EYE-OPENING LOOK INTO THE WORLD OF FINANCE
584880
Yes, this is an older book, written after the 1990s Milken - Boesky financial scandals, but it is timely again, with the financial meltdown of 2009. Erdman's book features an unforgettable character, Willy Saxon, who craves risky financial transactions like some of us crave our favorite ice cream. As the story opens, Willy is just getting out of jail for some previous shady dealings. He doesn't waste any time setting himself up in a fancy hotel, making friends with a woman whose social standing gives her access to the rich and powerful, and calling on his previous contacts to help him get "back in the game." He goes to Liechtenstein to claim the millions of dollars he's stashed away, then begins buying companies, property and equipment and lining up people at a dizzying pace.

I learned about "inverse floaters" and "zero coupons" about which I previously knew nothing. The story is full of the twists and turns of financial products, and though Willy is an many ways an endearing guy who doesn't get anyone killed, he is still treading on shaky ground. In fact, I kept wondering how I should feel about Willy. He was not an honest person, but, due to good guessing in some heart-stopping events that were the key to either success or another trip to the slammer, Willy emerges triumphant. Yes, he did stuff that was illegal, but he makes everything right. The ending of the story is actually delightful, and I won't spoil it by relating it here, but I can say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. And I wonder - did too many Willy Saxons cause our current financial crash?  Maybe too many who, unlike Willy, did not make it right?
595472
I just picked up "Bull by the Horns" to get a first-hand recounting of the financial crisis and a behind-the-scenes look at the cast of characters involved, and have already found so much more. It's a fast-paced, eye-opening read that relays important lessons about the causes of and responses to the crisis, and combines them with common-sense policy recommendations. Using the same straight-forward, direct style that served her well as the head of the FDIC, Bair in her book takes the reader past the technical jargon of banking and into a forward-looking, easy-to-understand discussion of how each and every one of us is affected by financial policy. Additionally, she sets the record straight on many of the misconceptions about the financial crisis. "Bull by the Horns" is a great, informative read.
2941136
This is a book that makes finance exciting.  I was assigned this book for a Finance class and was surprised to find it so interesting.  I recommend it for anyone with an interest in the behind-the-scenes goings-on on Wall Street.  My only negative criticism of this book is that the author seems to rely on simple moral judgements to explain why this happened (ie They were greedy! Those narrow-minded academics relied too heavily on their belief in their own infallability!).  But a good read nonetheless!
3629968
I got hooked on Ferguson when a friend recommended "Civilization: The West and the Rest." I followed that up with the equally interesting "The War of the World," and I recommend both. Next up was "The Ascent of Money." It's very different from the others, but illuminating and I learned a great deal about how not only money, but stocks, bonds, credit, mortgages and other financial developments came to be--and the crucial role they play in civilization and our current standard of living. I also learned that a lot of the things that got us into trouble in 2008, credit default swaps, securitized mortgages and the like, are beyond me. And that our prosperity is not only beyond my control, but, frighteningly, apparently beyond the control of the supposed experts making the big decisions. I highly recommend this entertaining, well-written, informative and, alas, unsettling book.

Robert A. Hall
Author: The Coming Collapse of the American Republic
All royalties go to help wounded veterans
1701916
The title of this book, in all honesty, makes it sound drab and boring to most readers; however, I was thoroughly impressed at the author's ability to weave the finance into the intriguing history of the United States.  The dichotomy of these two men, how they both disdained yet complimented each other is fascinating.  The author makes finance more understandable through the telling of the history of the United States, which is impressive in and of itself.  The arguments posed by government and men, then and now, are almost identical when it comes to the convergence of finance and politics.  An unexpectedly enjoyable book that was much easier to read than anticipated, I highly recommend it to all as it gives the reason a better understanding of what is going on in the United States and throughout the world today.
1090378
This is a very impressive book! It details how, over the years, money progressed during history from a means of commerce to the ultimate goal, and the financialization of the US from a nation which was centered on producing things to producing debt, camouflaged as things. Plus, all kinds of derivative concoctions, resulting in just moving around forms of money, with financial insiders and middle people collecting fees, bonuses, etc, all the while these concoctions were so difficult to understand that many didn't even try to understand them, just relying on rating agency ratings while the rating agencies were just a marketing tool of the financial industry, bought and paid for - another form of money exchanging hands with no, or little, analysis of risk. So, the whole thing was a financialization of risk using debt. The book does make a good case that insiders in the financial institutions intentionally wanted many mortgages to fail and used another concoction, credit default swaps (an over-leveraged form of insurance). What they didn't count on were the senior level mortgage concoctions failing because no one really anticipated how far home prices could fall.

And, the creators of this mess were bailed out by everyday taxpayers. If you are a fan of Ayn Rand and free-market capitalism, embraced by Milton Friedman and Chicago economists, you probably will be critical of that part of the book, as the author finds much fault with them, including Greenspan, but does also cover that blame extends pretty much everywhere - everyone wanted to prosper. But, it really was a phony prosperity.

