Windfall: Managing Unexpected Money So It Doesn't Manage You

By Marla Brill

Between rising housing prices and the long bull stock market, inheriting an estate of several hundred thousand dollars, or even $1 million, is no longer terribly unusual. Windfall: Managing Sudden... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028642058
• ISBN13: 9780028642055
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Alpha
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Get this book...just in case!

I've been a CPA for nearly 20 years and I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer from Newton. I found the book to be accurate and insightful and precisely the kind of advice I would offer to my clients. Ms. Brill has injected real-world, practical information that I believe is useful and would help anyone put in the enviable position of having "found money".As for the one negative review, I can't help but think that he/she has an axe to grind, or perhaps a competing book. ;-)

Interesting and VERY approachable

I was a bit leery about buying a book on handling money, as I admit I don't handle money very well and I'm not very open to learning the details of money management. But I was really surprised - pleasantly - to find this book. Ms. Brill writes in a way that doesn't patronize the reader with trying to get too simple, but she does get her points across in a very approachable way.I found Windfall to be extremely interesting and useful and have recommended it to friends and relatives. I've looked at a lot of other books on managing money (windfalls or otherwise) and this is by far the best written of the bunch. It ought to be required reading for any lottery winner or someone who receives an inheritance, and it's worthwhile for the rest of us too.

Interesting book - worth keeping as a reference

I wish I could say that I had a windfall sitting in my bank account, waiting for me to invest it, but I don't. I bought this book with the idea that it might help me if I ever came into a large sum of money, and also just to get a better idea as to how to handle money generally. I wasn't disappointed - Brill clearly knows her stuff, and she writes in a very "consumer-friendly" style. I found her advice to be straightforward and helpful and something that was reachable by someone like myself who does not have an MBA, or even a good understanding of investment options.I'll definitely keep Windfall in my library and look back to it as a handy reference. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Good nuts-and-bolts guide

A few months ago I received an inheritance of several hundred thousand dollars. It was a confusing time, made all the more trying by the conflicting (and sometimes self-serving) advice I received from friends, relatives,and advisors about how to handle the money. Ms. Brill's book helped me by addressing not only the financial aspects of the inheritance, but the emotional conflicts that come into play as well. I highly recommend it.

A serious effort from my favorite mutual fund writer

I've followed Marla Brill's work in the Boston Globe and Mutual Funds Magazine for quite awhile and was excited when I came across her new book on handling unexpected money. I was concerned at first that the book might be more of a fluff piece (dwelling on the excitement of receiving a windfall), but was happy to find that the book was a serious "how to" manual for dealing with the opportunities and pitfalls of sudden wealth.I'm convinced that Windfall is a valuable guide not only for those encountering unexpected money, but to all of us who want to do the right thing with that extra cash we've managed to acquire. Her writing is clear and interesting. I strongly recommend this book for financial novices and experts alike.This is apparently Marla Brill's first book. It's a solid effort, and I'm looking forward to reading her next offering.