University of Berkshire Hathaway: 30 Years of Lessons Learned from Warren Buffett & Charlie Munger at the Annual Shareholders Meeting


Daniel Pecaut - 2017
    From this front row seat, you'll see one of the greatest wealth-building records in history unfold, year by year.If you're looking for dusty old investment theory, there are hundreds of other books waiting to cure you of insomnia. However, if you're looking for an investing book that's as personal as it is revelatory, look no further.Packed with Buffett and Munger's timeless, generous, and often hilarious wisdom, University of Berkshire Hathaway will keep serious investors turning pages late into the night:• Get unique insight into the thinking, strategies, and decisions--both good and bad--that made Buffett and Munger two of the world's greatest investors. • Understand the critical reasoning that leads Buffett and Munger to purchase a particular company, including their methods for assigning value.• Learn the central tenets of Buffett's value-investing philosophy "straight from the horse's mouth."• Enjoy Munger's biting wit as he goes after any topic that offends him.• Discover Buffett's distaste for "commonly accepted strategies" like modern portfolio theory.• See why these annual meetings are often called "an MBA in a weekend."

Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundation of China's Extraordinary Rise


Carl E. Walter - 2010
    Instead of a stable series of policies producing steady growth, China's financial sector has boomed and gone bust with regularity in each decade. The latest decade is little different. Chinese banks have become objects of political struggle while they totter under balance sheets bloated by the excessive state-directed lending and bond issuance of 2009. Looking forward, the government's response to the global financial crisis has created a banking system the stability of which can be maintained only behind the walls of a non-convertible currency, a myriad of off-balance sheet arrangements with non-public state entities and the strong support of its best borrowers--the politically potent National Champions--who are the greatest beneficiaries of the financial status quo.China's financial system is not a model for the west and, indeed, is not a sustainable arrangement for China itself as it seeks increasingly to assert its influence internationally. This is not a story of impending collapse, but of frustrated reforms that suggests that any full opening and meaningful reform of the financial sector is not, indeed cannot be, on the government's agenda anytime soon.

Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry


Helaine Olen - 2012
    There’s just one problem: those and many simi­lar statements are false. For the past few decades, Americans have spent billions of dollars on personal finance products. As salaries have stagnated and companies have cut back on benefits, we’ve taken matters into our own hands, embracing the can-do attitude that if we’re smart enough, we can overcome even daunting financial obstacles. But that’s not true. In this meticulously reported and shocking book, journalist and former financial columnist Helaine Olen goes behind the curtain of the personal finance industry to expose the myths, contradictions, and outright lies it has perpetuated. She shows how an industry that started as a response to the Great Depression morphed into a behemoth that thrives by selling us products and services that offer little if any help. Olen calls out some of the biggest names in the business, revealing how even the most respected gurus have engaged in dubious, even deceitful, prac­tices—from accepting payments from banks and corporations in exchange for promoting certain prod­ucts to blaming the victims of economic catastrophe for their own financial misfortune. Pound Foolish also disproves many myths about spending and saving, including:Small pleasures can bankrupt you: Gurus popular­ized the idea that cutting out lattes and other small expenditures could make us millionaires. But reduc­ing our caffeine consumption will not offset our biggest expenses: housing, education, health care, and retirement.Disciplined investing will make you rich: Gurus also love to show how steady investing can turn modest savings into a huge nest egg at retirement. But these calculations assume a healthy market and a lifetime without any setbacks—two conditions that have no connection to the real world.Women need extra help managing money: Product pushers often target women, whose alleged financial ignorance supposedly leaves them especially at risk. In reality, women and men are both terrible at handling finances.Financial literacy classes will prevent future eco­nomic crises: Experts like to claim mandatory sessions on personal finance in school will cure many of our money ills. Not only is there little evidence this is true, the entire movement is largely funded and promoted by the financial services sector.  Weaving together original reporting, interviews with experts, and studies from disciplines ranging from behavioral economics to retirement planning, Pound Foolish is a compassionate and compelling book that will change the way we think and talk about our money.

