Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity


Scott Galloway - 2020
    Some businesses--like home exercise company Peloton, video conference software maker Zoom, and Amazon--woke up to find themselves crushed under an avalanche of consumer demand. Others--like the restaurant, travel, hospitality, and live entertainment industries--scrambled to escape obliteration.But as Scott Galloway argues, the pandemic has not been a change agent so much as an accelerant of trends already well underway. In Post Corona, he outlines the contours of the crisis and the opportunities that lie ahead. Some businesses, like the powerful tech monopolies, will thrive as a result of the disruption. Other industries, like higher education, will struggle to maintain a value proposition that no longer makes sense when we can't stand shoulder to shoulder. And the pandemic has accelerated deeper trends in government and society, exposing a widening gap between our vision of America as a land of opportunity, and the troubling realities of our declining wellbeing.Combining his signature humor and brash style with sharp business insights and the occasional dose of righteous anger, Galloway offers both warning and hope in equal measure. As he writes, Our commonwealth didn't just happen, it was shaped. We chose this path--no trend is permanent and can't be made worse or corrected.

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.

The Rebel Allocator


Jacob Taylor - 2019
    How could what you spend money on inside a business NOT be of utmost importance?I looked for a business person’s guide to effective capital allocation for years. I thought, “What a nice gift to send to the CEOs of my portfolio companies!” as visions of outsized returns danced in my head. To my dismay, the search came up dry. I decided I’d have to write my own.I started at the individual customer transaction level and built all the way up to M&A, share buybacks, and beyond. To keep from boring you, I wrapped the lessons in a coming-of-age story of a college grad crossing paths with a wealthy Midwesterner. Imagine if The Karate Kid‘s Mr. Miyagi was modeled after a certain well-known Oracle. (OK, it’s not The Brothers Karamazov, but I’m not the most original guy.)This book is for you if:** You’re a business decision-maker who was never taught good capital allocation and you’re wondering what you’re missing. These lessons apply to small business people and Fortune 100 titans, and everyone in between. It doesn’t matter if you’re public or private, this book will help.** You’re building or advising start-ups. Today’s disrupter is tomorrow’s capital allocator. Learn it early and save yourself a ton of headache.** You’re an investor who appreciates the studies finding good capital allocators outperform the S&P 500 by 20x (no joke), and you want an easy way to help management and board members make better decisions. This book will also aid you in spotting those doing capital allocation right–such a huge advantage. (This was my original itch I wanted scratched. Part of me wanted to keep this book to myself and only send it to the management teams in my portfolio.)** You’re fresh out of school and want to learn the good, and sometimes bad, sides of business. Or you might want to kindle an appreciation for the wonders of capitalism. (Please don’t send a copy of this book to Bernie Sanders.)And perhaps most importantly, your journey will be less painful when mixed with a splash of humor and movie-like pacing. Even if you’re like me and read non-fiction almost exclusively, you’re going to be glad you took a chance on this one. This is fiction for the non-fiction reader. Yours in improving capital allocation,Jake

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping


Paco Underhill - 1999
    Why We Buy is based on hard data gleaned from thousands of hours of field research–in shopping malls, department stores, and supermarkets across America. With his team of sleuths tracking our every move, Paco Underhill lays bare the struggle among merchants, marketers, and increasingly knowledgeable consumers for control.

Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money: The Handbook of Financial Peace University


Dave Ramsey - 2011
    If you’re looking for practical information to answer all your “How?” “What?” and “Why?” questions about money, this book is for you. You’ll also learn all about insurance, mortgage options, marketing, bargain hunting and the most important element of all—giving. Now let’s be honest: This is the handbook of Financial Peace University.

Trump: The Art of the Deal


Donald J. Trump - 1987
    I always have. To me it’s very simple: If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”—Donald J. Trump  Here is Trump in action—how he runs his business and how he runs his life—as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and changes the face of the New York City skyline. But even a maverick plays by rules, and Trump has formulated eleven guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest deals; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker’s art. And throughout, Trump talks—really talks—about how he does it. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur and an unprecedented education in the practice of deal-making. It’s the most streetwise business book there is—and the ultimate read for anyone interested in achieving money and success, and knowing the man behind the spotlight.

