Questions
Starting
Where should I start? If you want the whole method, start with From Survivor to Belonaire. If you would rather feel it before you read it, play the game free against bots. If you want the arithmetic done for you, start with Belon.
Is the game free? Playing against bots is free, in your browser, with nothing to set up. Playing with friends on screen is $3.99 a month. You can also pre-order the physical board game and play around a table, and that box is complete on its own.
Do I need Belonaire Go in order to play the board game? No. The box contains the board, the money and the cards. Belonaire Go is a $9.99 one-time license that handles the banking and the accounting for you, so that nobody has to be the banker. It is a convenience, not a requirement.
Do I need the apps in order to use the books? No. Everything in the books works with a pen, a notebook and a basic calculator. The apps do the arithmetic for you if you would rather not do it by hand.
What happens to questions the apps cannot answer? They are not hidden. Each one carries its status and its next step: waiting on a fact only you can supply, waiting on evidence, waiting on a method, or yours alone to decide. You can hand any of them to an AI together with the instruction for that kind of question, and no answer that comes back can change a figure Belon calculated.
Can an AI change my numbers? No. A figure is what the engine calculates from your own facts. Anything a model sends back is checked against that figure, and rejected if the two disagree.
What are the three books about? The first is about questions about the world, answerable today from facts you already hold. The second is about questions about yourself, answerable over time against a record you kept. The third is about the questions no calculation can settle.
About the books
Which book should I read first? From Survivor to Belonaire, then The Belonaire's Last Office, then The Belonaire's Priceless Problem. Each book builds on the ones before it and doesn't explain their ideas again.
Is this financial advice? No. The books explain a way of reasoning about money and show the arithmetic, but they don't know your situation. Talk to a licensed professional where you live before acting on anything that matters.
Are the books only for Americans? The examples and dollar figures are mostly American. The method isn't tied to a country, and the books are honest that the same conditions can take a household in Ohio a few years and a household in Kampala, Lagos or Manila far longer.
Are the people in the books real? No. The people in the stories are composites, built so you can watch the method work on a household that could exist. Their jobs, circumstances and arithmetic are realistic, and you can check every sum. The first book tells you this before you meet any of them.
Where do the statistics come from? The books give a source for their statistics, findings and quotations.
Is there homework? Every chapter of From Survivor to Belonaire ends with questions you answer about your own life, with a pen, a notebook and a calculator. You don't have to do them to follow the book. They're where the book stops being about someone else.
Buying
How much do the books cost? Every book is the same price: paperback $19.99, hardcover $29.99, ebook $3.99, audiobook $4.99.
Where can I buy them? Here on this site, and at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and Kobo. Buying direct supports the author most.
How do I get my ebook? The moment you check out, you'll get a download link on your confirmation page and by email. Each ebook comes as an EPUB, which works with most e-readers and reading apps, and as a PDF.
Can I pay in my own currency? Prices are shown in US dollars and the charge is in US dollars. If you pay in another currency, your bank or card provider converts it at checkout. There is a tick box at the bottom of any page with a price on it that puts an estimate in a currency you pick beside each one. It is an estimate at a rate we refresh twice a day and that names the day it was published, not the amount you pay, so check with your bank or payment provider to confirm the rate they will give you.
How much is shipping, and how long does it take? Shipping options, costs and delivery estimates for your address are shown at checkout, before you pay. You'll get a tracking link by email when your book ships.
What if my book arrives damaged? Write to hello@belonaire.com within 30 days with your order number and a photo, and we'll send a replacement or refund you. See the refund policy.
Can I order copies for a group, a class or a company? Yes. Write to us through the contact page with the titles and how many copies you need.