The Little Book of Economics: How the Economy Works in the Real World


Greg Ip - 2010
    economy functions. In The Little Book of Economics, Greg, Ip, one of the country's most recognized and respected economics journalists, walks readers through how the economy really works. Written for the inquisitive layman who doesn't want to plow through academic jargon and Greek letters or pore over charts and tables, The Little Book of Economics offers indispensible insight into how the American economy works - or, doesn't. With engaging and accessible prose, the bookProvides a comprehensive understanding of each aspect of our economy from inflation and unemployment to international trade and finance Serves as an insider's guide to the people and institutions that control America's economy such as the Federal Reserve and the federal budget Explains the roots of America's current economic crisis and the risks the country faces in its aftermath, such as stratospheric government debt, while offering advice on overcoming these threats Walks readers through the basic concepts and terminology they need to understand economic news Punctures myths and political spin from both the left and the right with candid and often surprising insight A must read for anyone who wants a better grasp of the economy without taking a course in economics, The Little Book of Economics is a unique and engaging look at how the economy works in all its wonderful and treacherous ways.

The Economists' Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society


Binyamin Appelbaum - 2019
    In the four decades between 1969 and 2008, these economists played a leading role in reshaping taxation and public spending and clearing the way for globalization. They reshaped the government's approach to regulation, assigning a value to human life to determine which rules are worthwhile. Economists even convinced President Nixon to end military conscription.The United States was the epicenter of the intellectual ferment, but the embrace of markets was a global phenomenon, seizing the imagination of politicians in countries including the United Kingdom, Chile and New Zealand.This book is also a reckoning. The revolution failed to deliver on its central promise of increased prosperity. In the United States, growth has slowed in every successive decade since the 1960s. And the cost of the failure was steep. Policymakers traded well-paid jobs for low-cost electronics; the loss of work weakened the fabric of society and of democracy. Soaring inequality extends far beyond incomes: Life expectancy for less affluent Americans has declined in recent years. And the focus on efficiency has come at the expense of the future: Lower taxes instead of education and infrastructure; limited environmental regulation as oceans rise and California burns.

The Wisdom of Crowds


James Surowiecki - 2004
    With boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, military history, and politics to show how this simple idea offers important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies, and think about our world.

Penny Stocks for Dummies


Peter Leeds - 2013
    Penny Stocks For Dummies explains the basics of penny stocks and provides expert guidance to help you get involved right away.Penny Stocks For Dummies provides you with the information and advice you need before considering an investment in penny stocks, as well as the tools needed to make sound investments. You'll also get expert guidance on identifying growth trends and market sectors positioned for rapid growth, finding undiscovered penny stocks, and understanding the fundamentals of a potential investment in penny stocks.Arms you with the know-how to properly identify, and purchase, winning penny stocks Shows you how good money can be made from these low-priced shares Gets you involved in Penny Stocks quickly, painlessly, and on a small budget Penny Stocks For Dummies appeals to anyone who doesn't have a lot to invest right now in the current economic climate, but who wants to multiply what they do have.

Central Banking 101


Joseph J Wang - 2021
    With a few words, the Fed can lift the stock market out of desperation and catapult it towards euphoric highs. With a few keystrokes, the Fed can conjure up trillions of dollars and fund virtually unlimited Federal spending. And with a few poor decisions, the Fed can plunge the entire world into a recession. The Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful institutions in the world, and also one of the most difficult to understand.The Fed acts through its Open Markets Desk, which sits at the heart of the global financial system as the world's ultimate and limitless provider of dollars. On behalf of policy makers, the Desk gathers market intelligence from all the major market participants, sifts through reams of internal data, and works behind the scenes keep the financial system intact. It is responsible for all of the Fed's market operations, from trillions in quantitative easing to hundreds of billions in repo and FX-swap loans. The financial crises of 2008 and 2020 abated only through the emergency interventions of the Desk.Joseph Wang spent five years studying the monetary system as a trader on the Desk. From that vantage point, Joseph saw firsthand how the Fed operates and how the financial system really works. This book is a distillation of his experience that aims to educate and demystify. After reading this book, you will understand how money is created, how the global dollar system is structured, and how it all fits into the broader financial system.The views in this book do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System.

