A series of occasional reviews of eBooks that are
written by, or about fire-rescue-ems people.

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The Missing Semester

by Matt Kabala and Gene Natali, Jr.
Reviewed by Bill Schumm

This book on personal finance planning and control was co-authored by two firefighters and is primarily aimed at young adults in their late teens and early twenties, and especially recent college graduates.  Namely, people who are maturing and moving into the age where they will be providing for themselves and solving their own financial problems.  The title refers to the life lessons that are not necessarily taught in high school but need to be picked up somewhere and this is a good place learn.  The Missing Semester is written in a conversational manner that is level with how today's young adults talk to and write to each other.  Put another way, they can get it on the first reading.

It begins by explaining "why the financial stuff matters" and sets the theme for the entire book about taking effective personal responsibility for your spending habits.  They concentrate mostly on explaining the ins and outs of student loans, followed by the next level – credit cards.  After that comes an instructive lesson on the potential pitfalls of car loans and how to find out first, how much you will actually be paying and how to honestly decide on what you can afford.

After four chapters of explanation they move into the topic of "taking ownership of your future" all the while emphasizing that any job is better than no job when it comes to supporting yourself.  This then leads into how to make cost-effective career moves.  One of the main points they make here is to let your career of choice determine what kind of advanced education and what major you take,  not the reverse.  We've all seen or heard of people who pursued a degree in their favorite topic and then found out that there is no career path open for that area of knowledge.  Just how many employers are looking for experts in Elizabethan Literature anyway?  Find the kind of job you like first, and maybe even start earning, and then tailor your advanced education to enhance your occupation.

The next major area that they take you through is how to make investments  and why it is a necessary part of your financial planning and activity.  After driving home the importance of setting up an investment plan, they tell you about the many ways there are to save and how to set up a realistic budget plan to follow.

And finally they explain how and when to purchase a house.  Is it right for you now?  Or later?  What are all the different methods that the salesmen and the banks use to get you to part with your money?  Can you afford it?

After reading through this book, I came to the conclusion that this isn't just for your growing kids.  Everybody can learn a lot of helpful things and better understand the background of financial choices that we all have to make constantly through our lives.  So if you have a teenage child, use that as an excuse to buy this book for yourself.  (Just make sure that Junior reads it too.)

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Matt Kabala and Gene Natali started their fire service careers together as volunteers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area.  Gene still resides in Pittsburgh, but Matt is now a career firefighter in South Carolina where he also serves as the plan manager for his department's supplemental retirement plan.

You can read more about the book and the authors on the dedicated website: http://www.themissingsemester.com/home.html .

The Missing Semester is available in both paperback and eBook in Nook and Kindle versions.  They can be ordered directly through the website or you can order the Kindle version through Firegeezer by CLICKING HERE .

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