UNTIL THE SPRING OF 2001,THE HOUSTON energy giant Enron epitomized the triumph of the new economy. Feared by rivals, worshiped by investors,Enron seemingly could do no wrong, its profits rose every quarter; its stock price surged ever upward; its leaders were hailed as visionaries. Then a young Fortune writer named Bethany McLean wrote an article posing a simple question--How, exactly, does Enron make its money?--and the company's house of cards began to collapse. Though other business scandals would follow, none has had the shattering effect of Enron's bankruptcy, which caused Americans to lose faith in a system that rewarded top insiders with millions of dollars while small investors,including many Enron employees, lost everything. Despite enormous media coverage of Enron, the definitive story of its astonishing rise and fall comes alive for the first time in this gripping narrative by McLean and her Fortune colleague Peter Elkind.Drawing on a wide range of private documents and well-placed so
When financial advisor Spencer Sherman found himself crossinga police line to retrieve his work files from a burning officebuilding, he realized he had money madness. He noticed it in hisclients, too: those irrational feelings about money that makeotherwise rational adults behave foolishly—buying high, sellinglow, overspending, lying to their spouses, equating theirself-worth with their net worth. Money madness stresses us out,poisons our relationships, and keeps us from making as much moneyas we can. So Spencer invented the cure. Now, in The Cure for MoneyMadness, he gives us the tools that have helped thousands of peoplefind greater peace of mind—and make more money. Money madness, Spencer shows us, comes from unproductive messagesthat we received long ago. “It takes money to make money.” “Payingrent is just throwing money down the drain.” “Don’t talk aboutmoney.” When you challenge the messages, you can transform allaspects of your money life: earning, spending, saving
This book was written to offer encouragement and basicinformation to the individual investor. Who knew it would gothrough thirty printings and sell more than one million copies? Asthis latest edition appears eleven years beyond the first, I'mconvinced that the same principles that helped me perform well atthe Fidelity Magellan Fund still apply to investing in stockstoday. It's been a remarkable stretch since One Up on Wall Street hit thebookstores in 1989. I left Magellan in May, 1990, and pundits saidit was a brilliant move. They congratulated me for getting out atthe right time -- just before the collapse of the great bullmarket. For the moment, the pessimists looked smart. The country'smajor banks flirted with insolvency, and a few went belly up. Byearly fall, war was brewing in Iraq. Stocks suffered one of theirworst declines in recent memory. But then the war was won, thebanking system survived, and stocks rebounded. Some rebound! The Dow is up more than fourfold since October, 1990,from the 2,400 lev
Owning a home has always been the American Dream, and in The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner , David Bach shows thatbuying a home and investment properties is not only possible, it isstill the surest way to reach your seven-figure dreams on anordinary income. Whether you are a renter or already own a home,Bach’s book offers a lifelong strategy for real estate based ontimeless wisdom that is tried and true—in any market. He includeseverything you need to know, with step-by-step instructions,including phone numbers and web sites, so you can get started rightaway. As long as you’re alive, you have to live somewhere. Why notlet where you live make you financially secure and ultimately rich?David Bach will show you how.
