What Has Government Done to Our Money? and The Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar


Murray N. Rothbard - 1963
    The Mises Institute has united this book with its natural complement: a detailed reform proposal for a 100 percent gold dollar. The Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar was written a decade before the last vestiges of the gold standard were abolished. His unique plan for making the dollar sound again still holds up. Some people have said: Rothbard tells us what is wrong with money but not what to do about it. Well, by adding this essay, the problem and the answer are united in a comprehensive whole. After presenting the basics of money and banking theory, he traces the decline of the dollar from the 18th century to the present, and provides lucid critiques of central banking, New Deal monetary policy, Nixonian fiat money, and fixed exchange rates. He also provides a blueprint for a return to a 100 percent reserve gold standard. The book made huge theoretical advances. He was the first to prove that the government, and only the government, can destroy money on a mass scale, and he showed exactly how they go about this dirty deed. But just as importantly, it is beautifully written. He tells a thrilling story because he loves the subject so much. The passion that Murray feels for the topic comes through in the prose and transfers to the reader. Readers become excited about the subject, and tell others. Students tell professors. Some, like the great Ron Paul of Texas, have even run for political office after having read it. Rothbard shows precisely how banks create money out of thin air and how the central bank, backed by government power, allows them to get away with it. He shows how exchange rates and interest rates would work in a true free market. When it comes to describing the end of the gold standard, he is not content to describe the big trends. He names names and ferrets out all the interest groups involved. Since Rothbard's death, scholars have worked to assess his legacy, and many of them agree that this little book is one of his most important. Though it has sometimes been inauspiciously packaged and is surprisingly short, its argument took huge strides toward explaining that it is impossible to understand public affairs in our time without understanding money and its destruction.

The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order


Paul Vigna - 2015
    A cyber-enigma with an enthusiastic following, it pops up in headlines and fuels endless media debate. You can apparently use it to buy anything from coffee to cars, yet few people seem to truly understand what it is. This raises the question: Why should anyone care about bitcoin?In The Age of Cryptocurrency, Wall Street journalists Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey deliver the definitive answer to this question. Cybermoney is poised to launch a revolution, one that could reinvent traditional financial and social structures while bringing the world's billions of "unbanked" individuals into a new global economy. Cryptocurrency holds the promise of a financial system without a middleman, one owned by the people who use it and one safeguarded from the devastation of a 2008-type crash.But bitcoin, the most famous of the cybermonies, carries a reputation for instability, wild fluctuation, and illicit business; some fear it has the power to eliminate jobs and to upend the concept of a nation state. It implies, above all, monumental and wide-reaching change-for better and for worse. But it is here to stay, and you ignore it at your peril.Vigna and Casey demystify cryptocurrency-its origins, its function, and what you need to know to navigate a cyber-economy. The digital currency world will look very different from the paper currency world; The Age of Cryptocurrency will teach you how to be ready.

Loopholes of Real Estate


Garrett Sutton - 2013
    Clearly written, The Loopholes of Real Estate shows you how to open tax loopholes for your benefit and close legal loopholes for your protection.

Refinery29 Money Diaries: Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Your Finances... And Everyone Else's


Lindsey Stanberry - 2018
    Featuring all-new Money Diaries, valuable advice on how to get rich (and afford life in the meantime) from a handpicked team of female financial advisers, and money challenges that will save you up to $500, Refinery29 Money Diaries will empower you to take immediate control of your own money, including: • Why budgets are bulls&!t and what to do instead • How to make repaying your loans as painless as possible • How to start an emergency fund even if you’re living paycheck to paycheck • How to effectively ask for a raise and make sure you’re being paid fairly • How to have fun without going broke • The joy of saving for future you With a vision of what your dream bank account balance looks like, some expert advice to help you achieve it, and the support of a powerful community with the same goal, you’ll be a step closer to taking control of not just your wallet, but your life.

The Little Book of Valuation: How to Value a Company, Pick a Stock and Profit


Aswath Damodaran - 2011
    In The Little Book of Valuation, expert Aswath Damodaran explains the techniques in language that any investors can understand, so you can make better investment decisions when reviewing stock research reports and engaging in independent efforts to value and pick stocks.Page by page, Damodaran distills the fundamentals of valuation, without glossing over or ignoring key concepts, and develops models that you can easily understand and use. Along the way, he covers various valuation approaches from intrinsic or discounted cash flow valuation and multiples or relative valuation to some elements of real option valuation.Includes case studies and examples that will help build your valuation skills Written by Aswath Damodaran, one of today's most respected valuation experts Includes an accompanying iPhone application (iVal) that makes the lessons of the book immediately useable Written with the individual investor in mind, this reliable guide will not only help you value a company quickly, but will also help you make sense of valuations done by others or found in comprehensive equity research reports.

