I know, I know, it’s not blog day. Monday to Thursday there’s a pic or an update for yawl – but every now and then I do an impromptu ad lib whacchamajiggit. I read a lot, like many of you, and I pretty much find something of value in everything that crosses my bookshelf. But every now and then, there’s a real gem. Currently on my bookshelf is “Dollars and Sense”– a colab between behavioral economist Dan Ariely (whose book, Predictably Irrational, was mindblowing too) and comedian Jeff Kreisler. This one stands out – and when you read a lot – few do. It is very illuminating, very accurate, and very hilarious. It looks at the way the human brain is wired to get money wrong. It shows pitfalls many of us will recognize instantly as our own, or safely project on to others, and it really teaches a new trick or two, even to old financial dogs.

It’s a great book for people interested in money, finance, budgeting, economics – and an equally great book for people interested in psychology and how the brain works. Best of all – it’s truly funny, entertaining and accessible. It reads easily, like a familiar voice. It doesn’t try to sound smart and it’s not up its own posterior – a rare trait among finance books. I find myself turning pages, chuckling aloud to myself, and thinking: “Yup, that’s spot on” whenever thinking of the follies they describe. But it is also a frighteningly useful book…

I’ll just leave you with one sample quote and then get back to work:

“That’s how our unconscious blending of effort and value often leads us to pay more for incompetence. It’s easy to pay for conspicuous effort. It’s harder to pay for someone who is really good at what they are doing – someone who performs the job effortlessly, because their expertise allows them to be efficient. It’s hard to pay more for the speedy but highly skilled person, simply because there’s less effort being shown, less effort being observed, less effort being valued.” (Dollars and Sense, Dan Ariely & Jeff Kreisler, HarperCollins)