Smart Women Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Achieving Financial Security and Funding Your Dreams


David Bach - 1998
    Whether you’re working with a few dollars a week or a significant inheritance, Bach’s nine-step program gives you tools for spending wisely, establishing security, and aligning money with your values. Plus, in this completely revised and updated edition, David Bach includes critical new long-term investment advice, information on teaching your kids about money, Internet resources, and new ways to attract greater wealth–personal and financial–into your life.

Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street


William Poundstone - 2006
    One was mathematician Claude Shannon, neurotic father of our digital age, whose genius is ranked with Einstein's. The other was John L. Kelly Jr., a Texas-born, gun-toting physicist. Together they applied the science of information theory—the basis of computers and the Internet—to the problem of making as much money as possible, as fast as possible.Shannon and MIT mathematician Edward O. Thorp took the "Kelly formula" to Las Vegas. It worked. They realized that there was even more money to be made in the stock market. Thorp used the Kelly system with his phenomenonally successful hedge fund, Princeton-Newport Partners. Shannon became a successful investor, too, topping even Warren Buffett's rate of return. Fortune's Formula traces how the Kelly formula sparked controversy even as it made fortunes at racetracks, casinos, and trading desks. It reveals the dark side of this alluring scheme, which is founded on exploiting an insider's edge.Shannon believed it was possible for a smart investor to beat the market—and Fortune's Formula will convince you that he was right.

Big Mistakes: The Best Investors and Their Worst Investments


Michael Batnick - 2018
    Investing can be a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and the investors detailed here show just how low it can go; stories from Warren Buffet, Bill Ackman, Chris Sacca, Jack Bogle, Mark Twain, John Maynard Keynes, and many more illustrate the simple but overlooked concept that investing is really hard, whether you're managing a few thousand dollars or a few billion, failures and losses are part of the game. Much more than just anecdotal diversion, these stories set the basis for the book's critical focus: learning from mistakes. These investors all recovered from their missteps, and moved forward armed with a wealth of knowledge than can only come from experience. Lessons learned through failure carry a weight that no textbook can convey, and in the case of these legendary investors, informed a set of skills and strategy that propelled them to the top.Research-heavy and grounded in realism, this book is a must-read for any investor looking to maximize their chances of success.Learn the most common ways even successful investors failLearn from the mistakes of the greats to avoid losing groundAnticipate challenges and obstacles, and develop an advance planExercise caution when warranted, and only take the smart risksWhile learning from your mistakes is always a valuable experience, learning from the mistakes of others gives you the benefit of wisdom without the consequences of experience. Big Mistakes: The Best Investors and Their Worst Investments provides an incomparable, invaluable resource for investors of all stripes.

Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street


Sheelah Kolhatkar - 2017
    Cohen changed Wall Street. He and his fellow pioneers of the hedge fund industry didn't lay railroads, build factories, or invent new technologies. Rather, they made their billions through speculation, by placing bets in the market that turned out to be right more often than wrong and for this, they gained not only extreme personal wealth but formidable influence throughout society. Hedge funds now oversee more than $3 trillion in assets, and the competition between them is so fierce that traders will do whatever they can to get an edge.Cohen was one of the industry's biggest success stories, the person everyone else in the business wanted to be. Born into a middle-class family on Long Island, he longed from an early age to be a star on Wall Street. He mastered poker in high school, went off to Wharton, and in 1992 launched the hedge fund SAC Capital, which he built into a $15 billion empire, almost entirely on the basis of his wizard like stock trading. He cultivated an air of mystery, reclusiveness, and excess, building a 35,000-square-foot mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, flying to work by helicopter, and amassing one of the largest private art collections in the world. On Wall Street, Cohen was revered as a genius: one of the greatest traders who ever lived.That image was shattered when SAC Capital became the target of a sprawling, seven-year investigation, led by a determined group of FBI agents, prosecutors, and SEC enforcement attorneys. Labeled by prosecutors as a magnet for market cheaters whose culture encouraged the relentless pursuit of edge and even black edge, which is inside information SAC Capital was ultimately indicted and pleaded guilty to charges of securities and wire fraud in connection with a vast insider trading scheme, even as Cohen himself was never charged.Black Edge offers a revelatory look at the gray zone in which so much of Wall Street functions. It's a riveting, true-life legal thriller that takes readers inside the government's pursuit of Cohen and his employees, and raises urgent and troubling questions about the power and wealth of those who sit at the pinnacle of modern Wall Street.

