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From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom

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YOUR ROAD MAP TOACHIEVING FINANCIAL FREEDOMAND LIVING YOUR DREAMS
Written by a common man for the common man, this book will help you lead a financially independent and conscious life.

Financial freedom is not defined by your net worth or your social status. It does not matter how much you earn, what matters is how much you can save and invest wisely. The secret to financial freedom is learning the basic concepts of planning well and adopting the right attitude. But how does one achieve this?
Everyone around us is trapped in a mindless rat race. If you’ve resolved to take control of your finances and construct a personal finance plan, From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom is a good starting point.

About The Author
Manoj Arora, an engineer by profession, is a gold medalist from Aligarh Muslim University. Having worked for Fortune 500 organizations across the globe, including IBM, he has also worked for leading Indian companies such as L&T and TCS.

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Manoj Arora

6 books179 followers
It is my life's mission to elevate my society, in whatever ways i can.
Each of my books should help you elevate your own life.
I am more than ready to mentor you in your journey. No charges, no constraints..
Connect with me and we would walk this journey together.

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5 stars
188 (44%)
4 stars
155 (36%)
3 stars
60 (14%)
2 stars
13 (3%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
Profile Image for Karthikeyan Chellappa.
10 reviews6 followers
September 16, 2014
What I like most about this book is its structure. It starts with the basics without making any assumptions of prior knowledge of the reader, covers a variety of different topics, and finally describes an 8 step process for creating a financial freedom plan. There are some investment ideas and principles that I believe even seasoned investors can benefit from.

My top 2 takeaways -

(1) Principles of Wealth Accumulation - My favorite chapter, some of the book's best ideas are in here. I suggest reading it twice, make your own notes and apply them in practice so that they become a brain tattoo.

(2) Financial Freedom Planning Process - The most practical application of the book for me, the author goes through each step of the process in great detail, sharing his own journey throughout, making it feel authentic. The spreadsheet calculators related to this process can be downloaded for free from the book's website (http://ratrace2freedom.com/)

Other concepts like dollar cost averaging, rule of 72, tax saving tips, and even the evolution of money were enlightening to read about. I liked the quotes from famous people that were interspersed throughout the book.
2 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2015
The best ever book by an Indian author in the simplest of format one could write. He gives own life example to convince you and shows it can be done. Follow up by author by personal talk that too free of cost... what else do u want.
Profile Image for Manoj Arora.
Author 6 books179 followers
January 8, 2014
An awesome journey of a common man which guides you how you can trigger off your own journey towards financial freedom and then track the same to completion. Anyone can do it. The book shows you that once free from the rut of making money and your family finances taken care of for the rest of your life, you begin a new life towards chasing your dreams, passion and true calling in life.
Profile Image for Aparna Bhandari.
5 reviews3 followers
July 6, 2013
A great start for newbie Investors!
Very inspiring, with simplified Conceptual explanations.
1 review
October 26, 2014
This book is must buy for every professional. It takes you through the most important finacial term which is must for everyone who is on the way to their finacial freedon or even not.

This bok can be very handy for non-financial professionals too for getting basic knowledge of finance.

And the far most importnat aspect of the book is that the auther takes you through the financial freedon plan step by step in very simple manner.

Just go ahead and buy the book blind folded . Best deal can ever make.

Thank you auther.
Profile Image for Uday.
2 reviews
January 4, 2015
This book is must for all Indians who are at the early stages of their career. It explains all investment options available in India. It explains what rat race is and how we are trapped without even realizing it. It also introduces terms like financial freedom and explains a deterministic approach to reach there.

Best part is you can ping author on Watsapp, if you have any any doubts. I pined him and got my doubts resolved :).
Profile Image for Abhishek  Lodhi.
58 reviews
May 1, 2018
A great book to enlighten every young investor to embark on the journey to attain financial freedom. I also wish if I've read it earlier but it's never too late. Recommended for everyone. Author has put all efforts to keep it simple and informative. Keep up the good work !!!!
Profile Image for Utkarsh Sankhla.
70 reviews5 followers
October 5, 2020
What I liked:
1) Hands down, the tools and the 7 steps were super helpful in helping me determine where I stood
2) Using tables and illustrations made it very easy to understand

