Ignorance can be dangerous. Author and financial trainer Amit Trivedi’s ignorance of diabetes landed him in a hospital ICU, where he spent several days. Lying in bed, feeling weak and vulnerable, his thoughts travelled from health to wealth, when Amit realised wealth management is not very different. You are likely to end up in financial intensive care if you do not keep yourself informed.
This book, Personal Finance Lessons from ICU, is a collection of lessons Amit learnt during what he calls his “close encounter with a critical health situation”. He applied some of these lessons to personal finance and the result is a lively book, based on events that took place in the hospital and his musings in the ICU.
The book has three chapters covering the author’s motivation for writing the book and the lessons he learnt. The idea of relating his illness to finance makes it interesting to read. The book’s strength is that it discusses concepts of personal finance using medical analogies, in a style that is light and easy.
The author has compiled 14 life lessons that he came to realise when he was in the ICU. In one such lesson he says that if we improve our knowledge on a particular subject, the risk of ignorance will go away. By beautifully explaining how his ignorance of diabetes, landed him in ICU, Amit suggests that people should ask themselves questions related to personal finance to avoid the risk of ignorance.
By giving the example of his illness, he also describes how overconfidence and the mind play games, and people end up making decisions that are not good for them. Amit also explains why clients should not hide anything from their financial advisors, how to start saving money, why one needs to seek professional help, and above all, how health is as important as wealth.
The underlying theme of the book is to guide people to not compromise on health and finances. The expertise and passion of Amit Trivedi, who is a blogger and trainer, clearly come across. Amit has done an excellent job in blending health with finance.
This is a good book to gift to your clients. It will help them take informed decisions and enrol for financial planning.