"The Portable Patriot" (edited) by Joel J. Miller & Kristen Parrish

The United States of America is rich with a past that translates to a painful, but more importantly -- a proud history. "The Portable Patriot" tells America's story through a compilation of American records and documents. It includes first documents such as The Mayflower Compact to famous speeches like The First Inaugural Address of George Washington, all of which manage to capture their conviction and determination to succeed.

Being Canadian, I was briefly educated in American history and hoped to ascertain a broader knowledge of why Americans, seemingly more than most, loved their country so immensely. Although this book was fairly short (268 pages), I feel I quickly understood the dignity of being an American once I began reading it. The Founding of America is a rare example and a glimmer of hope in human history with regards to achieving what is best for the common good. I learned a lot from reading this book, but assume I could read it again and still have more to gain.

I highly recommend this book as an introduction to American history or a pleasurable light read for American patriots. Any American household could benefit from this accessible book succinctly capturing the key events that made America.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.

"Mind Your Own Mortgage" by Robert J. Bernabé

Find yourself a house, obtain a mortgage and then refinance to reduce your monthly payments.

Robert Bernabé dissects this process most of us usually adhere to when hunting for a suitable mortgage. Instead, Bernabé suggests a completely different avenue to approach the mortgage industry from while explaining the skewed misconceptions we have and the mistakes we commonly make. I originally decided to read Mind Your Own Mortgage to hopefully obtain a fuller, more fine-tuned understanding of the details that surround acquiring and refinancing my mortgage. After reading it, I can say with confidence that I have a broader comprehension of the terms associated with the mortgage industry's vocabulary (i.e. curtailments, fixed-rate mortgage introductory period, etc.), a clearer financial goal and the tools and strategies required to achieve it. More importantly, Bernabé delivers this advice in a refreshing and engaging way that made me excited to start planning my finances with the future in mind. He offers hope to a situation that is usually hopeless, if not overwhelming and illustrates the benefits of "minding your own mortgage" with simple graphs and tables.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for further insight into the mortgage industry and managing their personal mortgage, but also to those looking for that initial book that will introduce financial planning in an enjoyable way.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.