1st Quarter 2008 – Update & Newsletter

Although we are now well into the New Year, I hope that you enjoyed the holidays and I wish you a healthy and prosperous 2008! Since my last email back in December, I have had a lot of exciting news that I wanted to share and update you on relating to my new book and nationwide Financial Literacy Initiative. As you may be aware, I released The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy just over a month ago, and I am pleased to report that the project is growing rapidly.

For me, this project is more than being about a book -- it is a passionate initiative and an effort to further a nationwide movement. With daily media coverage on the Foreclosure, Credit and Mortgage Crisis, the Stock Market Meltdown and the looming Recession -- now more than ever, it is important for ALL consumers to be financially educated. About 3 years ago, after selling my telecom company, I began working on this important project. After being completely amazed at the lack of basic financial literacy of most otherwise well-educated adults, I wanted to find a way to make a positive difference in society for current and future generations. My goal is to better educate ALL consumers, and not just the business or financial savvy, on the topic of Practical Financial Literacy, and to bring a new awareness to the Financial Literacy Epidemic sweeping the nation. Here are some interesting and staggering statistics:

• Savings rates dipped to a negative percentage of income in 2005, something that has not happened since the Great Depression. (Source: U.S. Commerce Department, 2006)
• In 2002, more people declared bankruptcy than graduated from college, filed for divorce or were diagnosed with cancer. (Source: CARE Program & Harvard Law Report)
• The Social Security system, which many people rely on for retirement, will be bankrupt by 2042. (Source: SocialSecurity.gov)
• Americans' #1 fear is running out of money during retirement. (Source: USA Today)

If you have not already had the opportunity to do so, I highly recommend you pickup a copy of the new book for yourself or for someone else who may benefit from it. I would be happy to personally autograph or inscribe it if you buy it through our website (please request this at checkout).

Financial Literacy Quiz
In order for people to test their own knowledge of Personal Finance, I have setup a special website at www.FinancialLiteracyQuiz.com. There are 50 multiple choice questions on a variety of topics. Give it a try and share it with your friends -- a score of 75% or better is considered "passing." Sadly, the national average is currently only 58%. If you do not "pass," the quiz results will point out areas that you should get some additional education on. Obviously, the new book covers all of these topics in a concise and easy to read format.

Media Coverage
We are fortunate to be receiving a significant amount of positive media attention regarding the nationwide Financial Literacy Project and book release. The Northern Colorado Business Report (NCBR) recently published an impressive feature article which does a great job of summarizing this initiative and the Denver Business Journal (DBJ) also printed a terrific spotlight article. Additionally, I have done a variety of nationwide radio interviews, including with Fox News Radio (Dr. Ray Watson), CNN Radio (JD Messinger), The Bonnie Graham Show, Underground Shopper (Sue Goldstein), and The Rude Awakening Show (David "Bulldog" Rothner). Please click on the links above or visit the Events page of my website for more information.

Book & Speaking Tour
In early January, I began traveling the country for my Nationwide Book & Speaking Tour, and I am continuing to add more dates and cities for the rest of the year. In just the past few weeks, I have made appearances in Denver, Houston, Phoenix/Scottsdale and Las Vegas. In the coming weeks, I will be in Miami, Key West, Las Vegas (again!), San Antonio, New York City and Los Angeles. Please check the website Events page to see if I will be coming soon to your area! If you are part of an association, professional organization, corporation or school (high school or college) and would like to have me come speak at one of your events, please contact me.

Reviews & Testimonials
The book itself has been getting a lot of positive support, attention and "buzz." It garnered very complimentary reviews from both Armchair Interviews and Kirkus Book Review. I even received a nice letter of support from Senator Wayne Allard relating to my nationwide Financial Literacy Initiative. The highlight of my day is reading all of the emails and letters I receive from people telling me how this book provided new insight and changed their lives. Please visit the Testimonials page of my website to see a sample of these, and I would also welcome the opportunity to get your feedback on the book as well.

Bookstores & Distribution
Although most of the books are sold in conjunction with the speaking tour and public appearances, as well as in large quantities to associations, corporations and schools, traditional retail and book store distribution is still very important, as it makes the title easily available to individual consumers across the US. We have had great success with Amazon, but I am pleased to report that the book is now stocked at all Tattered Cover Bookstores (one of largest independent bookstores in the US). We are also still in talks with Barnes & Noble and hope to be able to announce that they are stocking the book soon. I know many of you have unsuccessfully attempted to buy copies from their various stores across the country, and I thank you for your support, patience and emails. If you are interested in a quantity discount on the purchase of 100+ books for use as customer or employee premiums, or for educational purposes, please contact me.