How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any


Erik Wecks - 2012
    It provides both a respectful, no-nonsense look at the difficult realities of life after the Great Recession and a hope-filled, easy to follow path toward better financial stability for even the most financially strapped households. Created by a financial expert who hasn't struck it rich, How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any offers a first hand story of financial survival in the face of rough times. Rather than emphasizing wealth creation, How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any teaches readers to do the best they can with their income no matter its size. Content rich, personal, and jargon free, the book is opinionated and at times humorous. Full of current everyday references, it is meant to be a quick read which will appeal to the average reader just struggling to make ends meet.

How to Think About Money


Jonathan Clements - 2016
    And then there are those who get it.Want a more prosperous, less stressful financial life? Jonathan Clements, longtime personal finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal, is here to help. His goal: to provide readers with a coherent way to think about their finances, so they worry less about money, make smarter financial choices and squeeze more happiness out of the dollars that they have. How to Think About Money is built around five key ideas: 1. Money can buy happiness, but we need to spend with great care.2. Most of us will enjoy an extraordinarily long life--and that has profound financial implications.3. We are hardwired for financial failure, so sensible money management takes great mental strength.4. We need to bring order to our financial life--by focusing on our paycheck, or lack thereof.5. If we want to add to our wealth, we should strive to minimize the subtractions."Now why didn't I think of that? That's what you'll ask yourself after you read Jonathan Clements's fine new book. Its beauty lies in the commonsense and wisdom that is summed up in just five simple steps that will help you to earn your financial independence. Easy to understand, essential to follow."--John C. Bogle, founder, The Vanguard Group"Jonathan Clements brings his intelligence, insight and commonsense to How to Think About Money, which is packed with wisdom and great guidance. Read it and reap the rewards in the years and decades ahead."--Eric Tyson, author of Personal Finance for Dummies and Investing for Dummies "How to Think About Money is financial feng shui --a blueprint for harmonizing all the aspects of personal finance into a balanced way of approaching and managing money. I found myself measuring my own attitudes and beliefs against the yardsticks in Jonathan Clements's book, and was pleased to find that we're on the same page. Anyone who feels overwhelmed by the challenges of today's world can benefit from Clements's advice on how to make smart financial choices, as well as how to develop, in his words, a 'coherent way to think about their financial life'."--Janet Bodnar, editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine"Concise, important and true. Jonathan Clements provides you a path not just to better finances, but to a better life."--Terry Burnham, finance professor, Chapman University, and author of Mean Markets and Lizard Brains"Jonathan Clements writes so well and thinks so clearly that even financial planning, saving, and wise decisions are almost fun to think through with him as our guide."--Charles Ellis, author of Winning the Loser's Game"In How to Think About Money, Jonathan Clements, one of the premier financial writers of our times, provides readers with a roadmap for a successful financial life. It's an easy read that can result in changing the way readers look at investing and life. Read it and reap."--Mel Lindauer, Forbes.com columnist and co-author of The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing and The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning"Jonathan Clements is one of the greatest financial consumer advocates of our time, not only because of his emphasis on a practical and commonsense approach to personal finance, but because his message is delivered in a welcoming, easy-to-understand manner. That approach moves his readers to take the most important step toward winning in the personal-finance world--taking ownership of one's financial life and following that with action."--Peter Mallouk, president of Creative Planning and author of The 5 Mistakes Every Investor Makes and How to Avoid Them

Irrational Exuberance


Robert J. Shiller - 2000
    The original and bestselling 2000 edition of Irrational Exuberance evoked Alan Greenspan’s infamous 1996 use of that phrase to explain the alternately soaring and declining stock market. It predicted the collapse of the tech stock bubble through an analysis of the structural, cultural, and psychological factors behind levels of price growth not reflected in any other sector of the economy. In the second edition (2005), Shiller folded real estate into his analysis of market volatility, marshalling evidence that housing prices were dangerously inflated as well, a bubble that could soon burst, leading to a “string of bankruptcies” and a “worldwide recession.” That indeed came to pass, with consequences that the 2009 preface to this edition deals with. Irrational Exuberance is more than ever a cogent, chilling, and astonishingly far-seeing analytical work that no one with any money in any market anywhere can afford not to read–and heed.