Julian Robertson: A Tiger in the Land of Bulls and Bears


Daniel A. Strachman - 2004
    For nearly twenty years his infamous fund--Tiger Management--was the talk of the town, routinely delivering double-digit performance. This biography will explore this legendary fund manager's role in the development and popularity of hedge funds, examine his investment methodology and strategy, and look at the growth of his fund and his 'Tigers'--individuals who have gone on to great success themselves. * Includes candid interviews of Robertson, his colleagues, and his peers * Uncovers the trading strategies and investment style of a legendary fund manager * Offers a rare glimpse inside the personal world of Julian Robertson READERSHIP: Those with any interest in or knowledge of hedge funds, business readers, investment professionals. Daniel A. Strachman is Managing Director of Answers Company, a New York-based money management firm that offers investment management services to individuals and institutions. He has contributed many articles on investment management and strategies to publications including the New York Post and the Financial Times and is also the author of Getting Started in Hedge Funds (Wiley 2000). Also available by Daniel Strachman, Getting Started in Hedge Funds, 0471316962 Paper. EAN - 9780471323631 Carton Quantity - 41

The Richest Man in Babylon


George S. Clason - 1926
    This is the book that reveals the secret to personal wealth. The Success Secrets of the Ancients—An Assured Road to Happiness and Prosperity Countless readers have been helped by the famous “Babylonian parables,” hailed as the greatest of all inspirational works on the subject of thrift, financial planning, and personal wealth. In language as simple as that found in the Bible, these fascinating and informative stories set you on a sure path to prosperity and its accompanying joys. Acclaimed as a modern-day classic, this celebrated bestseller offers an understanding of—and a solution to—your personal financial problems that will guide you through a lifetime. This is the book that holds the secrets to keeping your money—and making more. The Richest Man in BabylonRead it and recommend it to loved ones—and get on the road to riches.MORE THAN TWO MILLION BOOKS SOLD

Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco


Bryan Burrough - 1989
    An enduring masterpiece of investigative journalism by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it includes a new afterword by the authors that brings this remarkable story of greed and double-dealings up to date twenty years after the famed deal. The Los Angeles Times calls Barbarians at the Gate, “Superlative.” The Chicago Tribune raves, “It’s hard to imagine a better story...and it’s hard to imagine a better account.” And in an era of spectacular business crashes and federal bailouts, it still stands as a valuable cautionary tale that must be heeded.

House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street


William D. Cohan - 2009
    Bear Stearns was about to announce profits of $115 million for the first quarter of 2008, had $17.3 billion in cash on hand, and, as the company incessantly boasted, had been a colossally profitable enterprise in the eighty-five years since its founding.Ten days later, Bear Stearns no longer existed, and the calamitous financial meltdown of 2008 had begun.How this happened – and why – is the subject of William D. Cohan’s superb and shocking narrative that chronicles the fall of Bear Stearns and the end of the Second Gilded Age on Wall Street. Bear Stearns serves as the Rosetta Stone to explain how a combination of risky bets, corporate political infighting, lax government regulations and truly bad decision-making wrought havoc on the world financial system.Cohan’s minute-by-minute account of those ten days in March makes for breathless reading, as the bankers at Bear Stearns struggled to contain the cascading series of events that would doom the firm, and as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, New York Federal Reserve Bank President Tim Geithner, and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke began to realize the dire consequences for the world economy should the company go bankrupt. But HOUSE OF CARDS does more than recount the incredible panic of the first stages of the financial meltdown. William D. Cohan beautifully demonstrates why the seemingly invincible Wall Street money machine came crashing down. He chronicles the swashbuckling corporate culture of Bear Stearns, the strangely crucial role competitive bridge played in the company’s fortunes, the brutal internecine battles for power, and the deadly combination of greed and inattention that helps to explain why the company’s leaders ignored the danger lurking in Bear’s huge positions in mortgage-backed securities.The author deftly portrays larger-than-life personalities like Ace Greenberg, Bear Stearns’ miserly, take-no-prisoners chairman whose memos about re-using paper clips were legendary throughout Wall Street; his profane, colorful rival and eventual heir Jimmy Cayne, whose world-champion-level bridge skills were a lever in his corporate rise and became a symbol of the reasons for the firm’s demise; and Jamie Dimon, the blunt-talking CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who won the astonishing endgame of the saga (the Bear Stearns headquarters alone were worth more than JP Morgan paid for the whole company). Cohan’s explanation of seemingly arcane subjects like credit default swaps and fixed- income securities is masterful and crystal clear, but it is the high-end dish and powerful narrative drive that makes HOUSE OF CARDS an irresistible read on a par with classics such as LIAR’S POKER and BARBARIANS AT THE GATE.Written with the novelistic verve and insider knowledge that made THE LAST TYCOONS a bestseller and a prize-winner, HOUSE OF CARDS is a chilling cautionary tale about greed, arrogance, and stupidity in the financial world, and the consequences for all of us.