What I didnt like:
1) Might sound like a self pat, but was already very much aware of investment tools and principles. So for most part (3/4ths of the book), I was just reading and going 'yeah I know'.
However, for a novice - the first parts of the book will be fantastic.
2) The edition is 2016/17 so a bit outdated on the numbers it uses and assessments of financial tools
Profile Image for Tushar Shetty.
1 review8 followers
July 10, 2017
Its one of the finest book written on financial freedom, specially the content is simple and easy to understand for any age group.
Manoj the author has kept the book really motivating from the introduction till the end and it relates to a common mans life and how anyone can achieve the financial freedom by following this simple steps.It has really motivated me and i am looking for the freedom from the rat race so that i can enjoy my precious time with my family and to follow my passion of helping others to achieve this dream.
2 reviews
July 19, 2019
This book is an amazing read because it gives you an overview about what is financial freedom and why you must achieve it. It also lays emphasis on why you must have a proper knowledge and absolute control of your hard earned money. I like the structure of this book and it also gave me an idea about the various investment vehicles which are at our disposal and how can we use them to stay ahead of inflation.
Profile Image for Sayan Chaliha.
2 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2017
This book is exactly what I needed! So many books out there that talk about the psychology behind financial planning, and so few that actually discuss technicalities and actionable items. For Indians, this book covers it all!
1 review
March 12, 2017
This is an amazing book and i strongly recommend this book to any person who is seeking financial freedom. I have read many books on wealth creation, retirement planing, etc, but most are set in foreign contexts making it difficult to follow the principles for people in India. This book is probably the first book that does a comprehensive job of the subject in the Indian context.I have benefited very much by reading this book, and believe me i should know. I am a qualified finance professional working in a senior management position. I use many of the concepts given in the book in my company's context and yet it has never occurred to me to adapt the very same concepts for me personally. The book explains the concepts very well and then takes us through a step by step process for creating a freedom plan. Even better, the website by the same author provided valuable tools for each step so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel.
2 reviews
December 21, 2017
Takes you to a journey in uncharted territory

Highly recommended for all. But dont like authers view on credit cards.
The book is ultimate. Keep it in your library forever.
6 reviews
November 20, 2017
The one thing, I would say about this book is, it gives you a holistic view of investment and how to do it, One thing, I started using after reading this book was dollar theory. Very well explained
4 reviews2 followers
September 6, 2018
If you're interested in designing your life that you want, this is the first book that you should get your hands on. I was onto the idea of financial freedom, however I was held back by the belief that it was for people who are without too many commitments, since it felt impossible to have financial freedom when I was constantly pulled back by one expense or the other, which felt unavoidable. Then this book changed everything. Reaching financial freedom is not about making drastic changes, but rather small changes done consistently over a prolonged period of time. Most money management books just gave you the broad concepts of money and how you should invest, save, and manage. However, this book holds your hand and gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do, and when to do, from an Indian perspective. Well done Manoj Arora, you have my eternal gratitude for getting me started on my road to financial freedom.
2 reviews
February 17, 2016
I stumbled upon this book after searching in internet for 'financial freedom’. After reading the first few pages of the book in Amazon as pre-read, i I bought the Kindle version and completed it over the weekend. Here is my feedback.
Pros: The book gradually builds and instils the 'financial freedom' mindset and the approach to achieve it in the readers mind. The chapters are laid out in sequence and it easy to relate to the author's own life story to that of the reader. The author has shared the valuable lessons that he has learnt over the years across the book. The best practices for investing, routines for saving, market insights about when to buy gold etc... is a gem and more worth than what you pay for the book. The book has multiple excel worksheet illustrating each stage of the financial freedom process that the author advocates. The worksheets are easy to understand even for a layman. After reading the book, I couldn't locate the excel worksheets in the URL given in the book. I wrote to the author and he gladly send me the correct URL links to download the worksheets. Lastly, the author is a financial planner and yet at no point asks you to patronize him for further assistance.
Cons: This book is whole India centric, listing down the options and asset classes available and applicable in India. May not be useful for non-Indians. The author promises, he will share how he has reached his financial freedom in the book. There are glimpses of it yet the full story is missing. Full story would have made this book a stellar.
Overall, a very good book for people in India who are on the lookout for how to achieve financial freedom and get out of the 'rat race'.
Profile Image for Aashish Rai.
2 reviews
February 1, 2021
The rat race to Financial freedom is not a book, it's a journey. It is my dream to attain financial freedom one day and this book brought me so much closer to my goal in terms of mentoring & guiding me to become one, the rest depends on my intent and efforts I put in to do the same. This book is definitely different from all the books I have read on this topic by various international writers but I have never felt that connection with the author ever. The experience of reading this book written by Shri Manoj Arora is amazing as the book is his journey to achieve financial freedom and sharing the same with all of us. In a nutshell, it's the combination of all the knowledge collected from various sources and reproduced in a way so that a common man like me feels motivated to achieve my dream of attaining financial freedom. I am really thankful to JAICO Publishing House for printing the book and pricing the same at Rs. 299/- only. This is a must-have book if you ever want to come out of rat race of jobs, stress, shortage of time etc.