Forget what you’ve heard. Nice girls can get the corneroffice. As women, we haven’t always had the best role models at work. We’veeither worked for men or we’ve had female bosses who are, well, bigbitches. Woman still don’t have much of a road map right now whenit comes to taking charge at the office, so the team who broughtyou the national bestseller The Girl’s Guide to Starting YourOwn Business is drawing one for us. Caitlin Friedman andKimberly Yorio will teach you to be powerful without beingpossessive, to be opinionated without being brassy, and to have astrong voice without micromanaging. You’ll learn just how to ownthe role of queen bee in a positive way so that you can be morementor than manager, one who leads, inspires, and motivates. So, you finally got that promotion. You’re the boss now. Thesupervisor. The manager. The captain. The taskmaster. Those days oftaking orders, running errands, and clock-watching are over. Asexciting as all this might seem, once the rush of the pro
Not according to Jean Chatzky, one of the most popular personal-finance experts in the country, who has advised millions through her regular Today Show appearances and her columns in Money magazine. Now she shares the good news about a groundbreaking study she did with the Roper Organization; the Happiness Assessment. Her research shows that amount of money you make has surprisingly little to do with how financially happy you are. But the happiest people in America at all incorme levels tend to use the money strategies that Chatzky calls the "Ten Commandments of Financial Happiness." For instance, they pay their bills as they come in rather than all at one and minimize credit and debt. The bottom line: you have to pay attention to your money-and Chatzky shows you how to make the most of what you've got. But you certainly don't have to be rich achieve financial happiness. 作者简介:Jean Chatsky is the financial editor for NBC's Today show, has a monthly colomn in Money magazine, and is a featu
For Making Sense of Investing Today...the Fully Revised and Expanded Edition of the Bestselling The Motley Fool Investment Guide Today, with the Internet, anyone can be an informed investor. Once you learn to tune out the hype and focus on meaningful factors, you can beat the Street. The Motley Fool Investment Guide, completely revised and updated with clear and witty explanations, deciphers all the new information -- from evaluating individual stocks to creating a diverse investment portfolio. David and Tom Gardner have investing ideas for you -- no matter how much time or money you have. This new edition of The Motley Fool Investment Guide is built for today's investor, sophisticate and novice alike, with updated information on: * Finding high-growth stocks that will beat the market over the long term * Identifying volatile young companies that traditional valuation measures may miss * Using Fool.com and the Internet to locate great sources of useful information
When Guerrilla Marketing was first published in 1983, JayLevinson revolutionized marketing strategies for the small-businessowner with his take-no-prisoners approach to finding clients. Basedon hundreds of solid ideas that really work, Levinson's philosophyhas given birth to a new way of learning about market share and howto gain it. In this completely updated and expanded fourth edition,Levinson offers a new arsenal of weaponry for small-businesssuccess including * strategies for marketing on the Internet(explaining when and precisely how to use it) * tips for using newtechnology, such as podcasting and automated marketing * programsfor targeting prospects and cultivating repeat and referralbusiness * management lessons in the age of telecommuting andfreelance employees Guerrilla Marketing is the entrepreneur'smarketing bible -- and the book every small-business owner shouldhave on his or her shelf.
Mutual-fund superstar Peter Lynch and author John Rothchildexplain the basic principles of investing and business in a primerthat will enlighten and entertain anyone who is high-school age orolder. Many investors, including some with substantial portfolios, haveonly the sketchiest idea of how the stock market works. The reason,say Lynch and Rothchild, is that the basics of investing -- thefundamentals of our economic system and what they have to do withthe stock market -- aren't taught in school. At a time whenindividuals have to make important decisions about saving forcollege and 401(k) retirement funds, this failure to provide abasic education in investing can have tragic consequences. For those who know what to look for, investment opportunities areeverywhere. The average high-school student is familiar with Nike,Reebok, McDonald's, the Gap, and the Body Shop. Nearly everyteenager in America drinks Coke or Pepsi, but only a very few ownshares in either company or even understand how to buy them. Everystu
How can you construct a financial investment strategy toprotect yourself … yet still get the growth to ensure a solidfinancial future and comfortable retirement during these turbulenttimes? By building an investing safety net that gives you the gainsneeded for growth – though more modest than those of past years –but protection against the downside. So when turbulencestrikes again – and it will – you won’t re-live the financialnightmares of recent years when portfolios and 401Ks weredevastated.
When it comes to investing in the stock market, investors have plenty of options: 1. They can do it themselves. Trillions of dollars areinvested this way. (Of course, the only problem here is that most people have no ideahow to analyze and choose individual stocks. Well, not reallythe only problem. Most investors have no idea how toconstruct a stock portfolio, most have no idea when to buy andsell, and most have no idea how much to invest in the firstplace.) 2. They can give it to professionals to invest. Trillions of dollars are invested this way. (Unfortunately most professionals actually underperform the market averages over time. In fact,it may be even harderto pick good professional managers than it is to pick goodindividual stocks.) 3. They can invest in traditional index funds. Trillions of dollars are also invested this way.(The problem isthat investing this way is seriously flawed--and almost a guaranteeof subpar investment returns over time.) 4. They can read The Big Secret for the
David Bach has a plan to help you live and finish rich—no matterwhere you start So you feel like you’ve started late? You are not alone. What if I told you that right now as you flip through this book,70% of the people in the store with you are living paycheck topaycheck? What if I told you that the man browsing the aisle to your leftowes more than $8,000 in credit card debt? And the woman on yourright has less than $1,000 in savings? See? You’re really not alone. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who’ve saved too littleand borrowed too much will never catch up financially. Why? Becausethey don’t know how. You can start late and finish rich—but you need aplan. This book contains the plan. It’s inspiring, easy to follow, and isbased on proven financial principles. Building a secure financialfuture for yourself isn’t something you can do overnight. It willtake time and it will take work. But you can do it. I know. I’ve helped millions of people get their financial livest
"Home Economics" reintroduces readers to all Grandma's thriftytips, down-home know-how, honest-to-goodness advice, and deliciousrecipes. Modeled on and compiled from vintage home-ec textbooks,this adorable guide contains everything needed to whip up and keepup a happy, healthy, and - most important - economical homelife.