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need: Expanded and Updated Throughout


Andrew Tobias - 1978
    Now this indispensable book has been fully revised and updated-covering all the new tax laws-and reorganized with a new user-friendly design. Concise, witty, and truly understandable, Andrew Tobias shows you how to use your money to your best advantage-no matter how much or how little you have.o How to spend smarter-and save $1,000 or moreo When to invest in stocks, and howo The ins and outs of investing on the Interneto Tax strategies, from tuition to retiremento Whom-if anyone-you can trust to manage your moneyand much, much more How to spend smarter--and save $1,000 or moreWhen to invest in stocks, and howThe ins and outs of investing on the InternetTax strategies, from tuition to retirementThe basics of life insuranceWho--if anyone--you can trust to manage your moneyThe inside skinny on annuities, real estate, and Social Security and much, much more

Financial Literacy: Finding Your Way in the Financial Markets


Connel Fullenkamp - 2003
    

Mind Over Money: The Psychology of Money and How to Use It


Claudia Hammond - 2016
    Drawing on the latest research in psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics, she draws an anatomy of the power it holds over us. She also reveals some simple and effective tricks that will help you use and save money better—from how being grumpy can stop you getting ripped off to why you should opt for the more expensive pain relief and why you should never offer to pay your friends for favors.An eye-opening and entertaining investigation into the power money holds over us, Mind Over Money will change the way you view the cash in your wallet and the figures in your bank account forever.

The Real Estate Retirement Plan: An Investment and Lifestyle Solution for Canadians


Calum Ross - 2017
    Many Canadians who own their home have never considered buying a second property. And nearly one-third of retirees are worried about running out of money. The Real Estate Retirement Plan shows how homeowners can use the tools already available to them — their mortgages — to access the initial capital to invest and prepare for their retirement. This is a proven, validated antidote to today’s historically low savings rates, poor current rates of return, and pressure on CPP and health care.With examples and a detailed discussion of the principles and mechanics, Calum Ross and Simon Giannini demystify real-estate investing and make an irrefutable case for borrowing to invest.

Financial Recovery: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Money


Karen McCall - 2011
    It will help you make a fundamental shift in the way you understand and behave around money.Financial Recovery presents a simple system that enables you to discover your underlying attitudes about money — often the cause of self-defeating money behaviors such as overspending, chronic debt, underearning, and low or no savings — and provides the tools, strategies, and support to achieve financial well-being.Karen McCall has more than twenty years of experience counseling people from all walks of life — people with millions of dollars, people with very little, and people whose means are somewhere in between. Financial Recovery will help you develop, and then maintain, full awareness of your spending, earning, and saving activities. It offers strategies for adapting your behavior to meet your most compelling needs, whatever your means. You can start right away using the resources you already have to create a stable and fulfilling relationship with money.

How to Save Money at Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Cut Spending


Kim Parsell - 2012
    It provides proven strategies for finding greater savings in every room of your home. With sensible and cost-effective solutions, this book will assist you in:• Saving money• Caring for your home for less• Running an affordable home• Organizing your home• Decorating on a dime• Preparing inexpensive meals• Trimming utility costs• Freeing up resources• And much more!In short, this book will make you a pro at keeping your home comfortable for less.

Your Money and Your Brain


Jason Zweig - 2007
    In Your Money and Your Brain, Jason Zweig explains why smart people make stupid financial decisions -- and what they can do to avoid these mistakes. Zweig, a veteran financial journalist, draws on the latest research in neuroeconomics, a fascinating new discipline that combines psychology, neuroscience, and economics to better understand financial decision making. He shows why we often misunderstand risk and why we tend to be overconfident about our investment decisions. Your Money and Your Brain offers some radical new insights into investing and shows investors how to take control of the battlefield between reason and emotion. Your Money and Your Brain is as entertaining as it is enlightening. In the course of his research, Zweig visited leading neuroscience laboratories and subjected himself to numerous experiments. He blends anecdotes from these experiences with stories about investing mistakes, including confessions of stupidity from some highly successful people. Then he draws lessons and offers original practical steps that investors can take to make wiser decisions. Anyone who has ever looked back on a financial decision and said, "How could I have been so stupid?" will benefit from reading this book.