Dream Big: Let Your Financial Plan Make Your Dreams Come True


Mukesh Jindal - 2017
    Today, he is the owner of a flourishing taxi service business and is scouting around to buy a Mercedes Benz...not on a loan but with the wealth he has amassed over the years! How did he get from being a driver to a millionaire? Three simple secrets - he had the courage to dream big, learn about financial planning and implement what he learnt. Now, while you don't need anyone to help you to dream big, here is a book that will teach you everything that Vaibhav learnt. All you have to do is find the tenacity to implement it. Everything, from the importance of saving and investing and the need for life and health insurance to various investment products like mutual funds, SIP, PPF etc. that can enable you to build wealth, is explained in this book in simple and jargon free language. It helps you to choose instruments that are most suitable for you and explains why you would be better off without others. Dream Big simplifies and breaks down common financial planning principles such as risk profiling, asset allocation, portfolio construction, rebalancing etc. and explains the tax implications of various investment decisions. It also contains sections on planning for retirement and a legacy, and financial planning for women, divorced individuals, defence employees, senior citizens, etc.

Business Adventures


John Brooks - 1969
    What do the $350 million Ford Motor Company disaster known as the Edsel, the fast and incredible rise of Xerox, and the unbelievable scandals at General Electric and Texas Gulf Sulphur have in common? Each is an example of how an iconic company was defined by a particular moment of fame or notoriety. These notable and fascinating accounts are as relevant today to understanding the intricacies of corporate life as they were when the events happened.Stories about Wall Street are infused with drama and adventure and reveal the machinations and volatile nature of the world of finance. John Brooks’s insightful reportage is so full of personality and critical detail that whether he is looking at the astounding market crash of 1962, the collapse of a well-known brokerage firm, or the bold attempt by American bankers to save the British pound, one gets the sense that history really does repeat itself.

Making the Most of Your Money Now (Revised)


Jane Bryant Quinn - 2009
    This proven, comprehensive guidebook steers you around the risks and helps you make smart and profitable decisions at every stage of your life. Are you single, married, or divorced? A parent with a paycheck or a parent at home? Getting your first job or well along in your career? Helping your kids in college or your parents in their older age? Planning for retirement? Already retired and worried about how to make your money last? You'll find ideas to help you build your financial security here. Jane Bryant Quinn answers more questions more completely than any other personal-finance author on the market today. You'll reach for this book again and again as your life changes and new financial decisions arise. Here are just a few of the important subjects she examines: • Setting priorities during and after a financial setback, and bouncing back • Getting the most out of a bank while avoiding fees • Credit card and debit card secrets that will save you money • Family matters -- talking money before marriage and mediating claims during divorce • Cutting the cost of student debt, and finding schools that will offer big "merit" scholarships to your child • The simplest ways of pulling yourself out of debt • Why it's so important to jump on the automatic-savings bandwagon • Buying a house, selling one, or trying to rent your home when buyers aren't around • Why credit scores are more important than ever, plus tips on keeping yours in the range most attractive to lenders • Investing made easy -- mutual funds that are tailor-made for your future retirement • What every investor needs to know about building wealth • How an "investment policy" helps you make wise decisions in any market • The essential tax-deferred retirement plans, from 401(k)s to Individual Retirement Accounts -- and how to manage them • How to invest in real estate at a bargain price (and how to spot something that looks like a bargain but isn't) • Eleven ways of keeping a steady income while you're retired, even after a stock market crash • Financial planning -- what it means, how you do it, and where to find good planners Page by page, Quinn leads you through the pros and cons of every decision, to help you make the choice that will suit you best. This is the single personal-finance book that no family should be without.