Challenge to Schools
We would never think of letting students graduate high school or college without being proficient in the areas of math, English and science, but that is exactly what we do when it comes to their understanding of basic Financial Literacy. Would you believe that currently only 7 states require the completion of a Personal Finance class in order to graduate? In order to help more states and schools teach basic Financial Literacy, I have issued a unique "Challenge to Schools" wherein I will provide free books and the class curriculum, under certain conditions. I have been working closely with school administrators and law makers across the country and am pleased to report that this is really gaining traction and attention.

Summary & Closing
Thank you so very much for all of your supportive comments and emails. Obviously, I think this is a very important project (is it too much to ask to change the world?), and that the book is well written and should be a "must read" for EVERY consumer (whether they are 18 or 80, or anywhere in between), but it makes me feel especially good when I hear how my efforts have changed a person's life. After spending more than 3 years and countless hours researching, writing and editing, it is nice to see this project enter the next phase with a tangible resource being delivered. Please visit my website and BLOG for frequent updates. I cannot thank everyone enough for their continued support.

Warmest Regards,

Braun Mincher, Author/Speaker
The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy
Available at www.BraunMincher.com and from other booksellers nationwide.

Kirkus Book Review

Yeah!! The book just got a very complimentary review from Kirkus:

"A handy guide to personal finance and a convincing argument for improved financial literacy. Secrets is a near-encyclopedic compilation of financial advice from Mincher, a self-made multimillionaire... In many ways, the story of how the author made his money is as interesting as the financial counsel he provides... Mincher offers brief chapters on just about every conceivable area of financial inquiry, from credit checks to buying a car to investing in the stock market... But as such it is very valuable indeed; clearly organized and helpfully broken up into bite-size sections, the information is easy to digest. Underpinning it all is the author’s fervent belief that most people need to know more about their money... Useful, credible and smart."

Click here to see the complete review on their website.

Never Too Early for Financial Literacy

Young Kole is starting to learn about Financial Literacy at a young age, proving that it is never too early for parents to teach their kids about the personal finance topics that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Help someone you know, whether they are young or old(er), by introducing them to The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy, which is now available online and in bookstores everywhere!

The Free Rider Theory: Health Insurance

I recently had a conversation with a business-owner friend of mine which was very upsetting to me. He was telling me about one of his young employees who participates in “Ultimate Fighting” events for fun. Recently, the employee came to work and his hand was purple after he “injured” it at one of these events. After searching the web to find a local “indigent care” program (since he is not responsible enough to have even basic and inexpensive health insurance), he went to a doctor who confirmed that it was in fact broken.

Apparently, the break is so serious that he will need the services of an orthopedic surgeon. Again, since he has no health insurance, guess who will pay for all of this? Yep, you and me, either in the form of higher prices at the doctor or higher health insurance premiums.

About a year ago, I had to have an orthopedic surgeon put some pins in my ankle to fix a broken bone – although he was great guy and provided me with excellent service, I now know why I had to pay over $4,000 out of my HSA for the day surgery center and his services. The reason it was so expensive is because of people like this who do not pay! It is the same reason that an aspirin in the hospital costs $12.

While I have heard every argument under the sun about why some people do not have health insurance (although it is tough to sympathize when this same person is driving a shiny car, has the newest MP3 player, cell phone and plasma TV), I became almost violently upset in hearing that somebody would be careless enough to not only lack health insurance, but also knowingly engage in a dangerous physical activity to boot. Hey, I may understand if you have some excuse why you cannot “afford” (read: prioritize) health insurance (at his age, the premium would probably be less than $50 per month), but expecting the rest of society to suffer for your medical expenses when you intentionally do something where injury is likely, is just plain inexcusable in my book. Why do you and I have to pay more to support this free rider?