Broken Markets: How High Frequency Trading and Predatory Practices on Wall Street Are Destroying Investor Confidence and Your Portfolio


Sal L. Arnuk - 2012
    A small consortium of players is making billions by skimming and scalping unaware investors -- and, in so doing, they've transformed our markets from the world's envy into a barren wasteland of terror. Since these events began, Themis Trading's Joe Saluzzi and Sal Arnuk have offered an unwavering voice of reasoned dissent. Their small brokerage has stood up against the hijackers in every venue: their daily writings are now followed by investors, regulators, the media, and "Main Street" investors worldwide. Saluzzi and Arnuk don't take prisoners! Now, in "Broken Markets," they explain how all this happened, who did it, what it means, and what's coming next. You'll understand the true implications of events ranging from the crash of 1987 to the "Flash Crash" -- and discover what it all means to you and your future. Warning: you will get angry (if you aren't already). But you'll know exactly "why" you're angry, "who" you're angry at, and "what" needs to be done!

How To Create Wealth Investing In Real Estate: How to Build Wealth with Multi-Family Real Estate


Grant Cardone - 2018
     This is not a book about flipping or wholesaling homes, its about investing in real estate that is a proven method for creating massive wealth. This book is about how you can buy income producing real estate, protect your capital, and provide you and your family with passive while the property pays down debt and you wait for asset appreciation. This easy-to-read guide can be read from cover-to-cover in one sitting. You will learn: • The precise type of real estate that will ensure you the best chance at cash flow and appreciation. • How to ensure positive cash flow during all economies. • How to evaluate a property to know what a fair price is. • How to determine where to find the best deals in your market. • What price, cap rated and how to ensure appreciation in the future. • What the perfect first deal is for you and what deals you should never do. • Why a lower cap rates may provide you with the greatest gain. • How to use good debt and make the bank your partner. • How to know what price you will exit at and even who the buyer profile will be. • You also get an inside look at the exact deals he is looking at today. •This is not a book about what someone did decades ago nor is it about how to buy real estate with no money down. • It is about how to use find and buy real estate that is sure to create multiple flows of income for your family, • and explode your net worth over time using debt pay down and forced appreciation. “Grant Cardone is the master of real estate investing and he simplifies it in his newest release. Get it and apply what he is telling you.” - Daymond John, SharkTank Star and CEO Fubu. "Cardone is to real estate investing what I am to the bar and restaurant business. He shows you exactly what he has done to build a multi-hundred million dollar business.” - Jon Taffer, Bar Rescue The first edition sold out in six days and the reviews are already coming in. IF YOU'VE ENJOYED ANY OF GRANT'S BOOKS, THIS IS A MUST ADD TO YOUR LIBRARY.

10 1/2 lessons from Experience: Perspectives on Fund Management


Paul Marshall - 2020
    

How to Attract Money Using Mind Power: A Concise Guide to Manifesting Abundance, Prosperity, Financial Success, Wealth, and Well-Being


James Goi Jr. - 2007
    Through it, you will experience more color and texture in the treatment of this important subject, and you will deepen your feel for the life-changing concepts and techniques.If you are serious about attracting a lot more money into your life, this book should be on your bookshelf right alongside How to Attract Money Using Mind Power. And although this is indeed a companion book, you can benefit greatly from reading it even if you haven’t read the original work. All on its own, this book will give you sufficient knowledge to totally transform your financial circumstances and attract all the money you can handle. Table of Contents: 1. Desire2. Belief3. Expectancy4. Money Mindset5. Money Goals6. Think End Results7. Think and Feel As If8. Speak As If9. Act As If10. Affirmations11. Visualization12. Environment13. Organization14. Laws of Money15. Intuition16. Plans17. Right Livelihood18. Self-Image19. Personal Energy20. Radiate Financial IncreaseAttracting more money, manifesting wealth, creating a life of prosperity, abundance, and affluence—these are things anyone can accomplish, but relatively few do. The difference between the haves and the have nots? It’s a mental difference. It all starts in the mind, with the power of thought. This book will teach you how to think in a way that will propel you down your road to success, achievement, and financial freedom.

