General Books

Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life

John C. Bogle

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For a critical element of American society, including many of its wealthiest and most powerful, there seems to be no limit today on what "enough" entails.

The excesses are most starkly visible in the continuing crisis in banking and investment, and even in the two enormous government-sponsored (but publicly owned) mortgage lenders, to say nothing of the billion-dollar-plus annual paychecks that top hedge-fund managers draw down and the excessive compensation paid to CEOs, regardless of  performance.

Throughout his legendary career, John Bogle—founder of the Vanguard mutual fund group, and creator of the first index mutual fund—has helped investors build wealth the right way and led a tireless campaign to restore common sense to the investment world. Along the way, he’s seen how destructive an obsession with financial success can be. Now, with Enough, he puts this dilemma in perspective.

Bogle offers his unparalleled insights on money, on the values we should emulate in our business and professional callings, and on what we should consider as the true treasures in our lives. By explaining what "enough" truly is, he demonstrates how close everyone can be to having it.

The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means

George Soros

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Brilliant and pedestrian at the same time 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This book provides a cogent and prescient analysis of our current international financial mess in the credit markets. Even though the book was published in May 2008, parts of it read like current analyses in the WSJ and NYT. I only wish I had read this in May when it came out! Take the following as an example: "Whether we are in a recession now is questionable; that we shall slip into recession in the course of 2008 I consider a certainty." Or this: "The Bush administration and most economic forecasters do not understand that markets can be self-reinforcing on the downside as well as the upside."

So, why do I only give the book 3 stars? Because it's really two books. One is the analysis mentioned above. The other is a bizarre bit of axe-grinding as he promotes a theory he developed decades ago that he keeps presenting to the world and that the world keeps ignoring. Well, the world ignores his theory with good reason.

He makes a valid point, from a philosophical point of view: modern science is built on traditional logic, which has an assumption of independence, ie, objects of thought must be independent of each other. This translates to the economic world, in which the classic model of supply and demand requires that supply be independent of demand. But (he doesn't come right out and say this clearly) in the financial markets, this simply isn't so. Supply and demand are not independent, simply because market participants can be either buyers or sellers. Which they are can change rapidly, causing the traditional theory of supply and demand to be a poor predictor of financial markets.

But, the model Soros proposes is, to be kind, quaint. Essentially, he argues that in the social sciences the scientific approaches used in the physical sciences simply can't work. This is because humans not only study how the world works (cognitive function), but also participate in it (manipulative function), thus changing how it works. While it's clear that humans influence how the world works, it's not clear that his proposed model, his theory of reflexivity, is the best approach to understand it. For starters, he simply keeps repeating his theory, mantra-like, throughout the book. He provides no serious development of the model nor any data to back it up. In addition, his assertion time and again that the non-human, physical world is easy to model and to make predictions about, is naive, at best. The real world, physical and biological, is highly complex and dynamic, whether humans are involved or not. An example is climate change. Despite progress, we are nowhere near close to being able to predict changes to global climate.

More critically, there are other approaches that have been developed that offer insights that are more profound than his. First, from a philosophical/logical perspective, is fuzzy logic, developed by Lotfi Zadeh in the 70s. Fuzzy logic explicitly violates the independence assumption required in traditional logic, making clear that traditional logic (and science, by extension) are limited by the extent to which they rely on this assumption. More useful in the context of financial markets are dynamic simulation models, which can at least demonstrate systematically, and under specified conditions, how the markets are unstable. In particular, the concept of positive feedback in a system (good things get better, bad things get worse), which Soros understands (see quote about Bush administration above) is a much better way to understand what goes on in bubbles than Soros' sketchy theory.

So, the book leaves me with mixed feelings--brilliant in some ways, pedestrian in others.

Editorial Review:

In the midst of the most serious financial upheaval since the Great Depression, legendary financier George Soros explores the origins of the crisis and its implications for the future. Soros, whose breadth of experience in financial markets is unrivaled, places the current crisis in the context of decades of study of how individuals and institutions handle the boom and bust cycles that now dominate global economic activity. “This is the worst financial crisis since the 1930s,” writes Soros in characterizing the scale of financial distress spreading across Wall Street and other financial centers around the world. In a concise essay that combines practical insight with philosophical depth, Soros makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the great credit crisis and its implications for our nation and the world.

