Someone recently passed me along a copy of “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach. I was completely prepared for it to be just another rehash of the ideas in “The Richest Man In Babylon,” but I was pleasantly surprised.

Not that rehashing those ideas is bad, mind you. I believe concepts like paying yourself first and owning your own home are critical to any good personal finance book. In fact, the main point of “The Automatic Millionaire” is that you should pay yourself first. What sets this book apart is the actual “how-to” information.

“The Automatic Millionaire” first shows you what you can accomplish by putting away even a small amount of money from every paycheck. Then it it starts giving you ideas how to make it “automatic.” Bach makes the point that if you’re plan requires prolonged discipline, then it is all but doomed to failure. If you set up an automatic system, you no longer need discipline. You just set it and forget it, until you’re ready to retire.

The book goes on and provides names of banks, brokerages, and investment houses that can help you set up an automatic system of investing. It shows how setting up a system can be very easy, and take as little as half an hour.

David Bach has created an easy to understand, practical system of saving for the future. It shows how saving can be painless, and how it can make a huge difference down the line. I highly recommend this book.�I give it an 8/10.