The Uncomfortable Truth About Money: How to live with uncertainty and think for yourself

This is a terrific book not only for its practical money lessons, but for its brilliant storytelling. It is an enjoyable, interesting and often delightful narrative filled with Podolsky's personal stories and insights. He weaves in his experiences as a young child losing his mother, as a young reporter and father struggling to make ends meet, and as an eager learner in the financial field where he ended up working for many years at Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund.The book’s premise is that while many of us may not want to think about finances, we really don’t have a choice. Money is one of the many lenses through which we have to look at ourselves, our relationships and our world. The choice that we do have is whether we want to get better at managing our finances or not. If we can get better at it, our lives can improve. “Money, used properly, is autonomy,” Podolsky writes.If you’re worried you don’t know enough about money to read a book about money – that you’ll get lost in jargon and be in over your head – leave those concerns behind. Podolsky takes you by the hand through financial lessons while treating you, the reader, as an intelligent person. He makes complicated topics not only easily digestible but fascinating.I have four young adult kids. This will be the most important Christmas gift they each receive this year.

I like Paul's admission "we had the sex talk with the kids but not the money talk". I agree that most parents (and schools) probably don't cover the money talk enough, yet as young adults we are expected to understand why credit card debts can make life very uncomfortable, what the difference is between floating and fixed rate mortgages and why liquidity vs illiquidity in times of distress can be a life altering difference to name just a few. Sprinkle in some office politics, an overview of most asset classes and this is a great intro to the "world of money" worth reading by anyone starting out.

In his 206-page softcover book, Podolsky recounts his journey through life and his evolving relationship with money. He shares valuable lessons learned—from childhood memories with his grandfather to experiences in college, marriage, and his challenging yet lucrative career.The central theme of the book is the necessity of mastering money management, saving, and investing. Podolsky breaks this down across 14 chapters, each addressing different aspects of money's impact on liLater in his career, Podolsky honed his investment skills at Bridgewater Associates under renowned founder Ray Dalio. After several years, he bravely left to start his own firm, Kate Capital, despite the allure of his previous high compensation. His rich investment experience uniquely positions him to offer guidance to newcomers and those in need of direction.While the book doesn't delve deeply into each topic, it effectively summarizes essential points and uses relatable stories to illustrate them. Podolsky also simplifies complex concepts, like the economy and central banking.However, the book does have two minor shortcomings. The 42-book bibliography, though impressive, lacks full details—offering only the author's last name and book title, which is surprising given Podolsky's background as an author of two books, as well as a Substack. Additionally, the absence of an index limits reader accessibility to specific topics.Despite these flaws, the writing is engaging and accessible. Personal anecdotes about family, career, and investments drive home key lessons. This book is a quick read—taking just one to two hours—but the insights gained could prove invaluable. It serves as an excellent primer for further exploration into more complex investing and financial topics.In conclusion, college students, millennials, and anyone uncertain about budgeting, home buying, career decisions, or investing can greatly benefit from Podolsky's experiences, insights, and practical advice.

This is not just any old book about money. This is a brilliant, fast-paced read. My favorite parts are when Podolsky looks back on his own experience with tragedy, struggle and personal flaws. Sometime sad, often hilarious, Podolsky is utterly devoid of pretension. And the take away is that ALL of us are capable of using what he offers to improve our relationship with money, and life in general. It's a profound little gem of about 200 pages. I won't be surprised when it becomes a best seller and award winner. It will be the book I buy all my kids and family for the holidays. Enjoy!

Paul Podolsky’s The Uncomfortable Truth About Money is a rare gem in personal finance literature. With relatable personal stories and practical advice, Podolsky makes complex financial concepts accessible, even for those without a financial background. His candid, engaging narrative feels like learning from a trusted friend, not a textbook. Offering real-world strategies for budgeting, investing, and planning, the book is both informative and entertaining—a must-read for anyone looking to take control of their finances, especially someone starting out in their career.

We thought we had discussed finances with our twenty-year old kids in enough detail when we taught them basic budgeting- but after reading The Uncomfortable Truth About Money- we started more in depth discussions about the role money plays in important life decisions and how to build wealth. For the holidays we will give each of them this book and a small amount of $ to invest, save spend- using this book for ideas.