You know that crazy guy on TV wearing question marks all over his sport coat? He’s the “Ask Lesko” dude who pushes his rather pricey book about programs, perks, and benefits available to the average citizen from the US Government, but our Uncle Sam doesn’t really wish it to be known, publicly.
I am VERY curious about some of his claims. But, his cheesy appearance and pricey book makes me feel he’s a stratum below used car salesmen! I am highly skeptical. (Why does he stoop to such tactics, if he’s for real? Is he targeting the uneducated consumer, perhaps?) Has anyone had either (a) experience with pursuing one of his claims and/or (b) success from his recommendation(s)? I’d like to hear about bad experiences, as well, please.
Finally, I wonder if anyone started with an idea they have, used his book as a basis, and then followed-up with your local Representative (or other sources?) for the accurate, unskewed, fine details and (perhaps) less glitzy facts?
I encourage all to respond, (+ and - experiences) so I may have as much food for thought as possible…and as full a picture as possible. Or, is he just a quack out for a fast buck getting my hopes up too high?
Also, I’m asking Uncle Cecil to “Ask Lesko” on behalf of all SDopers!!!
I’m not highly experienced with government grants, but I have done some business research in that area, and I have a few friends who are highly experienced with getting government money. So here goes:
The government publishes lists of all the grants they give. If I hadn’t lost all my weblinks a while back, I would still have the links that get you to the same information. So the first thing he is doing, is selling you information that you can get for free. The conceivably valuable benefit is that he is compiling the information for you. I haven’t seen his book, so I can’t say how valuable that is.
The other thing to know is this: It takes a lot of time and effort to actually go through the process of getting government grants. And when the government hands you money for some specific reason, generally there are strings attached. That means that you now have responsibilities associated with that money. So it isn’t exactly “free” as the advertisement says.
Overall, it is nowhere near as simple as Lesko would have you believe. And if you are willng to do just a little bit of legwork yourself, then you can get all the information you need, without his book. He is superfluous.
I agree he has done the compiling of information known to those familiar with Government grants. Also, I agree he makes it sound like it is all “free for the taking” which may sucker-in many takers to buy his books. But, I must say he gives a starting point for those (few of us, I WAG) who are curious, but don’t know where to even begin. SO, his book has some benefit, but it may only prove of great benefit to such a small niche of those not already in a position to be in-the-know, I’m WAGing.
I might just be one of the few who might fall into that small niche. And he could be the resource I need to get a foothold. But, OTOH, if I am using 3% of his book, then (esp with the internet) it may be best to seek out what I am after by alternate means.
Thanks for your thoughts, RotorHead. A penny for your thoughts, and a penny saved… - Jinx
If you like, I will do a little hunting and try to find the weblinks that contain the same info.
Another thing to think about, if you are penny-pinching, is that I have seen the book on sale in a bookstore before. You could go find it, and read what you want in the store without buying it. From what little I actually know about it, I don’t suspect it would be worth buying.
If you are looking into this for reasons beyond mere curiosity, I’m sure you can save yourself time and effort by giving us a little more detail on what you are thinking.
You might also try your local library for a copy of Lesko’s books. The reference librarians might have better sources for the kinds of programs he writes about, too.
Wish I could fine-tune my thinking, but…: Well, I never gave it a thought until I saw some of his TV ads. Then, I visited his website (where he even does give away some links to free info). He touches on so many topics, he’s really got my curiosity piqued. (Yes, his PR dept has almost succeeded.) He’s opened my eyes to at least explore what opportunities may be out there…in so many avenues of interest to me. So much food for thought, even if it is not as easy as he makes it out to be (or else everyone would be exploiting it to the fullest, right?)
Based on the advice in this thread, it seems it would be best to use his book as a starting point, viewed at a library, etc. (With the understanding it’s usually a reference book.) From there, I should invest the time (not the money) to mine the web for info available from Uncle Sam in areas of interest to me.
Thanks all, and I’ll be checking in for more opinions…
Especially interlibrary loan. Compiling all the grants has got to be a headache, so I’m betting that the books aren’t useless; however, considering the fact that Free Money to Change Your Life is supposed to have 15,000 grants in it, but only has 1136 pages, I would imagine that it is not going to be very helpful for the application process.
Here is an about.com article with the straight dope on government grants. In it you will find links to free compilations and search engines for grants and aid.
He’s the “Ask Lesko” dude who pushes his rather pricey book about programs, perks, and benefits available to the average citizen from the US Government, but our Uncle Sam doesn’t really wish it to be known, publicly.