But those people haven't met Allison Schrager, an economist and award-winning journalist who has spent her career examining how people manage risk in their lives and careers.Whether we realize it or not, we all take risks large and small every day. Even the most cautious among us cannot opt out--the question is always which risks to take, not whether to take them at all. What most of us don't know is how to measure those risks and maximize the chances of getting what we want out of life.In An Economist Walks into a Brothel, Schrager equips readers with five principles for dealing with risk, principles used by some of the world's most interesting risk takers. For instance, she interviews a professional poker player about how to stay rational when the stakes are high, a paparazzo in Manhattan about how to spot different kinds of risk, horse breeders in Kentucky about how to diversify risk and minimize losses, and a war general who led troops in Iraq about how to prepare for what we don't see coming.When you start to look at risky decisions through Schrager's new framework, you can increase the upside to any situation and better mitigate the downside.

    In fact, ignorance is your biggest enemy—stopping you from living a life of abundance and happiness. This practical and powerful book—never relying on any jargon—busts popular myths, bares open financial secrets and empowers you to be a master of your own financial destiny with a unique five funds funda approach. Inspiring and actionable, this book will transform your life—not just financially, but also holistically.

    He has one of the smartest business minds I know. When he gives me advice, I pay attention, and you should, too. Automatic Wealth is full of wisdom and insight filtered by a master and brought to you in a well-written and delightful style." -John Mauldin, Editor of the bestselling book, Just One Thing: Twelve of the World's Best Investors Reveal the One Strategy You Can't Overlook "I am not usually a fan of this kind of book. One entitled Automatic Wealth made me suspicious. But I am a fan of Michael Masterson, and when I read the book, I was impressed. Masterson manages to go beyond the theory to tell you exactly how real people make real money in the real world. That, I think, is his genius. He's able to open his own eyes and see for himself what actually works. The result is original, clever, and very helpful to anyone who is serious about building wealth." -Bill Bonner, coauthor of Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis "Michael Masterson has been a great friend of mine for over twenty years. I know for a fact that the strategy he teaches is the exact same strategy he has personally used to amass extraordinary wealth and prosperity for himself. He's reduced a normally daunting process down to six simple and unfailing steps YOU can absolutely use to vastly and rapidly increase your financial situation, often times doubling and redoubling your wealth every few years. This book will become your financial bible." -Jay Abraham, author of Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition "Michael Masterson's book is brilliant and concise, packed with breakthrough insights and unique wealth-building tips. Best of all, it's practical because it combines proven investment and financial planning advice with street-smart business and real estate secrets." -Robert Ringer, author of Action!, Looking Out for #1, and To Be or Not to Be Intimidated?

    In the first episode of her “Bad With Money” podcast, Gaby Dunn asked random people at a coffee shop two questions: First, what’s your favorite sex position? Everyone was game to answer, even the barista. No holds barred. Then, she asked them how much money was in their bank accounts. Deathly silence. People were aghast. “That’s a very personal question!” they cried. And therein lies the problem.Gaby argues that our inability to speak honestly about money is our #1 barrier to understanding it, nurturing a stigma that leads to our shame, embarrassment, and anxiety, which in turn prevents us from taking ownership over this important part of our lives. She wants you to know that there are real reasons to feel helpless when it comes to managing your money, and that the patronizing know-it-alls on TV who blow air horns in your face and charge you up the wazoo for their self-help seminars do not have the answers.But despair not, there is a light at the end of this dark, moneyless tunnel. Through her own journey toward “financial literacy,” Gaby uncovers the real reasons that we feel so disempowered when it comes to finance—deeply rooted habits we inherited from our families, systemic imbalances, and intentionally-complicated terminology that makes it impossible for regular people to feel competent. Bad With Money isn’t going to tell you how to get rich or erase your debt, nor will it offer up a litany of humiliating confessions about horrible financial decisions that Gaby has made (okay, maybe some): it is an invitation from a friend who is just as clueless as you are. Equal parts memoir and journalistic investigation, Gaby covers topics like the financial dynamics of dating, the costs of mental health, and how to maintain your self-respect as a freelancer. In addition to debunking the “entitled millennial” stereotype, Gaby reveals essential truths like how “401K” is not the name of a sci-fi movie, why it feels like your bank teller is speaking a foreign language, and how to decide whether to take an unpaid internship.Weaving her own stories with the perspectives of various researchers, artists, students, her parents, a financial psychologist, her exes, and more, she reveals the ways that money makes us feel confused, hopeless, and terrified, and what it might look like to start taking control of our financial futures.