Gorman asserts there are valuable lessons to be learned from studying the finances of these larger-than-life men who “started out as ordinary” and modeled some of the best, as well as some of the most questionable, monetary decisions. Many, like Thomas Jefferson, the Roosevelts, and John F. Kennedy, were born into wealth; others rose from poverty. Gorman relays their journeys in detail, sharing Barack Obama’s last student loan payment just eight years before he ran for president alongside Thomas Jefferson’s careless spending and lavish parties that culminated in shocking debt in his later years.

Gorman’s true rags-to-riches president—and one that she names as incredibly successful with his personal finances—was Abraham Lincoln. Unable to afford a college education, he was an enigma in many ways: a voracious reader, with a dislike of alcohol and gambling, who transformed himself into one of the most respected American presidents of all time—all while carefully growing his personal wealth. Examples like those form the basis of Gorman’s financial pointers sprinkled throughout, from her assertion that Jimmy Carter’s consistency with his money makes him an inspiration to the flawed financial decision-making that placed several presidents at risk. She closes with a briefing on the five presidents “to emulate in your personal finances”—and a warning that the American dream may not be as achievable as we think.

Takeaway: Fascinating briefing on the financial habits of America’s Commanders in Chief.

Comparable Titles: Cyrus A. Ansary’s George Washington Dealmaker-in-Chief, Charles Renwick’s All the Presidents’ Taxes.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A