Review by Inveduco, 2017

The author begins by mentioning Dalio’s success at Bridgewater Associates and the success of his book on Amazon. Despite it not being an investment book, Inveduco thinks that Dalio’s work might interest entrepreneurs and managers since most of the discussed principles are helpful in building an organization or a team focused on excellence. The writer also thinks that the book may benefit employees as they may use the principles to raise their standards thus improving the quality of their work (Inveduco para. 1). The author then digs deeper into the book’s three parts. It mentions the first part saying that it discusses Dalio’s personal background. Inveduco mentions Dalio’s middle-class upbringing, his teenage life and the early exposure to the stock market portrayed by Dalio (Inveduco para. 2).

The author covers the second part by claiming that it provides Dalio’s life principles. It summarises the life principles into embracing the reality of every situation and dealing with it well rather than wishing that things would be different (Inveduco para. 3). The author also talks about Dalio’s argument saying that discovering what is true is more important than being right. 

Inveduco notes that the third part of Dalio’s work is about his work principles. It says that Dalio promotes a believability-weighted idea of meritocracy as the best decision-making system in any organization (Inveduco para. 4). The writer claims that an individual’s believability entails his or her probability of accomplishing a specific task or goal successfully (Inveduco para. 4). The author also provides Dalio’s five-step process for achieving one’s goals and some of the principles discussed in the book.

I agree with Inveduco’s review since it diligently covers the book’s main ideas while making various explanations. The author clearly identifies the three part of the book and puts emphasis on the important parts. Apart from that, the author manages to summarize the work effectively in such a way that the reader may find the necessary guidance to Dalio’s work. Additionally, Inveduco identifies the relevant audience for the book noting entrepreneurs, managers, and employees as the individuals who may benefit most from Dalio’s work.

Review by Chris Bailey, 2018

Chris Bailey starts by recommending Dalio’s book to readers. He affirms that the book is Dalio’s guide through the principles that define his personal and professional life (Bailey para. 1). Bailey claims that successful people often reject any advice directed to them as a guide on how to live. He also thinks that their blinding success always hides their problems from view (Bailey para. 1). The writer appreciates the connection between Dalio’s success and the principles he has developed over time. He affirms his words by quoting the estimated worth of Dalio and the success of Bridgewater (Bailey para. 2).

Further, Bailey shares the few ideas that really struck with him after reading the book. The first idea he notes is to consider the second and the third order consequences of one’s decisions. The author claims that every decision an individual makes has multiple consequence levels and he uses a funnel cake to exemplify the idea (Bailey para. 4). The second idea involves pain as a sign that one is onto something interesting, and Bailey thinks that people should take pain since it will lead them to a lesson they can learn (Bailey para. 6). The next idea is that traditional success is not always worth chasing meaning that there is no single right way to live, and success means something different to everyone (Bailey para. 7).

Bailey also appreciates Dalio’s idea on minding one’s blind spots by claiming that an individual’s ego is worth taming, and noticing one’s blind spots is just as important (Bailey para. 9). Lastly, the author notes the idea on relationships being more important more than money. He then supports the ideology with Dalio’s words from the book (Bailey para. 10).

In my view, Chris Bailey’s review is an accurate description of Dalio’s book. Bailey manages to identify some of the principles raised by Dalio, and he supports them fully with his own input and direct quotes from the book. His work clearly shows the reader what to expect from the book, and the carefully selected direct quotes act as the relevant evidence of Dalio’s work. Apart from that, Bailey recommends the book to readers as an indication that it is a source of knowledge and important information, especially in economic and financial fields.

Review by Bobby Powers, 2017

Bobby Powers describes Ray Dalio as one of the hundred richest men in the world. He says that Dalio has shared the principles that have led to his success in his book (Powers para. 1). Apart from that, Powers thinks that the book utilizes raw honesty and enlightening examples explaining how Ray Dalio created the largest and most successful hedge fund in the world (Powers para. 1). Ideally, the author expresses his appreciation for Dalio’s work by saying that he greatly enjoyed reading the book. Additionally, Powers shares some of the ideas from the book such as the power of principles, learning humility, thoughtful disagreement, radical truth, introspection, harnessing pain to drive positive change, and embracing reality and dealing with it. Powers also outlines Dalio’s 5-step process in his review. The writer also supports all the ideas with several direct quotes from Dalio’s book.

Bobby Powers’ review is short and details more direct quotes from the book as compared to the writer’s words. However, I agree with the work since it gives an honest opinion regarding the book. Apart from that, it is clear that Powers has read the book since he identifies various ideas that he supports with direct quotes from the book. His work is relevant and directly portrays Dalio’s work in an effective way.