Book picks similar to
The Harried Leisure Class by Staffan Burenstam Linder
economics
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Sinews of Power: War, Money and the English State, 1688-1783
John Brewer - 1989
Warfare and taxes reshaped the English economy, and at the heart of these dramatic changes lay an issue that is still very much with us today: the tension between a nation's aspirations to be a major power and fear of the domestic consequences of such an ambition--namely, the loss of liberty.
The Lies About Money: Achieving Financial Security and True Wealth by Avoiding the Lies Others Tell Us-- And the Lies We Tell Ourselves
Ric Edelman - 2007
Now, Ric reveals the deceptive and manipulative business practices occurring in your retail mutual funds—practices that are causing you to suffer higher fees, greater risks, and lower returns than you realize. In The Lies About Money, he offers you a detailed yet easy-to-follow plan that lets you take back control of your investments—and your financial future. Here, Ric shares his most valuable lessons gained through two decades of working directly with individuals and families. He reveals the lies that have infiltrated your retail mutual funds and retirement accounts and teaches you how to invest your money in your employer retirement plan; how to save for college; and for those who are retired, how to generate more income without sacrificing security. He shows you that proper money management has nothing to do with “hot tips” and everything to do with scientific analysis, bolstered by solid academic research and historical data. Along the way, Ric shows you the secrets to investment success—a long-term focus, the importance of diversification, and the crucial need for (and methods of) portfolio rebalancing. With insight and strategies that will change people's lives, The Lies About Money offers the truth that everyone is looking for.
Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600 - 1900
Stephen R. Bown - 2009
(Globe and Mail).Through the Age of Heroic Commerce, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life merchant kings ruled vast tracts of the globe and expanded their far-flung monopolies to generate revenue for their shareholders, feather their own nests and satisfy their vanity and curiosity. Their exploits changed the world during an age of unfettered globalization, mirroring a world we know today.
Merchant Kings
looks at each ruling monopoly through its greatest merchant king and considers their stories together for the first time.
When I Walk, I Bounce: Walking from Land's End to John o'Groats
Mark Moxon - 2007
In this entertaining and frequently hilarious book, Mark takes us on a journey not only of 1111 miles, but of the highs and lows of long-distance walking.'I read the entire journey cover to cover in a couple of days. Totally fascinating, very amusing.' - Howard J'I highly recommend that people read it from start to finish. It is a great tale ' - Peter K'Thank you for being so enthusiastic about travelling and revealing your passion in such a constructive way ' - Jenny S'A certain cure for a jaded outlook.' - Marilyn S'You can't put it down.' - Frank W'A great job ' - Kevin P
The Lazy Couponer: How to Save $25,000 Per Year in Just 45 Minutes Per Week with No Stockpiling, No Item Tracking, and No Sales Chasing!
Jamie Chase - 2011
Chase instructs readers on where to find coupons, how to use them, where to get the most bang for your buck, and how to start thinking like a couponer every time you make a purchase. Sound too easy? With a little practice, you'll see the savings rolling in while you live your life -- stress-free and thousands of dollars per year richer!
Greenspan's Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve
William A. Fleckenstein - 2008
Fleckenstein, Greenspan's nearly 19-year career as Federal Reserve Chairman is even worse than anyone imagined. Labeled "Mr. Bubble" by the New York Times, Greenspan was nothing less than a serial bubble blower with a long history of bad decision-making. His famous "Greenspan Put" fueled the perception of a Goldilocks economy-but, as this explosive expose reveals, the bear has finally caught up with Goldilocks.Using transcripts of Greenspan's FOMC meetings as well as testimony before Congress, this eye-opening book delivers a timeline of his most devastating mistakes and weaves together the connection between every economic calamity of the past 19 years:The stock market crash of 1987The Savings & Loan crisisThe collapse of Long Term Capital ManagementThe tech bubble of 2000The feared Y2K disasterThe credit bubble and real estate crisis of 2007Fleckenstein explains just how far-reaching Greenspan's mess has been flung, and presents damning evidence that contradicts the former Fed chief's public naivete concerning shifts in the market and economy. He also points to a disturbing fact, that throughout his career, Greenspan not only made costly mistakes, but made the same ones-over and over again. And not only was he never able to recognize or admit to those mistakes, he constantly rewrote his own history to justify them.Greenspan's Bubbles offers a lock-stock-and-barrel portrait of a flawed but fascinating man whose words and actions have led a whole generation astray, and whose legacy will continue to challenge us in the years ahead.