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 389 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Now in a striking new hardcover edition, Fooled by Randomness is the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb–veteran trader, renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, and New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan–has written a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill.

This book is about luck–or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill–the world of trading–Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. Writing in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives.

The book is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way, the significance of chance: the baseball legend Yogi Berra; the philosopher of knowledge Karl Popper; the ancient world’s wisest man, Solon; the modern financier George Soros; and the Greek voyager Odysseus. We also meet the fictional Nero, who seems to understand the role of randomness in his professional life but falls victim to his own superstitious foolishness.

However, the most recognizable character of all remains unnamed–the lucky fool who happens to be in the right place at the right time–he embodies the “survival of the least fit.” Such individuals attract devoted followers who believe in their guru’s insights and methods. But no one can replicate what is obtained by chance.

Are we capable of distinguishing the fortunate charlatan from the genuine visionary? Must we always try to uncover nonexistent messages in random events? It may be impossible to guard ourselves against the vagaries of the goddess Fortuna, but after reading Fooled by Randomness we can be a little better prepared.

PRAISE FOR FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS:

Named by Fortune One of the Smartest Books of All Time

A Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year

“[Fooled by Randomness] is to conventional Wall Street wisdom approximately what Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses were to the Catholic Church.”
–Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink

“The book that rolled down Wall Street like a hand grenade.”
–Maggie Mahar, author of Bull! A History of the Boom, 1982—1999

“Fascinating . . . Taleb will grab you.”
–Peter L. Bernstein, author of Capital Ideas Evolving

“Recalls the best of scientist/essayists like Richard Dawkins . . . and Stephen Jay Gould.”
–Michael Schrage, author of Serious Play: How the World’s Best Companies Simulate to Innovate

“We need a book like this. . . . Fun to read, refreshingly independent-minded.”
–Robert J. Shiller, author of Irrational Exuberance

“Powerful . . . loaded with crackling little insights [and] extreme brilliance.”
–National Review

“If asked to name the five best books written about markets, Fooled by Randomness would be on my list.”
–Jack D. Schwager, author of Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders

“Excellent and thought-provoking . . . an entertaining book.”
–Financial Times

Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About

Kevin Trudeau

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Are you getting deeper and deeper into debt while they make bigger and bigger profits? Not after you read...Debt Cure$ "They" Don't Want You To Know About!

In this new book, Kevin Trudeau blows the lid off the banking and credit card industries, exposing the greatest rip off of our citizens in this nation's history. The credit card industry is one of the most profitable industries in this country, but they don't want you to know it. You can fight back! You can apply Kevin's solutions to your debt problems, and keep more money in your pocket today. You can learn how to use credit to build wealth! Read Debt Cure$ and cure your debt forever.

You will learn:
- How the credit lending business is rigged against you!
- How the financial industry wants to keep you in debt!
- How the banks and credit card companies are making obscene profits off of you and how you can change that!
- How to reduce or possible totally eliminate your debt!
- How you could cut your payments in half!
- How to correct your credit with two magic words!
- How to improve your credit virtually overnight!
- How to get free money that you never have to pay back!
- Find out why the financial industry wants to keep you in debt.
- Turn bad debt into good credit.
- Create wealth through financial health.

When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change

Mohamed El-Erian

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Investing -> Introduction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"ONE OF THE SMARTEST INVESTORS ON THE PLANET."--MONEY MAGAZINE. .

�This book is an essential read for those who. wish to understand the modern world of investing.�.
�Alan Greenspan

. . .

Winner of the 2008 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award

When Markets Collide is a timely alert to the fundamental changes taking place in today's global economic and financial systems--and a call to action for investors who may fall victim to misinterpreting important signals. While some have tended to view asset class mispricings as mere �noise,� this compelling book shows why they are important signals of opportunities and risks that will shape the market for years to come. One of today's most respected names in finance, Mohamed El-Erian puts recent events in their proper context, giving you the tools that can help you interpret the markets, benefit from global economic change, and navigate the risks.

. .

The world economy is in the midst of a series of hand-offs. Global growth is now being heavily influenced by nations that previously had little or no systemic influence. Former debtor nations are building unforeseen wealth and, thus, enjoying unprecedented influence and facing unusual challenges. And new derivative products have changed the behavior of many market segments and players. Yet, despite all these changes, the system's infrastructure is yet to be upgraded to reflect the realities of today's and tomorrow's world. El-Erian investigates the underlying drivers of global change to shed light on how you should:

. .