Paper Promises: Debt, Money, and the New World Order


Philip Coggan - 2011
    Now, as the reality dawns that many debts cannot be repaid, we find ourselves again in crisis. But the oncoming defaults have a time-worn place in our economic history. As with the crises in the 1930s and 1970s, governments will fall, currencies will lose their value, and new systems will emerge. Just as Britain set the terms of the international system in the nineteenth century, and America in the twentieth century, a new system will be set by today's creditors in China and the Middle East. In the process, rich will be pitted against poor, young against old, public sector workers against taxpayers and one country against another.In Paper Promises, Economist columnist Philip Coggan helps us to understand the origins of this mess and how it will affect the new global economy by explaining how our attitudes towards debt have changed throughout history, and how they may be about to change again.Winner of the Spear's Best Business Book AwardLonglisted for the 2012 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award

Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It


Richard V. Reeves - 2017
    But the most important, consequential, and widening gap in American society is between the upper middle class and everyone else.Reeves defines the upper middle class as those whose incomes are in the top 20 percent of American society. Income is not the only way to measure a society, but in a market economy it is crucial because access to money generally determines who gets the best quality education, housing, health care, and other necessary goods and services.As Reeves shows, the growing separation between the upper middle class and everyone else can be seen in family structure, neighborhoods, attitudes, and lifestyle. Those at the top of the income ladder are becoming more effective at passing on their status to their children, reducing overall social mobility. The result is not just an economic divide but a fracturing of American society along class lines. Upper-middle-class children become upper-middle-class adults.These trends matter because the separation and perpetuation of the upper middle class corrode prospects for more progressive approaches to policy. Various forms of “opportunity hoarding” among the upper middle class make it harder for others to rise up to the top rung. Examples include zoning laws and schooling, occupational licensing, college application procedures, and the allocation of internships. Upper-middle-class opportunity hoarding, Reeves argues, results in a less competitive economy as well as a less open society.Inequality is inevitable and can even be good, within limits. But Reeves argues that society can take effective action to reduce opportunity hoarding and thus promote broader opportunity. This fascinating book shows how American society has become the very class-defined society that earlier Americans rebelled against—and what can be done to restore a more equitable society.

The Wisdom of Finance: Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return


Mihir Desai - 2017
    . . the noblest and the most infamous in the world, the finest and most vulgar on earth.” The characterization of finance as deceitful, infamous, and vulgar still rings true today – particularly in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. But, what happened to the fairest, noblest, and finest profession that de la Vega saw?  De la Vega hit on an essential truth that has been forgotten: finance can be just as principled, life-affirming, and worthy as it can be fraught with questionable practices.  Today, finance is shrouded in mystery for outsiders, while many insiders are uneasy with the disrepute of their profession.  How can finance become more accessible and also recover its nobility? Harvard Business School professor Mihir Desai, in his “last lecture” to the graduating Harvard MBA class of 2015, took up the cause of restoring humanity to finance. With incisive wit and irony, his lecture drew upon a rich knowledge of literature, film, history, and philosophy to explain the inner workings of finance in a manner that has never been seen before. This book captures Desai’s lucid exploration of the ideas of finance as seen through the unusual prism of the humanities. Through this novel, creative approach, Desai shows that outsiders can access the underlying ideas easily and insiders can reacquaint themselves with the core humanity of their profession. The mix of finance and the humanities creates unusual pairings: Jane Austen and Anthony Trollope are guides to risk management; Jeff Koons becomes an advocate of leverage; and Mel Brooks’s The Producers teaches us about fiduciary responsibility. In Desai’s vision, the principles of finance also provide answers to critical questions in our lives. Among many surprising parallels, bankruptcy teaches us how to react to failure, the lessons of mergers apply to marriages, and the Capital Asset Pricing Model demonstrates the true value of relationships. THE WISDOM OF FINANCE is a wholly unique book, offering a refreshing new perspective on one of the world’s most complex and misunderstood professions.