Book Review: A Million Bucks by 30

Alan Corey's unconventional, conversational A Million Bucks by 30 is not like any other finanacial book I've read. It's almost a cross between a frugality tome and a motivational finance book. First of all, Corey speaks to the reader almost as a close friend, curse words and all. The book is written more like a personal journal than an organized financial how-to. Corey basically recounts how he accomplished his goal of being worth a million dollars by the time he turned thirty; there are no budget forms or anything of the like. And some of his savings tactics were a bit...unethical. Regardless, Corey recounts a rollercoaster tale of making it...in NYC of all places.

With an average-paying job and $9000 in savings in the bank, here's how Corey got to be worth a million dollars...

Rent a very cheap apartment and keep living on a college budget. Don't indulge just because you have your first job--hold off on lifestyle inflation for now. Corey rented with some friends and only paid $400 a month in rent.

Make it automatic. Corey made a "secret" bank account that was very hard to get to and automatically sent most of his paycheck there. This forced him to live on very little and get very creative with budget-living.

Hustle, hustle, hustle. Corey took just about any side gig he could find, from reality TV to taking online surveys. He made this into a game to see how low he could get his expenses.

Buy property, and do so in an an up-and-coming neighborhood. Corey bought his first home at age 23, and was able to get the home he wanted by doing his research and low-balling.

Keep buying investment property. Corey readily admits throughout the entire book that he doesn't have any special skillset--just determination to be a millionaire. He became partners with someone who knew how to renovate well, and was lucky enough to starty flipping some property for a handsome profit.

While the frugal tips in the book will be old hat for anyone who's read anything on pinching pennies, A Million Bucks by 30 is really more the tale of one guy's willingness to sacrifice and save to achieve his dream. Corey is a consummate cheapskate, and was able to save so much to invest by living on very little ($15k before taxes). And he aso bought and flipped during the recent real estate boom, which would be nigh impossible to do in most areas of the country today. Still, it's an entertaining--and even inspriring--read. If you don't get anything else out of this book, you might be encouraged that simply saving and saying no to something now can yield a big reward down the road.

Just keep repeating the mantra that Corey told himself over and over again to keep going: "I'm going to be a millionaire." And he is.