Warren Buffett: The Ultimate Guide To Investing like Warren Buffet. Learn the Warren Buffet Way, the Warren Buffett Portfolio and the Warren Buffett Stocks


Richard Borrows - 2015
    Learn the Warren Buffet Way, the Warren Buffett Portfolio and the Warren Buffett Stocks The stock market has developed a reputation among the people of the world as a mystical entity. It has become a realm with the top closed in on Wall Street with a circle of seemingly impenetrable suits even though the reality is that anyone can become an investor. Although the average Joe might be at an immediate disadvantage in terms of safety funds and insider knowledge on the best deals and short term fluctuations of a stock, there are most definitely options such as mutual funds like index funds that are easy to use and relatively safe in comparison to filling a portfolio with a narrow range of risky securities. Warren Buffett is known today as a massively successful entrepreneur and investor. However, all successful people had to make their way from the beginning, Warren Buffett included. It is often both inspiring and a key to understanding to look at a successful person’s journey to success, and so in this book I cover Warren Buffett’s success story, the Warren Buffett Way, his portfolio and stocks, quotes, and tips. I hope that with this book, you will not only learn to be a smart investor, but become successful in more ways than one while gaining insight into the business world as a whole. Specific topics covered in this book include: ● Warren Buffett’s Road to Success ● The Warren Buffett Way ● The Warren Buffett Portfolio ● The Warren Buffett Stocks ● Motivational Warren Buffett Quotes ● Final Warren Buffett Investing Tips

This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly


Carmen M. Reinhart - 2009
    Each time, the experts have chimed, "this time is different"--claiming that the old rules of valuation no longer apply and that the new situation bears little similarity to past disasters. With this breakthrough study, leading economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff definitively prove them wrong. Covering sixty-six countries across five continents, This Time Is Different presents a comprehensive look at the varieties of financial crises, and guides us through eight astonishing centuries of government defaults, banking panics, and inflationary spikes--from medieval currency debasements to today's subprime catastrophe. Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, leading economists whose work has been influential in the policy debate concerning the current financial crisis, provocatively argue that financial combustions are universal rites of passage for emerging and established market nations. The authors draw important lessons from history to show us how much--or how little--we have learned. Using clear, sharp analysis and comprehensive data, Reinhart and Rogoff document that financial fallouts occur in clusters and strike with surprisingly consistent frequency, duration, and ferocity. They examine the patterns of currency crashes, high and hyperinflation, and government defaults on international and domestic debts--as well as the cycles in housing and equity prices, capital flows, unemployment, and government revenues around these crises. While countries do weather their financial storms, Reinhart and Rogoff prove that short memories make it all too easy for crises to recur. An important book that will affect policy discussions for a long time to come, This Time Is Different exposes centuries of financial missteps.

Flash Crash: A Trading Savant, a Global Manhunt, and the Most Mysterious Market Crash in History


Liam Vaughan - 2020
    In the span of five minutes, a trillion dollars of valuation was lost. The Flash Crash, as it became known, represented the fastest drop in market history. When share values rebounded less than half an hour later, experts around the globe were left perplexed. What had they just witnessed?Navinder Singh Sarao hardly seemed like a man who would shake the world's financial markets to their core. Raised in a working-class neighborhood in West London, Nav was a preternaturally gifted trader who played the markets like a computer game. By the age of thirty, he had left behind London's "trading arcades," working instead out of his childhood home. For years the money poured in. But when lightning-fast electronic traders infiltrated markets and started eating into his profits, Nav built a system of his own to fight back. It worked--until 2015, when the FBI arrived at his door. Depending on whom you ask, Sarao was a scourge, a symbol of a financial system run horribly amok, or a folk hero who took on the tyranny of Wall Street and the high-frequency traders.A real-life financial thriller, Flash Crash uncovers the remarkable, behind-the-scenes narrative of a mystifying market crash, a globe-spanning investigation into international fraud, and the man at the center of them both.

Poor Richard's Retirement: Retirement for Everyday Americans


Aaron Clarey - 2017
    Never started a 401k or IRA? Don’t worry. And are you so far behind in your personal finances you’re worried you’ll never be able to retire? It’s all good. Because whether you know it or not, the entire US retirement system is horribly flawed and was doomed to fail anyway. And that’s why every American needs to read “Poor Richard’s Retirement.” “Poor Richard’s Retirement” is a revolutionary retirement system because, unlike today’s conventional retirement planning, it works. It puts retirement easily within the reach of your everyday man. Whether you have student loans, a mortgage, are behind in your retirement planning, or have no retirement savings at all, “Poor Richard’s Retirement” bypasses it all by showing you how little you truly need to retire. And it does so through the simple truth that happiness is not found in $400 yoga pants, luxury SUV’s, McMansions, or whatever lies they’re selling you on TV, but through love of family, friends, and your fellow man. All of which are free. Make retirement infinitely easier and life happier. Buy “Poor Richard’s Retirement” today. Nobody in America has saved enough for retirement…until now.