The Die Broke Financial Problem Solver

s/t: Six Steps to Overcoming All Your Money Problems
This book is designed to be a guide in helping listeners successfully navigate the professional and financial challenges they face every day. Through real-life situations — including job hunting, getting fired, starting a business, and facing divorce — Pollan and Levine show listeners that the key to success in any sticky situation is problem solving. Pollan, who reads the audio, has a voice that is easy on the ears, conjuring up an image of a beneficent, wise, cigar-smoking uncle who takes you out to lunch to help you figure out your problems. And that is just what Pollan and Levine do: They help you take control of life’s dilemmas. By faithfully applying the effective six-point checklist developed by Pollan and Levine to your personal and financial headaches, you will become a master problem solver in no time.

Pollan and Levine’s checklist covers a variety of points, from the first point, “determine what really is the problem,” to the last point, “if you need to, turn no into yes.” The first step to becoming a master problem solver, defining the exact nature of the problem, can sometimes be the most difficult part. Pollan and Levine define a problem as “anything that keeps you from being successful or that could keep you from being successful.” The authors strongly emphasize that any problem, whether real or imagined, has a common denominator: The “no.” When you can transform a “no,” a virtual roadblock, into a “yes,” then you have learned the art of problem solving, and the path to a more successful future has been cleared.

Pollan and Levine divide all “nos” into two categories: Those based on reaction to the facts and those based on emotional decisions. In order to turn that “no” into a “yes,” you need to find out what led to the “no.” For example, if you interview for a job but are not offered the position afterward, then your first move is to determine why you were rejected. Pollan and Levine advise you to “address and not attack the reason for the no.” Ask why you were not offered the job, and then ask for reconsideration based on new facts. If the decision was based on emotions, then the person hiring will be hard pressed to make a logical decision based on the new facts.

Learning to turn each “no” in your life to a “yes” will lead to heightened self-esteem and a refreshed sense of purpose. Pollan and Levin’s concise, logical, and simple checklist couldn’t be easier to apply to your own pesky problems. And that is exactly what makes this a great audiobook for anyone who seeks greater fulfillment and success in their lives. Once you’ve got this system down, you’ll discover that “no” will never be the final answer.

–Jen Forman