What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

Braun Mincher, Author
The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy
www.BraunMincher.com

Positive Book Review - Armchair Interviews

When the new book was released a few weeks ago, several copies were sent to the various reviewers in the industry. This can be somewhat of a tense time for authors, because these organizations can have a big impact on the success of a book, but you never know what they are going to say. Well, the good news is that the first review was just published and it is GREAT! Here is the review summary from Armchair Interviews:

"If you are looking for a gift that will keep on giving, I’d recommend The Secrets of Money. It’s a one-size-fits-all kind of reference book, for no matter the age of the person, whether they’re about to open their first checking account or are ready for retirement, they can find something to help them manage their money a little better, I know I did. I give it 5 stars."

Although I put my heart and soul into writing a good book, as an author, it is very reassuring to have an independent 3rd party reviewer reinforce your efforts with such positive, impartial comments. My appreciation goes out to both Jan Warren and Andrea Sisco at Armchair Interviews for taking the time to read and review my book.

Click here to read the complete book review on Armchair Interviews.

Cheers,

Braun Mincher, Author
The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy
www.BraunMincher.com

Goals for 2008

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! With the holidays almost behind us, most of us are starting to set goals for 2008, which is just around the corner. I have a lot of big plans and wanted to take a quick moment to share a sampling of what 2008 has in store for me and my book project.

Angela and I attended a lot of holiday parties this season. Many people had read my new book and had good feedback to share, which I enjoyed discussing with them. I was amazed at the diverse occupations and financial situations all of these people had, and how much they all seemed to honestly like my book (granted, they could just be nice, but I really dug to try to get the truth). Readers I spoke with included a retired attorney, an electrician, a bank loan officer, a school teacher, a real estate investor and several college students. My best compliment was from the retired attorney who said that my book was better than Suze Orman’s, because it appealed to a wider range of people and had practical information. Personally, I think that our books are a good compliment, but it is nice to be regarded that highly since she is the undisputed diva of personal finance and someone I admire.

As of next week, my book will have been out for only a month, but it has already done very well sales wise (anyone can sell a book during the holidays...). However, the real work is just beginning. In the early spring of 2008, I am lining up numerous nationwide media interviews to bring awareness to my passionate initiative to better educate all consumers, and not just the business or financial savvy, on the topic of practical Financial Literacy. This will include a nationwide book tour (hopefully, I will be able to fly my 182!), signings and numerous speaking engagements. Please check my Events page for details as they become available.

People traditionally think that individual book sales through brick-and-mortar bookstores are how most authors sell their books. While this is probably true, and I am certainly pursuing that avenue as well, there are also two other sales channels that I am aggressively going after which will allow the project to grow much quicker. The first is quantity discount sales to corporations, groups and schools who purchase 100 to 10,000 of the books at a time to use as a customer/employee premium (gift) or in their programming (teaching). Second, is through professional speaking engagements for groups, trade associations, colleges, corporations and the like who will purchase copies of the book in advance for each attendee (which I will happily autograph afterwards).

Thank you to everyone for your continued encouragement and support. This is a very exciting project, but as you can see above, the real work is just beginning. I am working to apply the same fundaments that helped me be successful in the business world to the “book business,” which I am continuing to learn more about everyday. I look forward to seeing everyone on my 2008 Book Tour!

P.S. If you have not already done so, please give my online Financial Literacy Quiz a try and compare your score with your friends:
www.FinancialLiteracyQuiz.com

Cheers,

Braun Mincher, Author
The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy
www.BraunMincher.com

The 'Book Business' Update

While it has only been a week since the release of my new book, The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy, I have learned even more than I thought possible about how the book business works. Our top distributor has already sold out of inventory 3 times, so that is a good sign (unless you are one of the people who wanted to buy a copy of the book when they are out).

This last 7-10 days have been somewhat of a blur with the shipping of books, press kits, review copies, etc. It is personally fulfilling to see the books actually getting into the hands of people who will enjoy them and benefit from the knowledge I worked so hard to convey.

If you have not already done so, be sure to test your level of Financial Literacy by taking my online 50-question multiple-choice quiz and comparing your results with your friends. Sadly, the national average right now is only 57%, and if you cannot pass with at least 75% you should think about some additional Financial Literacy education (buying my book would be a good start!). Here is the direct link:

http://www.financialliteracyquiz.com/

In my web surfing this week, I did come across several BLOGS related to "Personal Finance" which I found interesting and would like to share:

http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/
www.getrichslowly.org/blog
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/

Holiday Cheers,

Braun Mincher