. .
• Think about the new opportunities and risks.
• Construct an appropriately diversified and internationalized portfolio.
• Protect your portfolio against new sources of systemic risk.
• Best think about the impact of central banks and financial policies around the world

. .

Offering up predictions of future developments, El-Erian directs his focus to help you capitalize on the new financial landscape, while limiting exposure to new risk configurations.

. .

When Markets Collide is a unique collection of books for investors and policy makers around the world. In addition to providing a thorough analysis and clear perspective of recent events, it lays down a detailed map for navigating your way through an otherwise perplexing new economic landscape.

.

The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash

Charles R Morris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Page Turner 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I just happened to pick up this book at the library, and now I can't put it down. It describes, in a succint and clear manner, exactly how we got into the current financial crisis. I'm recommending it to everyone I know.

Fantastic Primer for Beginners 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

If terms like CDOs, tranches, CDS, LIMBOR, and SIVs throw you for a loop, this is a great book to get up to speed. Charles R. Morris puts the credit crunch in its context in 169 succinct pages. He's a former banker and he doesn't waste your time. Sure, it could have been longer, but then it wouldn't be as easy to read. The scariest thing about this book is it was written BEFORE the panic we are witnessing, but it accurately predicted it. It took the rest of us a lot longer to see the impossible hole we had dug ourselves into. I'm sorry to say that by then, it was already too late.

Editorial Review:

The sub-prime mortgage crisis is only the beginning; a more profound economic and political restructuring is on its way. According to Charles R. Morris, the astronomical leverage at investment banks with their hedge fund and private equity clients virtually guarantees massive disruption in global markets. A quarter century of free-market zealotry that extolled asset stripping, abusive lending, and hedge fund secrecy will come crashing down with it. The Trillion Dollar Meltdown explains how we got here, and what is about to happen.

Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises (Wiley Investment Classics)

Charles P. Kindleberger, Robert Aliber

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Relevant but hard to read 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I am no economist and just an interested general reader. I expected to read narratives about past financial crises and how they played out. But this book is not organized that way. It doesn't tell any story from start to finish. Instead it references lots of different crises in a kind of shorthand way, without giving the background or the overall narrative.

Many of the references are pretty darn obscure, at least to me. So fine, if he's talking about how a certain phenomenon works and he says, "as in 1932," or "as in the S&L crisis," I'm with him. But when he says, "just as in the 1762 case in Belgium" (made up example)--well, my eyes start to glaze over, because he hasn't told me the story of 1762 Belgium, but referenced it as if it should be as familiar to me as the Great Depression in the US.

I also think there's something wrong with the writing style. He seems not to start out with topic sentences that show us where he's going, or to end with a summing up of the significance of what he's just said. Certain details recur within a few pages of each other. The effect is pretty scatter-shot, as if it was not carefully edited and made to flow.

There is plenty of raw material here for anyone watching our current economic crisis and wondering how it happened, but you have to work for it. What I get from it is that in certain circumstances, if everyone does what seems best to him or her in the market, the end result will be disaster for all. It's not really irrational to buy when prices are increasing by the day, because huge profits can indeed be made. But the more people that make that individually rational choice, the more irrational the whole thing becomes.

Maybe I could compare it to a stampede to an exit door in a fire. Each person's individual best choice is to get out as quickly as possible. But if you allow that psychological reality to play out, you might have people trampled to death at the door who then block everyone else from escaping.

Reading this was like listening to a rather elderly professor of history who is intimately familiar with many obscure incidents, but doesn't provide the context for his young students to follow his train of thought.

Editorial Review:

Manias, Panics, and Crashes, Fifth Edition is an engaging and entertaining account of the way that mismanagement of money and credit has led to financial explosions over the centuries. Covering such topics as the history and anatomy of crises, speculative manias, and the lender of last resort, this book puts the turbulence of the financial world in perspective. The updated fifth edition expands upon each chapter, and includes two new chapters focusing on significant financial crises of the last fifteen years.

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 792 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Self-help book for sale 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 7 people found this review helpful.