By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night hespent it as fast as he could, on drugs, sex, and internationalglobe-trotting. From the binge that sank a 170-foot motor yacht,crashed a Gulfstream jet, and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to thewife and kids who waited for him at home, and the fast-talking,hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king and did hisbidding, here, in his own inimitable words, is the story of theill-fated genius they called… In the 1990s Jordan Belfort, former kingpin of the notoriousinvestment firm Stratton Oakmont, became one of the most infamousnames in American finance: a brilliant, conniving stock-chopper wholed his merry mob on a wild ride out of the canyons of Wall Streetand into a massive office on Long Island. Now, in this astoundingand hilarious tell-all autobiography, Belfort narrates a story ofgreed, power, and excess no one could invent. Reputedly the prototype for the film Boiler Room, StrattonOakmont turned microcap investing into a wi
Have you ever wondered why some people attract wealth whileothers stay financially trapped? The key is learningwealth-friendly, upside-down thinking. In this New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Todaybestseller, Robert Shemin, one-time "idiot" and currently amultimillionaire, illustrates in a witty way how going against thegrain is, in fact, the surest way to gain. Learn how to: ? set only one powerful success goal—and make it a big one ? play while your money goes to work ? stop building someone else’s business and start building yourown ? live and think like a millionaire while you’re becoming one ? use the power and smarts of other Rich Idiots to help you jointhe Rich Idiot Club Spend just a few pages with Robert and his Rich Idiot friends andyou’ll be convinced that “if they could do it, I can do it.”
To coincide with his new public television special, airingon PBS stations starting in March 2009, Ed Slott’s proven plan forgenerating enough personal wealth to last you the rest of yourlife Given the challenging economic times, we will all welcome EdSlott’s concrete advice for generating enormous wealth. In thismust-have book you’ll learn how to: ? Retire with more money than you ever could have imagined andstill take care of your loved ones ? Move your money from FOREVER taxed to NEVER taxed ? Make your IRA and 401(k) safer during rocky periods ? Pick the best financial advisor and learn what pitfalls toavoid ? Think and plan like a multimillionaire ? Make Uncle Sam work for you Based on Slott’s fundamental principles of building, protecting,and preserving wealth for you and your loved ones, Stay Rich forLife is filled with real life stories.
The international bestseller on the extent to which personalfreedom has been eroded by government regulations and agencieswhile personal prosperity has been undermined by governmentspending and economic controls. New Foreword by the Authors;Index.
Get smart about spending and saving –– and ride out arecession! Looking for practical ways to make every dollar count? This savvyguide gives you expert tips for tightening your belt and savingcash in every area of your life –– from your house and car todining and entertaining to banking and managing debt. You getrealistic solutions for making smarter choices and living well inthis time of economic turmoil –– without extraordinary sacrifice!Bump up your take–home pay–– spiff up your resume, find a good jobfast, explore telecommuting, or start a home–based business Getyour personal finances in tip–top shape –– create a budget, paydown debt, save on insurance, and protect your retirement fundsDevelop recession–proof habits –– use coupons and rebates, extendthe life of your wardrobe, utilize community resources, travel on abudget, and save on utilities and fuel expenses Decorate on a dimeand entertain on a shoestring –– plan parties, celebrate theholidays, and give
THE ESSENTIAL GALBRAITH includes key selections from the mostimportant works of John Kenneth Galbraith, one of the mostdistinguished writers of our time - from THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY, thegroundbreaking book in which he conined the tern "conventionalwisdom," to THE GREAT CRASH, an unsurpassed account of the eventsthat triggered America's worst economic crisis. Galbraith's newintroductions place the works in their historical moment and makeclear their enduring relevance for the new century. THE ESSENTIALGALBRAITH will delight old admirers and introduce one of our mostbeloved writers to a new generation of readers. It is also anindispensable resource for scholars and students of economics,history, and politics, offering unparalleled access to the seminalwritings of an extraordinary thinker.