In my opinion, I have never agreed more with any writer on the way, the book has been progressed. This might be possible that I myself was looking for ways to be financially free or it's his style of writing. The author's style of writing is very simple so that his words reach masses. The way he has explained financial and technical terms is really great. The whole story behind the book and the journey thereafter is written in a hopeful & motivating style. You never feel that you can't achieve the same yourself while reading the book, which I have never experienced with all the other books I have read.

Let's me review the book as per the Index and also what I have learned. There are no fees to access Manoj Arora's website, even if you have not purchased the book and can directly seek his advice & guidance on your way to achieve financial freedom. Also, all the excel templates created by him in his financial freedom journey are also available to download for free. Due to this half, the battle is won as we kept postponing things based on the amount of hard work it requires to create several headings & sections of an excel and never satisfied with the way our excel looks or works. This is surely a sure-shot path laid out by the author and I really appreciate all of his efforts.

The book is broadly divided into 8 sections.

Introduction and Overview – This section covers the idea to be financially free as and when it came in the mind of the writer and what factors motivated him to go for the same? It's his journey and the way he visualized it.

1. Wealth Myths – This is the section where the writer breaks our age-old myths about money and investments. The best thing he said is we don't require any fancy degrees to achieve Financial freedom but just the dream and passion to achieve the same.

2. Technical concepts in Financial Independence – This sections deals with some of the basic financial formulas and terminologies required to understand financial freedom. This section deals with calculating the returns based on your investments as per different scenarios and some investment rules like Rupee Cost Averaging and Portfolio Asset Allocation.

3. Financial Investment Tools –This section covers all the types of investment opportunities available in India. He also explains the pros and cons of investing in those investment tools e.g. PF, PPF, VPF, Gold, Stocks, Mutual Funds, Real Estate etc. This section really is an eye-opener to many of us as we continue to put all our money in one basket which will be taxed heavily later. He explains all of these tools with relevant examples from his own life and how to create a perfect bouquet of benefits out of all of these investment tools.

4. Tools for Wealth Protection - This is a new chapter added in the second edition and covers the various types of insurances available to protect your hard-earned money.

5. Principles of Wealth Accumulation – This section covers some of the knowledge which he has acquired through wide reading and from working in different environments across the Globe. He has summed up the knowledge which he has gained in all these years of his existence for us. I loved this section because it really made me jump out of my bed to make a plan for myself. I really felt resonated with all the learning as I was able to reflect it with my life.

Reproducing some part of the Index for reader's benefit -
1. Have a strong reason
2. Decide to become Wealthy
3. Start Early
4. Unleash the power of Compounding
5. Get rid of credit cards
6. Sharpen your financial saw
7. Stop Procrastinating, get started
8. Invest regularly
9. Keep your partner informed
10. Get the right attitude

These are some of the learning and all of them are explained in a unique style and you will learn them very quickly as the author comes up with his life examples.

6. Building and Balancing your portfolio - Based on your age, general criteria for portfolio asset allocation have been provided but you can decide your own as per your risk appetite and various other important timelines and factors in your own life.