If you are a cardiologist pulling in more than $300,000 a year, waste all your money on country clubs and Range Rovers and can't figure out why you haven't banked a million bucks yet, this is the book for you. Well, it would be if you had the humility to follow advice. However, if you are trying to raise three kids on a government mid-manager's $40,000 a year and would like to improve your plight, this author has little use for you. I would be $10 closer to being a millionaire if I hadn't bought this book. Hey - at least I did buy it used.

Editorial Review:

The incredible national bestseller that is changing people's lives -- and increasing their net worth!

CAN YOU SPOT THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR?

Who are the rich in this country?

What do they do?

Where do they shop?

What do they drive?

How do they invest?

Where did their ancestors come from?

How did they get rich?

Can I ever become one of them?

Get the answers in The Millionaire Next Door, the never-before-told story about wealth in America. You'll be surprised at what you find out....

Mr. Market Miscalculates: The Bubble Years and Beyond

James Grant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

In a Rising Market, It's More Profitable not to Ask 5 out of 5 stars.
25 of 25 people found this review helpful.

"The Cassandra industry is not so remunerative as the hedge fund business, so the professional investors and bankers stay in the race, taking the kind of risks that their better judgment tells them to avoid." states James Grant in his 'Mr. Market Miscalculates, The Bubble Years and Beyond,' a work comprised of pieces from his 'Grant's Interest Rate Observor.'

Grant has been charting the course of market excesses on a fortnightly basis for 25 years, and he has a remarkable record of getting it right. Most pointedly, Grant illuminates the human foibles to which we all fall prey and how these foibles precipitate the daily gyrations of stock and bond price levels. Grant's wealth of understanding is outstanding enough to recommend the book, but his ability to generously lace his writing with his sense of humor makes his writing simply priceless.

About the dismal financial crisis, Grant wryly remarks that there is more than enough blame to go around. Grant faults human nature in general for markets gone wild, yet he is particularly impressed by the level of incompetence exhibited by recent leaders who, according to Grant, "failed almost to the man."

The no-holds-barred book journeys through the missteps of the economic leaders of our times, and it does so with a breath-taking straightforwardness. Given the state of the world's economic affairs, I hope 'Mr. Market' becomes required reading for the legislators, the judiciary, and the executives charged with fixing the world's financial systems.

Editorial Review:

Why is America in financial crisis today? This book, better than any to date, explains it all-how we got here and where we are going. The how we got here is brilliantly described in a collection of pieces from Grant's Interest Rate Observer, the Wall Street insider's Bible. The where we are going is treated in Jim Grant's up-to-the-minute introduction. No fan of Greenspan or Bernanke, Grant tells the unvarnished truth about America.

The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market's Perfect Storm

Robert F. Bruner, Sean D. Carr

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Before reading The Panic of 1907, the year 1907 seemed like a long time ago and a different world. The authors, however, bring this story alive in a fast-moving book, and the reader sees how events of that time are very relevant for today's financial world. In spite of all of our advances, including a stronger monetary system and modern tools for managing risk, Bruner and Carr help us understand that we are not immune to a future crisis."
—Dwight B. Crane, Baker Foundation Professor, Harvard Business School

"Bruner and Carr provide a thorough, masterly, and highly readable account of the 1907 crisis and its management by the great private banker J. P. Morgan. Congress heeded the lessons of 1907, launching the Federal Reserve System in 1913 to prevent banking panics and foster financial stability. We still have financial problems. But because of 1907 and Morgan, a century later we have a respected central bank as well as greater confidence in our money and our banks than our great-grandparents had in theirs."
—Richard Sylla, Henry Kaufman Professor of the History of Financial Institutions and Markets, and Professor of Economics, Stern School of Business, New York University

"A fascinating portrayal of the events and personalities of the crisis and panic of 1907. Lessons learned and parallels to the present have great relevance. Crises and panics are as much a part of our future as our past."
—John Strangfeld, Vice Chairman, Prudential Financial

"Who would have thought that a hundred years after the Panic of 1907 so much remained to be written about it? Bruner and Carr break significant new ground because they are willing to do the heavy lifting of combing through massive archival material to identify and weave together important facts. Their book will be of interest not only to banking theorists and financial historians, but also to business school and economics students, for its rare ability to teach so clearly why and how a panic unfolds."
—Charles Calomiris, Henry Kaufman Professor of Financial Institutions, Columbia University, Graduate School of Business