From America's liveliest writer on mathematics, a witty andinsightful book on the stock market and the irrepressibility of ourdreams of wealth. In A Mathematician Plays the Stock Marketbest-selling author John Allen Paulos demonstrates what the toolsof mathematics can tell us about the vagaries of the stock market.Employing his trademark stories, vignettes, paradoxes, and puzzles(and even a film treatment), Paulos addresses every thinkingreader's curiosity about the market: Is it efficient? Is itrational? Is there anything to technical analysis, fundamentalanalysis, and other supposedly time-tested methods of pickingstocks? How can one quantify risk? What are the most common scams?What light do fractals, network theory, and common psychologicalfoibles shed on investor behavior? Are there any approaches toinvesting that truly outperform the major indexes? Can a deeperknowledge of mathematics help beat the odds? All of these questionsare explored with the engaging erudition that made Paulos's AMathematic

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

For the first time, business journalist Janet Lowe provides alively and lucid introduction to financial genius Benjamin Graham'sinvestment theories, presented in terms of both his life and hiswork.

The financial crisis that has gripped this country since last September has had so many twists and turns, it would make for a great drama -- if it all were not so real and damaging. Companies are shutting down and laying off workers, 401ks are melting away, and the government is spending $700 billion dollars to bail out banks and financial institutions -- and that's only the beginning. The financial services industry, and the many industries that depend on it -- from housing to cars -- is in intensive care. So what happened? How did we get to this point of financial disaster? Is the economy just a huge, Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme? It is a complicated and confusing story -- but Daniel Gross of Newsweek has a special gift for making complicated matters easy to understand and even entertaining. In Dumb Money, he offers a guide to the debacle and to what the future may hold. This is not so much a book about who did what, though that's part of the story. Rather, it pieces together the building blocks of the debt-f

Now updated—the classic guide that teaches women how to takecontrol of their own finances When this groundbreaking yet compassionate book was firstpublished ten years ago, it lifted a veil on women’s resistance tomanaging their money, revealing that many were still waiting for aprince to rescue them financially. In this revised edition, whichreflects our present-day economic world, Barbara Stanny inspiresreaders to take charge of their money and their lives. Filled withreal-life success stories and practical advice—from tips onidentifying the factors that keep women fearful and dependent tochecklists and steps for overcoming them—this book is the next bestthing to having one’s own financial coach.

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.

CNBC anchor Insana (The Message of the Markets) has chronicled past investment fads and bubbles to provide lessons to prospective and current investors. He asserts that it's "not enough to study, observe and comment on financial folly." Investment fads will continue to happen, and by using historical information investors may recognize the signs of an impending bubble. The author devotes most of the chapters to describing the fads and bubbles that have occurred over the years, such as the Dutch tulip mania of the 1630s, the feverish interest in plank road companies in the 1840s and 1850s, the surge in closed country funds in the late 1980s, and the bull market of the 1990s. The chapters "Trendwatching" and "Endwatching" offer advice on how to identify a mania while it is happening and describe the effects on the investor and the stock market when a bubble bursts. The last chapter contains questions and answers for analyzing the possibility of a future "hard asset" bubble. While well written and offering valid

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.

For several years high-profile corporate wrongdoers have been vilified by the media. Yet the problem, according to Gary Weiss, is not just a few isolated instances of malfeasance. The problem is in the very fabric of Wall Street and its practices that enable and even encourage corruption—practices that are so pervasive and so difficult to combat that they are in effect perfect crimes, with the small investor left holding the bag. In this blistering report from the front, Weiss describes how the ethos of Mafia chophouses, boiler rooms, and penny stock peddlers now permeates all of Wall Street. Protected from investor lawsuits by laughably corrupt arbitration systems, Wall Street firms are free to fleece unsuspecting clients with little or no risk. But as this empowering book shows, ordinary investors can fight back and come out on top—if they learn to recognize warning signs, filter media chatter, and spot looming corporate meltdowns in advance. Prepare to be surprised, get angry, and t

Offering a straightforward, non-intimidating approach tolearning investing, this book gives beginner investors theknowledge they need to understand documentation and investingconcepts--from key terms to complicated interest-bearingaccounts.