7. Track Your Own Financial Freedom Plan – This section is the main part where you need to actually get down to work. This section is more about doing and execution. This is the main part of the book if you want to achieve financial freedom. If you just want to read through and no action taken will leave you with nothing in the end. The author has divided the process into 8 simple steps but this journey takes lifelong for many of us. These 86 pages section is the summary of the author's many years of hard work and learning put in front of you so that you achieve your dreams. At this juncture of my review, I remember words of Swami Vivekananda, “Arise, Awake and Stop not till the Goal is reached”.

8. Saving on Taxes – This section tells you about safeguarding your income & cash flows from the teeth of tax. He tells you various ways to save some tax through different Sections of Income Tax. As Income Tax is a vast field, so he has covered some of the relevant topics only.

9. Before Calling it a Day – This section helps you decide on when to say bye to your job as you are fully confident that you have achieved your goal of Financial Freedom.

10. Go For It – These section deals with the feeling and confidence it gives you once you are Financially free. The author shares his experiences and wants the same for us too.

Glossary – All the financial terms are explained as a part of this section.

I would definitely give 5/5 stars for this book as the author has shared all of his knowledge & experience so that we too can achieve what we set out for! This book is definitely better than reading some International Authors which explains things as per USA or UK economies. This book is for all Indians dreaming to achieve FINANCIAL FREEDOM!!! Thanks!
1 review
September 23, 2014
The way I look at life is "Life begins when the survival is taken care". To have enough time and money to do what we want to do and to find out what we can achieve is really the blessed life, I feel.
I have bought this book RR2FF few months ago, but I could only complete it in last month (Aug 14). Some how, Mr. Manoj's journey that is explained in the book, connected to me very well. Mr. Manoj with his experiences and examples could clear some of my doubts that I have been holding in mind for few years now.
I am going to reach out to Mr. Manoj to help me with a concrete plan. Thank you so much Mr. Manoj for helping many such people like me.
6 reviews
October 10, 2018
If you have no idea about your financial life, this book is for you. Manoj, the author covered every step on an Indian investor with his personal life examples. How you can dream financial independence, as only 2% of world population thinks and only 1% actually achieved it, and work towards it.
Book covers a bit of every investment options available, so it's generic personal finance book not the specialized one like Stocks to riches by Parag Parikh.
So if you haven't dreamt about your financial freedom, go ahead pick a copy of this book, it's writtrn for you.
11 reviews1 follower
February 2, 2016
I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

We all run after making money and more money in the hope that we have enough, to take care of our family and their needs. But there are very few people that I encounter that understand that its not about how much you earn but how much you save. And as my mom says, wisest is the man that makes money from money.
This book helps to make you realize this, and encourages you to start on the path of saving and investing.
Not many negatives...
1 review
June 1, 2016
This book is good for anyone who wants to start their Financial journey. It has simple explanation of the financial instruments available in the Indian market and how to use them to achieve your financial goals. The author is very supportive and follows his goals and helps everyone who is interested in making a financial plan for themselves.
1 review4 followers
July 20, 2014
For beginners, must a read!!
Gives a good understanding of the concepts and approach for planning your investments
Profile Image for Naveen Dakoju.
2 reviews
March 1, 2015
Best book for financial freedom.

covers all the financial jargon in a simple way.

suggests tools to achieve financial freedom
Profile Image for Acejunker.
15 reviews
April 11, 2016
Enlightening. A financial lesson that should be taught everywhere
2 reviews
October 9, 2016
For layman

Best finance book for non finance people, even financially illiterate people can understand it. Too basic and easy to understand
2 reviews
February 4, 2021
Manoj Arora is on a noble mission to elevate the life of every man/woman who is forever caught in the mad race without even knowing that he/she is in a race, and that he/she is ultimately is no more than that- a rat ! Sometimes the realization might come late, VERY LATE. But anyone who has awakened and feels he/she was supposed to be a human, and there was more to his/her life than this mindless race - must definitely read this book.

Whatever higher goal we have in our lives, we cannot reach to any heights without financial freedom.(Esp if we are householders having our normal duties alongside). This book is an eye opener and one realises their mistakes as one moves on in the book; But before you start lamenting, there is always a cushion that Manoj holds for everyone in the form of very concrete steps and personal examples and real spreadsheets. Past cannot be controlled, but this book helps us take stock of present and future.

This books leads you from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light, from mindless living to a fully conscious, fully aware life!

God has His ways. And this amazing book is definitely one of His chosen ways.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews

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