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Things I Know Now That I Wish I’d Known Then: 150 Tips for Living Smarter

George Newman
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2006)
ISBN 9781931741668
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (4/08)

“Things I Know Now That I Wish I’d Known Then: 150 Tips for Living Smarter” is filled with practical advice to help you live a better life.  In the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book Newman informs the readers that this book is a compilation of lessons learned from his own personal mistakes.  He is sharing the knowledge that he has acquired throughout the years in hopes of steering others down the correct paths.

The book is divided into nine different sections:  Dollars and Sense, Traveling Smart, Relationships, Life Skills, Your Health, Business, Time Savers, Buying Houses and Investments, and People Skills.  Within each section there are multitudes of tips with one to two pages explaining each tip in detail. 

A lot of Newman’s advice will help you stretch your hard-earned dollar.  He recommends that when you are purchasing big ticket items to ask for a cash discount.  Instead of buying a new car every three years he proposes buying one every ten years and just maintaining your existing one well.  Rather than taking your banking business to a large nationwide bank, shop around and you will find that a lot of the smaller banks will have lower fees. 

Other tips are included to save you time.  If you have an option, instead of traveling during peak rush hour times, travel during off times.  Instead of leaving a voice mail message for someone to call you back just leave a message saying what you would have said if the person would have been available to answer the phone.

Some of the advice I found to be obnoxious.  One tip in particular that I didn’t care for was how to obtain those “Hard-To-Get Appointments.”  In this section Newman gives advice on what to do if you have to wait months to get a doctor’s appointment.  He says to take whatever appointment you are offered no matter how far out it is and then ask that your name be placed on the waiting list to be called if there are any earlier cancellations.  This advice is fine but then he proceeds to tell readers that you should then continue to call the doctor’s office once a day to check if there are any openings.   He says that you will “have a good chance of getting someone’s cancelled appointment, if for no other reason than the office staff realizes they won’t have to answer your daily calls any more.”   In my opinion, that is just being annoying and a waste of the receptionist’s time causing delays for everyone else.    

“Things I Know Now That I Wish I’d Known Then: 150 Tips for Living Smarter” would be ideal for someone who is struggling financially or someone who feels the need for more practicality, sensibility or common sense in their lives.  The advice is basic and presented in a very easy-to-read format.  While I found a lot of the tips given to be advice that most practical people would already know, I definitely could think of a lot of people who would benefit from this book! 

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