was destroyed. 4 months in bed without moving, I needed help to pee and sh*t. Now I am able to play again, run, kick the ball, play with the daughter etc. You know why? I went to THE BEST doc. in Greece to operate me. Actually I would be operated in another hospital by another doc. When I heard the 1st docs. name I was like: "Hell no! He might be assumed good, but it's ONLY reputation. All PROFESSIONAL players that were operated by him, ended their careers prematurely!" And I arranged hospital transfer IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, in order to live life the way I wanted to.

Would you like to have your life operated by slowlaners? I did (Kiyosaki) and he made money, I made ZERO, NADA, just like everyone else.

I hope all the above answers your question.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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My favorite part of Indianna Jones and the Last Crusade was when they had to choose the right cup that was the Holy Grail. The Nazi leader chose the most lavish cup and melted. Indy finds the cup made of wood. He drinks from it and is okay. He then gives it to his dad. His dad is now alive.


what's the lesson here ?


people here won't like the lesson


people here want wealth and the lesson of the movie is that wealth won't bring you hapiness

materialist things are not the end. this is why bilionaires are bored


the end is about finding truth in life and it has nothing to do with a mansion and lying on the beach

the holy grail in the movie is occult knowledge, not the cup of gold


same thing in life
 

bilkar1985

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what's the lesson here ?


people here won't like the lesson


people here want wealth and the lesson of the movie is that wealth won't bring you hapiness

materialist things are not the end. this is why bilionaires are bored


the end is about finding truth in life and it has nothing to do with a mansion and lying on the beach

the holy grail in the movie is occult knowledge, not the cup of gold


same thing in life

isn't it like that in quite any movie? this is social conditioning (for sure) and getting Scripted IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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TreyAllDay

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I don't mean to be an MJ fanboy but I've never read anything that has come close to or compares with Millionaire Fastlane . For example: I've read HOW TO GET RICH by Felix Dennis and it was just stories about his life with some basic advice along the way - same with Marc Cubans book. I read them and was more confused afterward.

Ever since reading MFL, business is simple to me. The day-to-day and how to get there is where things get complicated - but overall if I can make decisions that move toward satisfying NEEDS, ENTRY, CONTROL, SCALE, and TIME - then we will keep winning.

I have wondered though, as I'm sure authors are influenced by eachother, what types of books MJ read when he was coming up, and if they were similar to MFL.
 

MJ DeMarco

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biophase

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TreyAllDay

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I read a lot of TECH books because those were the problems I was trying to solve at the time.

NOTABLE! - The absolute BEST book you MUST read!

Great thread and advice.

Regarding books: I mean as far as business/life strategy books - I know specifically the CENTS framework and scale X magnitude are original concepts from MFL. But when I read the book, I thought "this stuff seems so simply obvious, but hidden from everything I'd read before" and wondered how an author I'd never heard of before, in a book I came across by chance, was the first one teaching me this stuff. So I always wondered who your "MJ" was or if any authors before you ever talked about similar concepts. To my knowing, I don't believe there have been many.
 

MJ DeMarco

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o I always wondered who your "MJ" was or if any authors before you ever talked about similar concepts. To my knowing, I don't believe there have been many.

Les Brown, Tony Robbins (Awaken the Giant) for motivational stuff...

The CENTS concepts are uniquely my own, learned through trial and error, err, failure.

What's frustrating is that I believe CENTS is the most poignant thing about my work -- (I believe Unscripted does a much better job explaining and expanding on it) and yet, when people review my books, they never focus on that. Instead it's the stuff about Fastlane/Slowlane/Sidewalk.

I'm always like, how the F*ck do you omit the most important things in the book(s)? The very thing that holds the key to your escape?
 

TreyAllDay

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Les Brown, Tony Robbins (Awaken the Giant) for motivational stuff...

The CENTS concepts are uniquely my own, learned through trial and error, err, failure.

What's frustrating is that I believe CENTS is the most poignant thing about my work -- (I believe Unscripted does a much better job explaining and expanding on it) and yet, when people review my books, they never focus on that. Instead it's the stuff about Fastlane/Slowlane/Sidewalk.

I'm always like, how the f*ck do you omit the most important things in the book(s)? The very thing that holds the key to your escape?
Yep CENTS was the standout concept for me above everything else in the book - it's a great business litmus test - every month I sit down and take a look at my business to ensure it's still satisfying CENTS. Even talking to/coaching other entepreneurs in groups I am in - their success and failures are all traceable back to CENTS 100% of the time but they just don't have a name for the concept yet lol.

The tricky part I find is people being honest with themselves. For example, everyone THINKS there is a need for their idea because they asked their friends or read some news article.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk
 
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ChrisV

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wealth won't bring you hapiness

materialist things are not the end. this is why bilionaires are bored
this is scripted bs... wealthy people have significantly increased levels of life satisfaction than poor people

it’s not everything but it’s significant
 

Ashish Kulkarni

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I'm just curious what parts of the first 2 chapters sounded like TMF?

The author goes on about how everyone is given same advise:

Go to school
Get good grades
Get a degree
Get a job
Settle down
Blah blah blah

Sound familiar?
 

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