From the shelf · 102 money books
Does Money: Master the Game hold up?
Money: Master the Game (Robbins) is one of the 102 money books on The Money Shelf. It comes from the shelf’s earlier bookshop lists and the books that make specific claims. The shelf links it to 3 of the 22 claims that the book tests against official records from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Each verdict below comes from that test.
Claim 1 · The book makes this claimCompound interest: start early
HoldsIn every case above the 40-year saver ends with more than the 30-year saver for the same monthly sum, by a factor that depends only on the return and the number of years, and the first ten years of deposits supply 41 to 54 per cent of the final balance.
Read the full test →Claim 3 · The book makes this claimPay yourself first: save before you spend
Holds with conditionsThe paper’s own results support pre-committed saving out of future pay rises as a way of raising saving rates among employees who agree to join, and the condition is that the household has income left after essential spending, because the national ratios show only average room.
Read the full test →Claim 4 · The book makes this claimIndex funds: own the index
HoldsOver every period of five years or longer, at least 83 per cent of US large-cap funds, at least 92 per cent of UK large- and mid-cap funds and at least 81.6 per cent of Australian equity general funds lagged their index, and the one figure below 80 per cent over those periods, UK small-cap funds over 10 years at 76.62 per cent, is still a majority.
Read the full test →One book holds the whole shelf: 22 claims from 102 popular money books, every figure dated, every source named, and the arithmetic worked through for three countries.
Get The Money ShelfAll 22 claimsMore books from the shelf