The following review was contributed by: CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON

Wealth on Any Income. Catchy, huh? For retired people. For young people like my grandson starting life as an enlistee on skimpy soldier’s pay. For people who have experienced reverses (and that includes lots of us since our stock market is still treating many who invested in the 80s and 90s most unkindly). And for the Author Rennie Gabriel who was considering bankruptcy before he brought himself from the brink to a very, very comfortable financial status, thank you.

I was interested in this particular qualification, that of facing down difficulty and making it in a stormy economic climate. Someone who has experienced something first hand, who has felt the pain and learned from it, is usually a more qualified teacher than someone who learned what they know only from texts.

My hunch was correct. I have read (and reviewed) several financial tomes recently. This one is a yardstick above the others. The section on “Challenges” discusses the roadblocks that keep many of us from financial success; it is worth the price of the book. It covers problems like the inability to handle money effectively, emotional reactions that are detrimental to financial health and lack of education. It is practical but the reader senses that they are learning from an expert who has been there and has compassion for his needs. In other words, the cold, hard, green facts are made comfortable and comforting. An “I can” attitude is sure to emerge.

Wealth is not a new book yet it is still in print. It has been used as a kind of guide/text in the UCLA Extension class taught by the author. The author coaches clients in improving their lot in life. In other words, this is well-recommended and, it appears, not only by me!