The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner.

The Automatic Millionaire
Homeowner
DAVID BACH, READ BY OLIVER WYMAN.
Random House Audio, abridged, four
CDs, 4 hrs., $19.95 ISBN 0-7393-2426-8

This follow-up to Bach's bestseller, The Automatic Millionaire, guides listeners step-by-step through the transformation from renter to homeowner to landlord. Bach's typical can-do attitude shines through, whether the book is outlining the pros and cons of various types of mortgages or sharing the story of one couple who used home equity as a gateway to financial independence and comfort in retirement. Unfortunately, the audio abridgment has a few glitches, including a misstep in the fifth chapter, which prematurely congratulates listeners on understanding what their credit report is, before knowing how to make sure it's accurate. This topic is not addressed until the following chapter ("Your Credit Score: The Holy Grail of Mortgage Lending"), so listeners may understandably be confused. Also, although actor Oliver Wyman has a beautiful voice, the slick Casey Kasem-style delivery feels wrong for a book that rightly keeps insisting that it is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Bach's solid and time-tested financial advice deserves better than this infomercialesque treatment, which seems more about style than the commonsense approach that is Bach's personal signature. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 23). (Apr.)