Official Review: Freedom From Debt by Es Westmoreland

N_R · Post by **N_R** » 07 Apr 2018, 06:37

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Freedom From Debt" by Es Westmoreland.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Finances, everyone needs a little help and advice sometimes, right? Or, are you able to cope on your own? Are you able to align your financial habits with your cultural or spiritual values? If not, perhaps you should read this book. Freedom from Debt by Es Westmoreland is a short guide with key pointers for managing your money in the modern age. This book is written from a Christian perspective and aligns scripture with the advice given.

The key message of this book is that the Bible provides us with guidance on how we should manage our money and has some suggestions of where people should focus their money. The guide starts by asking the reader a range of questions with regards to their finances and whether they are earning enough money. This is paired with scripture citations as a way of almost answering the questions which have been posed. A key message is that God wants to help people to prosper and this is something which is reiterated in the book, to have faith and be wise about financial management. Tithing is discussed and encourages the reader to tithe their money to provide for God and that in return He would provide abundance. It is suggested that it is sometimes Satan, which causes appliances to break down or cars to stop working properly. The guide also discusses the ways that people get into debt and ways to break this cycle. There is also guidance regarding saving for retirement and creating secure investments for the future, which will assist you as you reach retirement age. The author also includes some discussion about the need to secure insurance and legal wills to make allowances for the fact that unexpected events occur, and there is a need to protect your significant others and family. The guide concludes by providing the reader with a prayer they can use to assist with their financial success.

My initial reaction to this book was mixed with regards to the advice being given and the assurance to people that there is a God who wants to provide them with financial abundance. On first thoughts, there is some sound financial advice in this guide which is repeated in a myriad of places from more historic financial guides to modern-day websites which aid people with financial problems. Therefore, I think that there are some very good points about taking care to note where your money is going and ensuring that you are planning for the future to provide for your family with insurance payouts and financial investments. Unexpected events can occur at any time, and it is always good to know that family will be cared for and not have to worry about bills, funeral costs and paying the mortgage. Encouraging people to create specialized savings accounts is also a very good suggestion, often overlooked by banks and people alike. Having a prayer to assist you in hard times is never a bad thing, although it should not be seen as a guarantee that God will provide financial abundance.

There are a number of points raised in this guide which I do not agree with. I hold Christian values, however, I think that the financial situations that are documented in the Bible may not necessarily assist us with real-world problems and current financial strains. It is nice to provide a Christian guide to people who hold, these values, and the scriptures, dear to their hearts. However, a guide to finances needs to be useful and current to ensure that it is guiding people in the right direction. The other issue I have is with the discussion about tithing. I accept that tithing is what many churches do around the world and this is how they continue to function. However, I think that one needs to be cautious about telling people to priories these tithes. In New Zealand, there has been a huge problem with people who are earning the minimum wage, or less in some cases, who are told just this information. They have an inability to pay the tithes, be them only 10% of their wages, so they were taking out large loans so that they did not lose face in their Church, and this led to them being in financial peril. Many ended up in claims courts which led to the acquisition of their property if they were struggling to pay these loans back. Therefore, while I do think that the prospect of giving to others and your church can be a very positive choice, it can have serious financial issues for some who are too embarrassed or unable to find a way to inform their church of their perilous financial situation.

Typically, when I read books about finances, these are written by people who have a solid grounding in this field. Usually, they will be bankers, financial advisors, stocks/bonds salesmen or accountants. When I read about this author’s financial background, she has a degree in Executive Secretarial work and worked as a Nurse’s Aide. She was married to a career army husband, so they needed to move regularly and encountered financial strife. Her other books include advice for raising strong and godly children and a guide to selling and moving to a new house. Therefore, this guide needs to be read in the context that this is one person’s experience of financial guidelines and she is not a seasoned worker of the financial markets nor has extensive formal education in this area.

The book that was downloaded by me for reviewing had the features of a draft copy of the author’s work. There were multiple examples of track changes notes where the previously written words appeared in highlight as well as other corrected words. Therefore, while there were no real spelling errors, the track changes were very distracting and unprofessional. It did not at all feel like I was reading a usual book for review and was very poorly presented. The document was also not well formatted, so it was not well set out on the page or in sections. This was hugely disappointing, and I found the presentation very distracting during the review.

Overall, I would rate this book a 2 out of 4. This was mostly because it was so poorly presented, evidently a draft copy of the final book. The track changes were very distracting, and the formatting and layout were very poor. I do think that some of the advice was useful for people, and it was easy to understand, therefore I did not score it lower than a 2. However, it does not take into account the perilous financial situation of some and the fact that there are “working poor” whose money goes almost fully into living costs, despite them earning a full-time wage. I did like the fact that the language was simple, so someone who does not understand the complex terminology would find it easy to follow and understand.

With the repeat scriptures and prayer for financial abundance, I think that this book is most suited to Christian readers who will relate to the advice given and the quotes from the Bible. I think that it is also suited to people who have young families as it appears to focus on providing for your family. However, there are elements of this book which would be suited to younger readers who have just commenced work as it does encourage you to think of planning for your financial future.

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Freedom From Debt
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stacie k · Post by **stacie k** » 09 Apr 2018, 00:17

I like the way you opened your review with questions to get the reader hooked. I also applaud the author for backing her advice with scriptures. Even though she doesn’t hold a degree in finances, it seems she has some valuable suggestions. Thank you for providing your feedback on this book!

cpru68 · Post by **cpru68** » 09 Apr 2018, 11:08

Not an easy subject to write about or to review, but you gave this a honest to goodness balanced opinion. I am like yourself in that I hold Christian values, and from what I read in your review, this material is not new. I’m not trying to be spiteful or mean,I do hold the scriptures dear, and I have a strong faith, but I have come to rely on this: God loves a cheerful giver. That is a scripture often not included in many of these books.i do believe our faith and money are linked but maybe not in the way presented in this book. I think your review hit on all the high notes, and since it isn’t formatted very well, I will pass on this one. Thanks for your review!

Post by **Mr Benj** » 09 Apr 2018, 17:44

This book will really help one to make financial decisions especially in a biblical way.interesting!!

Yours sincerely,
Mr. Benji.

KLafser · Post by **KLafser** » 10 Apr 2018, 16:09

However, a guide to finances needs to be useful and current to ensure that it is guiding people in the right direction.

Fair and balanced review - I appreciate your statement here about the need to be current and useful. Regardless of one's belief system, it is imperative that advice be appropriate to today's world.

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 11 Apr 2018, 22:31

Tithing is such a sensitive topic to broach. I learned a lot from your review about those tithing who can't afford to do so. That is truly sad as I cannot imagine God would want his people to struggle in order to tithe. Sacrificing the pleasures of life is one thing, but the necessities should never be sacrificed. I wonder if any of the author's advice is unique or if she only provides advice easily found in other financial self-help books.