Marquee private equity firms such as Blackstone Group, CarlyleGroup, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts have grown bigger and morepowerful than ever. They have also become the nation's largestemployers through the businesses they own. Journalist Josh Kosmanexplores private equity's explosive growth and shows how its baronswring profits at the expense of the long-term health of theircompanies. He argues that excessive debt and mismanagement willlikely trigger another economic meltdown within the next fiveyears, wiping out up to two million jobs. He also explores the links between the private equity elite andWashington power players, who have helped them escape governmentscrutiny. The result is a timely book with an important warning forus all.

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.

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.

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

The Last Partnerships narrates the rise and fall of the great financial houses--from the "Yankee Bankers" at the turn of the 19th century, up to Goldman Sachs's historic IPO in 1999-- tracing their origins, their successes and failures over the years, and the reasons for their ultimate demise.

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.

Stock options have been much maligned recently, mainly because of fatcat executives who've cashed them in for millions, before the share price tanks and average shareholders suffer. But stock options can be a very good thing if handled correctly, say Rutgers University professors Blasi and Kruse and BusinessWeek editor Bernstein. They make the argument for why options-offered to all employees, not just upper-level execs-are a serious boon, "bringing about a more productive company and, ultimately, rewarding employees and outside shareholders alike." The book does seem a bit quaint at times, such as when it talks about how Silicon Valley types have got it right when it comes to options. (Many of those high-tech firms, of course, are either defunct or fighting for their lives.) The pace is somewhat plodding, as the authors recount company strategies and cite various studies, but the introduction and conclusion focus on sexier, newsier issues such as the "option-induced avarice" that led CEOs to jimmy company nu

The definitive guide to buying and selling … The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Investing in Stocks coverseverything readers need to know to take advantage of the long- andshort-term opportunities in the equities market, including howstocks stack up against other forms of investing, a tour of themajor U.S. exchanges, choosing an investment style, and much more.In addition, the book covers the investment strategies andphilosophies of some of Wall Street’s most successful investors. Anappendix contains the contact information for all the majorfull-service and discount brokers.

Many investors, including some with substantial portfolios, have only the sketchiest idea of how the stock market works. The reason, say Lynch and Rothchild, is that the basics of investing -- the fundamentals of our economic system and what they have to do with the stock market -- aren't taught in school. At a time when individuals have to make important decisions about saving for college and 401(k) retirement funds, this failure to provide a basic education in investing can have tragic consequences. For those who know what to look for, investment opportunities are everywhere. The average high-school student is familiar with Nike, Reebok, McDonald's, the Gap, and the Body Shop. Nearly every teenager in America drinks Coke or Pepsi, but only a very few own shares in either company or even understand how to buy them. Every student studies American history, but few realize that our country was settled by European colonists financed by public companies in England and Holland -- and the basic principles behi

"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

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.

How do you get in on those deals--especially if you're not a Silicon Valley insider? How do you buy the high-tech win-ners and avoid the losers? How do you find the Yahoo!s, Microsofts, and Ciscos of tomorrow? The answers are here, in this newly revised edition of the national bestseller The Gorilla Game. The book reveals the dynamics driving the market for high-tech stocks and out-lines the forces that catapult a select number of compa-nies to "gorilla" status--dominating the markets they serve in the way that Yahoo! dominates internet portals, Microsoft dominates software operating systems, and Cisco dominates hardware for data networks. Follow the rules of The Gorilla Game and you will learn how to identify and invest in the "gorilla candidates" early on--while they are still fighting for dominance, and while their stocks are still cheap. When the dust clears and one company clearly attains leadership in its market, you'll reap the enormous returns that foresighted investors in high-tech companie