I picked up *The Lifestyle Investor* expecting just another finance book, but what I got was a mindset shift. Justin Donald doesn’t just teach you how to invest—he shows you how to design a life where money works for *you*, not the other way around. The '10 Commandments' aren’t vague theories; they’re battle-tested rules (like prioritizing cash flow over capital gains) that made me rethink my entire approach.

What hooked me? The real-world examples. One chapter walks through how Donald negotiated a laundromat deal yielding $3k/month passively—no stock charts, no jargon. I tried his 'low-risk criteria' framework on a local rental property, and it instantly filtered out shaky opportunities I’d have jumped on before.

The book’s magic is its balance: practical enough for beginners (I finally understood preferred equity!), yet deep enough for seasoned investors. The ‘Lifestyle Scorecard’ helped me audit my own investments—turns out my ‘diversified’ portfolio was just a collection of stress triggers. Now I chase deals that align with my actual goals (beachside workations, not early retirement).

Critics? You won’t find get-rich-quick schemes here. This is a marathon playbook—some strategies take months to implement. But six months in, I’ve already replaced 30% of my salary with passive income streams (thanks, storage unit hack!). If you’re ready to stop trading time for money, consider this your blueprint.