cover image A Lasting Legacy: A Practical Guide to Secure Your Future, Your Family, Your Finances and Your Faith in Uncertain Times

A Lasting Legacy: A Practical Guide to Secure Your Future, Your Family, Your Finances and Your Faith in Uncertain Times

Doug Hagedorn. Xulon, $27.99 paper (488p) ISBN 978-1-62230-593-3

Hagedorn seeks to provide pointers on faith, family, and finances in this overly long but well-intentioned manual, which builds on his previous book, Ease the Squeeze. Employing a chatty, folksy tone with abundant personal anecdotes, the author enthusiastically urges the reader to realize that "you must act...you must change!" Hagedorn's approach for affecting change emphasizes seeking divine assistance in an attempt to live a "future-focused life." Despite the perils of an uncertain economy and a decaying society, we must "think beyond today's problems and challenges." Although Hagedorn's forebodings parallel widespread and genuine concerns, his diffusive and rambling prose is often preachy and didactic. Similarly, his gushing assurances of divine goodwill may limit his audience to%C2%A0those who share his religious views. Advocating common-sense financial steps%E2%80%94e.g., preparing a family budget and thinking long-term%E2%80%94are hardly controversial; stating that God's perspective is to diversify one's investments might be.