Buffett's Bites: The Essential Investor's Guide to Warren Buffett's Shareholder Letters
L.J. Rittenhouse - 2000
Many miss the best part of his letter: his principles. It is their loss. Following these principles, Buffett has turned Berkshire Hathaway, a struggling textile manufacturer, into one of the most respected companies in the world. Early investors have become billionaires. This essential guide to Buffett's shareholder letters highlights what the pundits aren t telling you and what you can learn about building long-lasting wealth.Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors in history. His annual letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders have attained legendary status among Wall Street and Main Street investors. Each informative and entertaining letter offers lessons about life, business, and the art of investing that are essential to creating long-lasting wealth. They are based on Buffett's dogged pursuit of the Golden Rule of ownermanager partnership: Treat shareholders the way you would want to be treated if you were in their place.In "Buffett's Bites," L. J. Rittenhouse, CEO candor expert and former Wall Street banker, serves up an in-depth look at Buffett s 2008 shareholder letter, highlighting 25 tantalizing nuggets of wisdom. These "bites" afford an inside look at Buffett's unconventional ways that have created Berkshire Hathaway's unrivaled success.With unflinching honesty and insight, the "Oracle of Omaha" talks candidly about today s turbulent market: what makes a company worth investing in; why you shouldn't panic when experts insist "the sky is falling"; when to re-evaluate your portfolio; and how to invest safely and wisely for the long haul.Each savory bite is enhanced with practical information and a timeless moral that can be applied to your own wealth-building strategies."
A Wunch of Bankers: A Year in the Hayne Royal Commission
Daniel Ziffer - 2019
It wasn’t even the long list of scandals exposed to a horrified nation — charging fees to dead people, blatant conflicts of interest, and taking $1 billion from customers in fees that banks were never entitled to.What made it so fascinating, so heart-breaking, and so enraging was the procession of faces through the witness box, and the team of counsel gazing into the dark heart of banking.Tearful victims, blank-faced executives, hapless regulators, and a couple of utter charlatans all had their day in court, watched by an audience of millions, and revealing — in their stories — the material to justify re-shaping the multi-trillion dollar financial services industry that forms a pillar of Australian life.A Wunch of Bankers covers not just the big shocks, but the small moments — lost in the flurry of daily reporting — that reveal how companies have used the law, limp enforcement, and basic human behaviour to take advantage of customers.Is there a phrase that judges how much life-insurance spruikers in call centres can terrify you about your impending death — and the grief-stricken ruins of an estate you’ll leave for your bereaved family — while still being legal?Yes, there is.Was there a meeting in which a bank’s executives ignored a warning of “Extreme” from its chief risk officer, to embark on an illegal scheme that accrued $3.6 billion in funds?There was.Mixed among the testimony are snippets from life on the road as the World’s Oldest Debuting TV Reporter — not just driving five hours one-way to talk to a man who almost blew his brains out over a bank nabbing his $22 million estate, but explaining how journalism can only ever give you a glimpse inside complex issues.In A Wunch of Bankers, Danel Ziffer bring out the colour and grit of the royal commission’s proceedings, and explores broader issues raised by the testimony. A mixture of analysis, reportage, and observations, it is densely researched and compellingly written.
Unfair Trade: How Big Business Exploits The World's Poor And Why It Doesn't Have To
Conor Woodman - 2011
He goes diving with lobster fishermen in Nicaragua who are dying in their hundreds to keep the restaurant tables of the US well stocked. He ventures into war-torn Congo to find out what the developed world's insatiable demand for tin means for local miners. And he risks falling foul of the authorities in Laos as he covertly visits the country's burgeoning rubber plantations, established to supply Chinese factories that in turn supply the West with consumer goods. In the process, he tests accepted economic wisdom on the best way to create a fairer world -- and suggests a simpler but potentially far more radical solution.
Taxing Ourselves: A Citizen's Guide to the Debate Over Taxes
Joel B. Slemrod - 1996
tax reform, the interested citizen is forced to choose between misleading sound bites and academic treatises. Taxing Ourselves bridges the gap between the two by presenting in clear non-technical language the key issues in U.S. tax reform: who should pay taxes, how taxes affect the economy and whether to reform or replace the current tax system. The authors discuss various alternative proposals in detail, including the flat tax and the sales tax, but they are not advocates for any of them; instead, they provide readers with the knowledge and the tools - including an informative overview of the U.S. tax system and an invaluable voter's guide to the tax policy debate - to make their own informed choices about how American citizens should tax themselves. The third edition of this popular guide has been extensively revised and updated to cover all changes in U.S. tax laws through to May 2003 and to reflect the most recent research and relevant data. It also provides new or expanded treatment of issues in the current debate, including tax cuts and whether they stimulate the economy, savings incentives, double taxation of corporate income, the estate tax, c
Geeks Who Can Schmooze: A Credit Suisse Private Banker Tells All
W.E. Kidd - 2012
Kidd shares his journey after graduating with his MBA and landing his dream job at Credit Suisse. But getting the job is just half the battle and after an intensive training period in Zurich and New York he's left to fend for himself - one man and his student loans against a two-year ticking clock to bring in forty million dollars or get fired. How he strives to make those essential connections and eventually bring in far more than forty million....and what happens to those that can't make the cut, proves mind blowing. Because it's all about the schmooze. Infused with hilarious references to the "Wall Street" films, indie rock music, and a devil may care attitude, this is not your father's Wall Street tell-all.