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.

Mastering Private Equity: Transformation via Venture Capital, Minority Investments and Buyouts


Claudia Zeisberger - 2017
    From deal sourcing to exit, LBOs to responsible investing, operational value creation to risk management, the book systematically distils the essence of private equity into core concepts and explains in detail the dynamics of venture capital, growth equity and buyout transactions. With a foreword by Henry Kravis, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of KKR, and special guest comments by senior PE professionals.   This book combines insights from leading academics and practitioners and was carefully structured to offer: A clear and concise reference for the industry expert A step-by-step guide for students and casual observers of the industry A theoretical companion to the INSEAD case book Private Equity in Action: Case Studies from Developed and Emerging Markets Features guest comments by senior PE professionals from the firms listed below: Abraaj • Adams Street Partners • Apax Partners • Baring PE Asia • Bridgepoint • The Carlyle Group • Coller Capital • Debevoise & Plimpton LLP • FMO • Foundry Group • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer • General Atlantic • ILPA • Intermediate Capital Group • KKR Capstone • LPEQ • Maxeda • Navis Capital • Northleaf Capital • Oaktree Capital • Partners Group • Permira • Terra Firma

The Manual of Ideas: The Proven Framework for Finding the Best Value Investments


John Mihaljevic - 2013
    Written by that publication's managing editor and inspired by its mission to serve as an "idea funnel" for the world's top money managers, this book introduces you to a proven, proprietary framework for finding, researching, analyzing, and implementing the best value investing opportunities. The next best thing to taking a peek under the hoods of some of the most prodigious brains in the business, it gives you uniquely direct access to the thought processes and investment strategies of such super value investors as Warren Buffett, Seth Klarman, Glenn Greenberg, Guy Spier and Joel Greenblatt.Written by the team behind one of the most read and talked-about sources of research and value investing ideas Reviews more than twenty pre-qualified investment ideas and provides an original ranking methodology to help you zero-in on the three to five most compelling investments Delivers a finely-tuned, proprietary investment framework, previously available only to an elite group of TMI subscribers Step-by-step, it walks you through a proven, rigorous approach to finding, researching, analyzing, and implementing worthy ideas

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More


Chris Anderson - 2006
    The New York Times bestseller that introduced the business world to a future that s already here -- now in paperback with a new chapter about Long Tail Marketing and a new epilogue.Winner of the Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book of the Year.In the most important business book since The Tipping Point, Chris Anderson shows how the future of commerce and culture isn t in hits, the high-volume head of a traditional demand curve, but in what used to be regarded as misses -- the endlessly long tail of that same curve.

The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths


Mariana Mazzucato - 2011
    Analysing various case studies of innovation-led growth, it describes the opposite situation, whereby the private sector only becomes bold enough to invest after the courageous State has made the high-risk investments.The volume argues that in the history of modern capitalism, the State has generated economic activity that would not otherwise have happened, and has actively opened up new technologies and markets that private investors can later move into. Far from the often heard criticisms of the State potentially 'crowding out' private investments, the State makes them happen, shaping and creating markets, not only 'fixing' them. Ignoring this reality only serves ideological ends, and hurts effective policymaking.This book examines case studies ranging from the advent of the Internet to the emergence of the biotechnology and nanotechnology industries. In particular, the volume debunks the myth that Silicon Valley was created by entrepreneurial venture capital. A key chapter focuses on the State investments behind Apple's success, and reveals that every major technology behind the iPhone owes its source to public funds. Thus, while entrepreneurial individuals like Steve Jobs are needed, their success is nearly impossible without their ability to ride the wave of State investments. And if Europe wants its own Googles, it needs more State action, not less.Two forward-looking chapters focus on the emergence of the next big thing after the internet: the 'green revolution'. Both solar and wind technology are currently being led by State spending, whether through the US ARPA-E programme or the Chinese and Brazilian State investment banks. The discussion refreshingly moves beyond the usual division between proponents of austerity vs. the proponents of fiscal stimulus. It argues that State investments not only help kick-start growth during periods of recession, but that they also, even in boom periods, lead to productive investments in radical new technologies which later foster decades of growth.The book ends with a fundamental question: if the State is so important to investments in high-risk innovation, why does it capture so little direct return?