Updated for paperback publication, Aftershock is a brilliantreading of the causes of our current economic crisis, with a planfor dealing with its challenging aftermath. When the nation’s economy foundered in 2008, blame was directedalmost universally at Wall Street bankers. But Robert B. Reich, oneof our most experienced and trusted voices on public policy,suggests another reason for the meltdown. Our real problem, heargues, lies in the increasing concentration of wealth in the handsof the richest Americans, while stagnant wages and rising costshave forced the middle class to go deep into debt. Reich’sthoughtful and detailed account of where we are headed over thenext decades—and how we can fix our economic system—is a practical,humane, and much-needed blueprint for restoring America’s economyand rebuilding our society.
John Kenneth Galbraith has long been at the center of Americaneconomics, in key positions of responsibility during the New Deal,World War II, and since, guiding policy and debate. His trenchantnew book distills this lifetime of experience in the public andprivate sectors; it is a scathing critique of matters as they standtoday. Sounding the alarm about the increasing gap between realityand "conventional wisdom" -- a phrase he coined -- Galbraith tells,along with much else, how we have reached a point where the privatesector has unprecedented control over the public sector. We havegiven ourselves over to self-serving belief and "contrivednonsense" or, more simply, fraud. This has come at the expense ofthe economy, effective government, and the business world.Particularly noted is the central power of the corporation and theshift in authority from shareholders and board members tomanagement. In an intense exercise of fraud, the pretense ofshareholder power is still maintained, even with the immediatepart
Although Africa has long been known to be rich in oil,extracting it hadnt seemed worth the effort and risk untilrecently. But with the price of Middle Eastern crude oilskyrocketing and advancing technology making reserves easier totap, the region has become the scene of a competition between majorpowers that recalls the nineteenth-century scramble forcolonization there. But what does this giddy new oil boom meanforAmerica, for the world, for Africans themselves? John Ghazviniantraveled through twelve African countriesfrom Sudan to Congo toAngolatalking to warlords, industry executives, bandits, activists,priests, missionaries, oil-rig workers, scientists, and ordinarypeople whose lives have been transformednot necessarily for thebetterby the riches beneath their feet. The result is a high-octanenarrative that reveals the challenges, obstacles, reasons fordespair, and reasons for hope emerging from the worlds newestenergy hot spot.
"This is a modern classic." —Paul A. Samuelson, First AmericanNobel Prize Winner in Economics "The best book there is about the stock market and all that goeswith it." — The New York Times Book Review "Anyone whose orientation is toward where the action is, where thehappenings happen, should buy a copy of The Money Game andread it with due diligence." — Book World " 'Adam Smith' is a veteran observer and commentator on the eventsand people of Wall Street.... His thorough knowledge of financialaffairs gives his observations a great degree of authenticity. Butthe joy of reading this book comes from his delightful sense ofhumor. He is a lively and ingeniously witty writer who never stoopsto acerbity. None of the solemn, sacred cows of Wall Street escapesdebunking." — Library Journal
From first-time newlyweds to people on their second or thirdmarriage, couples face an overwhelming task when it comes to moneymanagement. Nationally renowned financial advisor and bestsellingauthor David Bach knows that it doesn’t have to be this way. InSmart Couples Finish Rich, he provides couples with easy-to-usetools that cover everything from credit card management, toinvestment advice, to long-term care. You and your partner willlearn how to work together as a team to identify your core valuesand dreams, creating a financial plan that will allow you toachieve security, provide for your family’s future financial needs,and increase your income. Together, you’ll learn why couples thatplan their finances together, stay together!
For more than thirty years, The Only InvestmentGuide You’ll Ever Need has been a favorite finance guide,earning the allegiance of more than a million readers across theUnited States. Now even more indispensable, this completely revisedand updated edition will show readers how to use money to theirbest advantage in the wake of epochal change on Wall Street, nomatter how much or how little they may have.