Space Is Open for Business: The Industry That Can Transform Humanity
Robert C. Jacobson - 2020
Jacobson provides a comprehensive overview of this spectacular industry, allowing everyone on Earth to understand the integral role space plays in our lives, how it will continue to transform the world, and how you could participate.In the vein of Mary Roach, Jacobson makes a complex topic easily understandable—and accessible—for every reader.Space as an industry offers a triple bottom line: Return on Investment, Innovation, and Inspiration.INVESTMENTImagine if you had the opportunity to invest in Apple when it was new and undiscovered—would you do it?Space is a culmination of many disciplines, and it works in tandem with various industries. The sector’s growth depends on merging different fields with cutting-edge technologies, fantastical ideas with logical applications.Investors, including John Doerr, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia, RRE, Bessemer Venture Partners, First Round, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and Andreesen Horowitz, took notice and are backing companies in this growing sector.INNOVATIONSpace is the sector with the most unlimited potential for progress and collaboration. When space advances, other industries benefit. When other industries advance, space benefits as well—innovations and progress multiply.From Hollywood to navigation, communications devices to streaming services, medical discoveries to robotics, agriculture to energy, all of these industries affect space and are affected by space—much like bees pollinating flowers.Jacobson proposes that space startups can borrow tactics and strategies developed by other entrepreneurs and thought leaders—such as Peter Thiel, Eric Ries, and Ben Horowitz—to improve space startups' probability for success.INSPIRATIONWhat do Jules Verne, Star Trek, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, Jerry Pournelle, Andy Weir, and David Bowie have in common?For centuries, artists and creators have helped inspire real space efforts. They merged space with arts and entertainment to construct visions and stories that helped us articulate, amplify, and imagine what is possible—ultimately influencing and shaping reality, from Moon missions to mobile phones.What will we accomplish over the next decade? Is there a way to achieve great personal success and benefit others—maybe even all of humanity?
The New Elite: Inside the Minds of the Truly Wealthy
Jim Taylor - 2008
With all the emphasis on the rich and famous in America, we would think we know everything about them. In reality, very few of us truly understand those who make up the very wealthiest Americans--those with liquid assets of $5 million or more. What is this new class of people and how did they get that way?In The New Elite, the authors reveal what motivates our country's most powerful and influential class, what they want, where they shop, and how they really spend their money. With candor and unique insight, they reveal that the people who drive our economy are not Ivy league-educated, luxury-seeking socialites. While they include luminaries like Bill Gates, David Geffen, Ralph Lauren, and Donald Trump, they also include the small business owner next door. Based on unprecedented research with hundreds of interviews with members of this unique group, The New Elite uncovers the five classes of America's newly wealthy--including those who struggle with its implications, those who refuse to let it change them, and those who give it away, and how each of them is changing our culture and economy. This is an entertaining and enlightening look at America's ruling class, the profound ways they have redefined what it means to be rich, and how we court them.
Money Mischief: Episodes in Monetary History
Milton Friedman - 1992
In Money Mischief, Friedman discusses the creation of value: from stones to feathers to gold. He outlines the central role of monetary theory and shows how it can act to ignite or deepen inflation. Through colorful historical episodes, he demonstrates the mischief that can result from a misunderstanding of monetary economics ??—?? how, for example, the work of two obscure Scottish chemists destroyed the presidential prospects of William Jennings Bryan and how Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to appease a few senators from the American West helped communism triumph in China. And he explains, in plain English, what the present monetary system in the United States means for your paycheck and your savings as well as for the global economy.
Trade the Trader: Know Your Competition and Find Your Edge for Profitable Trading
Quint Tatro - 2010
You're trading against other traders who care about only one thing: taking your money. That's the #1 hard reality of trading - and most traders either don't know it, or don't act as if they do. In this book, top trader and hedge fund manager Quint Tatro shows how to win consistently in the "zero sum" game of trading, where there's a loser for every winner. You'll learn how to reflect your trading competition in every facet of trading and investing: choosing companies to invest in, knowing when to jump in and out of the market, and mastering the psychology and gamesmanship of trading. Coverage includes: Understanding the "other side of the trade": the thousands of pros you're trading against. Finding a technical edge with technical analysis you can exploit over and over again. Understanding sentiment and overcoming the human emotions and biases that cost you dearly. Utilizing the most essential strategies of fundamental analysis. Playing positions and probabilities, not P+Ls. Recognizing and capturing huge opportunities in down markets.