Category Archives: Financial
The Investor’s Manifesto
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Love Michael Lewis, he does a great job of explaining what happened during the 2008 financial meltdown, and introducing you to some of the most odd financial wizards that actually made money off the housing collapse because they saw what was going on and bet against it.
No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller
An interesting tale of how Madoff’s Ponzi scheme evolved, and the SEC refused to investigate, told from the perspective of a frustrated investigator. Not a 5 star book, the author is a little too arrogant and long winded.
I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay
British take on the recent housing collapse. Not as good as the Big Short, but I liked it for its more global, non-US outlook.
SuperFreakonomics
Spend ’til The End
I had been reading Scott Burns posts on financial investing and came across a reference to his book. This book just wowed me with the concept of income leveling. The idea is to have a constant standard of living throughout your lifetime. That is, spend to the end. Our biggest obstacle to this goal? We cannot borrow enough while we are young.
My favorite chapter – Scott analyzes the fortunes of a woman and her jobless surfer boyfriend. (A sexist turnabout.) Also interesting is the analysis that there is a U in the plot of standard of living vs. income. How? Government subsidies phase out faster than income rises. What’s the worst income to be at you ask? You will have to read the book!
A must read, even if you don’t buy into the whole income leveling concept.
Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People
Jane Quinn writes financial columns for various news organizations in addition to several books. So what does this book cover? Just about everything in personal finance? How much insurance should you carry? How to save for college for your children. What investments are good to put into your retirement savings. You can find this advice in lots of columns spread out, or read it all in one place and save yourself the time. That is why this is on the must read list.