Investing: The Last Liberal Art


Robert G. Hagstrom - 2000
    In the biology chapter, Hagstrom analyses the central nervous system and the immune system as complex adaptive systems and then draws parallels with the behaviour of the economy and the stock market. In the physics chapter, he explores a mathematical distribution and considers the advantages of scale in relation to the bigger is better models that define the business strategies of Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Home Depot.

Financial Markets and Institutions (Prentice Hall Series in Finance) (Addison-Wesley Series in Finance)


Frederic S. Mishkin - 1994
    A unifying framework uses a few core principles to organize readers' thinking then examines the models as real-world scenarios from a practitioner's perspective. By analyzing these applications, readers develop the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to respond to challenging situations in their future careers. Introduction: Why Study Financial Markets and Institutions?; Overview of the Financial System. Fundamentals of Financial Markets: What Do Interest Rates Mean and What Is Their Role in Valuation?; Why Do Interest Rates Change?; How Do Risk and Term Structure Affect Interest Rates?; Are Financial Markets Efficient? Central Banking and the Conduct of Monetary Policy: Structure of Central Banks and the Federal Reserve System; Conduct of Monetary Policy: Tools, Goals, Strategy, and Tactics. Financial Markets: The Money Markets; The Bond Market; The Stock Market; The Mortgage Markets; The Foreign Exchange Market; The International Financial System. Fundamentals of Financial Institutions: Why Do Financial Institutions Exist?; What Should Be Done About Conflicts of Interest? A Central Issue in Business Ethics. The Financial Institutions Industry: Banking and the Management of Financial Institutions; Commercial Banking Industry: Structure and Competition; Savings Associations and Credit Unions; Banking Regulation; The Mutual Fund Industry; Insurance Companies and Pension Funds; Investment Banks, Security Brokers and Dealers, and Venture Capital Firms. The Management of Financial Institutions: Risk Management in Financial Institutions; Hedging with Financial Derivatives. On the Web: Finance Companies. For all readers interested in financial markets and institutions.

Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It


Amy Cortese - 2011
    Meanwhile, small businesses are being starved for the credit and capital they need to grow. There's got to be a better way.In Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It, Amy Cortese takes us inside the local investing movement, where solutions to some of the nation's most pressing problems are taking shape. The idea is that, by investing in local businesses, rather than faceless conglomerates, investors can earn profits while building healthy, self-reliant communities.Introduces you to the ideas and pioneers behind the local investing movement Profiles the people and communities who are putting their money to work in their own backyards and taking control of their destinies Explores innovative investment strategies, from community capital and crowdfunding to local stock exchanges With confidence in Wall Street and the government badly shaken, Americans are looking for alternatives. Local investing offers a way to rebuild our nest eggs, communities, and, just perhaps, our country.

The Undercover Economist


Tim Harford - 2005
    The Undercover Economist is for anyone who's wondered why the gap between rich and poor nations is so great, or why they can't seem to find a decent second-hand car, or how to outwit Starbucks. This book offers the hidden story behind these and other questions, as economist Tim Harford ranges from Africa, Asia, Europe, and of course the United States to reveal how supermarkets, airlines, and coffee chains--to name just a few--are vacuuming money from our wallets. Harford punctures the myths surrounding some of today's biggest controversies, including the high cost of health-care; he reveals why certain environmental laws can put a smile on a landlord's face; and he explains why some industries can have high profits for innocent reasons, while in other industries something sinister is going on. Covering an array of economic concepts including scarce resources, market power, efficiency, price gouging, market failure, inside information, and game theory, Harford sheds light on how these forces shape our day-to-day lives, often without our knowing it. Showing us the world through the eyes of an economist, Tim Harford reveals that everyday events are intricate games of negotiations, contests of strength, and battles of wits. Written with a light touch and sly wit, The Undercover Economist turns "the dismal science" into a true delight.