The Latte Factor: Why You Don't Have to Be Rich to Live Rich Hardcover – Illustrated, May 7, 2019

Forget sacrificing your beloved brew - the "Latte Factor" is a metaphor for the small, daily expenses that accumulate into a significant drain on your net worth over time. In plain English, Bach explains how redirecting these seemingly small amounts into savings and investments can lead to considerable wealth accumulation. No matter your age or stage in life, this book offers valuable insights that prove sometimes life-changing lessons come in small, easy-to-digest packages. Prepare for a fresh perspective that will transform your outlook and your bank account. Highly recommended!

I read this book, and then a few days later, I reread it. Here is why it inspired my perspective and attitude change toward taking responsibility for my financial independence. It made me aware that only I could guarantee this independence, and it made me aware of the simple and sure ways of how I can do it. It is that simple, that multidimensional, and that powerful.I am a writer myself, also of motivational books. Reading this book reinforced my wish to write some of my books in the form of a parable where the doubts and feelings of the learning character are shown and to which the readers can relate.I felt for Zoey, I rooted for her, I understood what she felt, and as she was, I was inspired by what Henry had to share with her. Just like Zoey, I could see the general misunderstanding of what paying ourselves first truly meant.While reading the book, I applied the ideas described in it to my finances, especially to how I was approaching them. That brought relief because I stopped putting the responsibility on others, or blaming others, or hope for my finances to take care of themselves somehow, and instead, I took care of them myself, in simple and proven ways.I can't recommend enough reading this book. And not only reading but doing so many times. Read it, and you will feel empowered and in control. I will surely read it the third time soon, and sometime later again.Update several rereads and almost two years later:Upon the latest reread in 2021, I became aware of one more area where the Latte Factor can be utterly helpful. It is about engaging in upsets. We can't avoid becoming upset, but we can choose either to stay upset or move on. I heard about this idea from other authors, but reading The Latte Factor helped me recovering from an upset a little bit faster than maybe I otherwise would. Here's how: as soon as I observed myself getting upset about something and didn't judge it, I asked myself if I could save myself trouble and drama by labeling the upset as my latte factor and moving on to what motivated and empowered me. So The Latte Factor approach can help you concentrate on what is important in your life, not only from the financial investment perspective but also how you "invest" your emotions. I found this experience enlightening.I am curious now, what else I will discover when I reread the book next time.

I'm glad I bought a copy of this book. It was a short easy read. And I plan on rereading this book in order to remind myself that I need to live my life my way with no regrets, without having to choose the safe route. And to keep reminding myself that I can let joy and play be a part of my life all the time instead of waiting for some unknown time in the future.I discovered David Bach's book, The Automatic Millionaire, in the early 2000's after a devastating marriage and divorce that left me with over $40,000 in debt, a house with 2 mortgages, very little cash, and a job. I was trying to answer 2 questions:1. How do I plan for what I want to do in retirement?2. How can I make sure I can afford to even retire, ever?The Automatic Millionaire book helped me answer the 2nd question. The Latte Factor keeps me rooted in planning the helps me define my current retirement that I can afford due to the work I did following the guidelines set out in The Automatic Millionaire.David Bach, best describes The Latte Factor in his "A Conversation with David Bach" in the book's appendix:"The Latte Factor was never about the coffee, and not even about the money. It has always been a metaphor to motivate and inspire dreamers to go live their dreams.No regrets. Let your "little girl" or "little boy" come out to play.You could start today"It is this idea that there has to be a reason to save for the future or what's the point of saving? The dreams, hopes, passions, projects that I did not want to place second to working long hours. The idea behind the "your money or your life" changes with The Latte Factor. Instead of having to choose one or the other, I see a way to combine work, experiences important to me and just plain living. And the answer to retirement is not to separate life into work and then retirement, but gives a metaphor and simple example of how to meld these together so that there becomes a third choice of doing my responsibilites that help sustain my life, but not give up on the living part in order to sustain my livelihood.

The Latte Factor is a simple way to get across three money habits by using a story to drive these points home. Most adults would probably prefer bullet points - tell me the advice straight out. But for a young person who probably gets tired of rote memorization from school, this easy to read tale by David Bach might get its points across without the youngster realizing it! I am asking several 15-your-olds to read this book in the hopes that they start some good money habits prior to earning a living. They will thank themselves in a few decades! And when they are older, and ready for a more adult book on money specifics, David has other books ready for them to read! But at this age, just even getting them thinking about how to handle money is a positive.