Vas Taras

Maybe you should write one for your country?

I don’t even know why I got this book. It seemed like yet another cheesy, cheap “get rich fast” book.

Oh no! It turned out to be the absolutely best book about money, one I’d always wanted to write.

It is as simple as it is useful.

Basically, it is a review of common rip-offs when you:
– Buy a car
– Rent a car
– Buy car insurance, medical insurance, life insurance
– Hospital stays and doctor visits
– Hotels and travel
– Repair shops, mechanics, electricians, contractors
– Banking, debit cards, credit cards, bank accounts, ATMs
– Cell phones
– Loans, mortgages
– Investment accounts, brokers, stocks, annuities
– Taxes
– Charitable donations
– Lawyers and all kids of legal situations from divorce to injuries
– Buying a home, building a home, repairing a home
– Retirement
– Shopping
– TV, cable, satellite, streaming services
– Telemarketing
– Other common scams and rip-off schemes

For each of these areas, the book simply lists the most common rip-offs, extra charges hidden in the “fine print”, what to pay attention to when you’re buying the service/product, what to ask,
and most importantly, what to do if you got scammed or overpaid,

complete with phone numbers and email addresses where you should direct your complaints and template letters to increase the chances that you get your money back.

This particular book is very much U.S.-centric (e.g., contacts of all consumer protection agencies, review of legal protections, and other stats are for the U.S.). But if there is no book like this for your country, maybe you should write it. I know many people will gladly pay for a handbook like this.

Oh, how much I would pay to send a copy of this book to my young self! It would have saved me tens of thousands of dollars. But even today I found quite a few useful tips and things I didn’t know.