The last words in this terrific book, as an epilogue to the financial mess we are still going through...."Extreme Money, the idea of universal wealth and prosperity engineered by financial alchemy, was immensely powerful, impossible to resist. Was it possible to turn back? As Leonardo DiCaprio understands in the film, 'Inception,' 'the hardest virus to kill is an idea.'"
1913640
Lars Kroijer tells his inspiring life story from his years working in the hedge fund world. It provides a fascinating insight into the secretive finance sector of hedge funds and its a good tool for people new to the industry - it clearly explains the dynamics of the industry and how hedge funds make money in a simple and clear manner.
A must read for people who are interested in the real doings of the hedge fund industry.
4190854
I learned a lot from reading this book, as it opened my eyes to the world of HFT. The book is well written and had a very interesting story that gripped me to read this until the end. Another delightful reading from Michael Lewis, and I would recommend this for those interested in finance
4698201
Great  book, a must read for every person interested in the history of Finance!
2574918
This book is fantastic. With no prior knowledge of corporate finance, but an eagerness to learn more about what I read every day in the WSJ, I picked up this book. Each chapter does a fantastic job at reviewing topics in "case format" or story-like narrative to provide a compelling picture of the topics discussed. This book took what I saw as a daunting subject and made it approachable, funny and interesting. It's a well-written guidebook to the financial world of corporations! Highly recommend.
635375
I just finished reading the Kindle Edition, cover-to-cover (so to speak) via the Kindle Reader on my iPad. Engaging, gripping - and wonderfully educational.

Although those who disparage Markets and are quick to blame speculators for many of our ills won't read this book, anyone who appreciates and respects the benefits of Capitalism and its impact on modern society should read this book - if only for the education in what Markets do for us and how they work. Here I don't just mean Futures Markets, as this book is about the market for entire companies as CME and ICE bid for CBOT.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Zero-Sum-Game-The-Rise-of-the-World-s-Largest-Derivatives-Exchange/dp/B004APA77W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Zero-Sum Game: The Rise of the World's Largest Derivatives Exchange</a>
947354
This thought-provoking, reader-friendly volume explores the economic
choices individuals and societies make every day, often without considering
the true cost and other implications of those decisions.
  Eduardo Porter, a member of the New York Times editorial board, is both a
creative thinker and hugely entertaining writer, skilled at explaining complex
issues to numbers-phobic, non-economists like me.
  I learned a lot about how the world really functions, and was
riveted from cover-to-cover.
  I highly recommend this book.
3239721
I Loved This Book!!!  Michael Wagner simplifies the complicated world of finance into words and actions that can be understood.  This book will show you how to master your money.  It is empowering!  It will really open your eyes and make you WANT to secure your financial future.  The anecdotes and real-life scenarios not only helped me understand some difficult concepts, they also made this book fun to read!

I have recommended this book to everyone I know, even people who know how to handle their money!
1751713
Jacobs' and Del Vecchio's "What's Behind the Numbers?" is an eye-opening, no-nonsense analysis of everyday corporate financial reporting practices and the tactics employed by management to obfuscate the truth behind company performance, ultimately putting the funds of unwitting shareholders at greater risk.

The use of actual case studies from the authors' own professional experience in analyzing financials and identifying serious concerns (prior to those stocks' decline) does an effective job in illustrating the important lessons in the book.  These real-world examples will help the reader lay a more effective and responsible framework for analyzing future trades with greater confidence.

Of the great investing books I've read, "What's Behind the Numbers?" stands out as a practical reference, especially relevant in today's market, which clearly spells out many of the commonly overlooked signals of strength and weakness to watch for when evaluating one's trading strategy.  I found the insight provided by the authors to be a terrific addition to my toolkit, particularly as I analyze revenue recognition and quality of earnings in financial statements, against the backdrop of accompanying chart patterns and fundamental data.

Simply put, "What's Behind the Numbers?" is both a pleasure to read and incredibly enlightening with skills and perspectives valuable to all responsible investors, regardless of trading style or strategy.  At a minimum, the market knowledge shared in the book can help shift the odds of greater trading success in favor of the reader, by helping investors enter and exit every position with eyes wide open.
288409
This is definitely one if the best finance motivational books I have ever read, it is an easy read, packed full of "golden nuggets" that will really challenge you to re-think your life and your outlook on how we should be succeeding in the realm of finance.
You can feel that this is straight from the authors heart.
I have read many of the top motivational books on finance, and I can only stess that this is definite "must buy" and devour book.
I love the parallel of finance and farming! A real eye opener
478080
I bought this book after a read an guest blog posting by Dr. Glover on a mens' website. When the shipment came I was filled with buyers regret for some reason, thinking I did not need this book. After skimming through the book a couple days in a row I finally had a chance to read it a week later - and I read the whole thing in one (long) Sunday. It is a fantastic read and eye-opening even though I don't consider myself too much of a "nice guy." It is helpful to know why and where conditioning comes from - something I had not ever thought about before.

As a bonus Dr. Glover talks about ways to use your masculinity to achieve greater success in the financial realm. Highly recommended and very surprising and insightful.
4948632
Wow!  This was a great book in every way.  I now understand what happened with sub-prime lending down to the parts, if not the nuts and bolts.  Yet I never felt that I was being taught.  In fact, it seems that the individuals constructing these trades were all outsiders and started out understanding the trade from a very layman's point of view.  The idea behind the trade was very much focused on common sense evaluation of the fundamentals, the guts to feel their way through the process even if they worried that they might be missing some key piece of information, hard analytical work, a little bit of gutsy political maneuvering, and the technical ability to navigate the complex financial instruments used.

And the book was well written.  The writing was not sensationalist.  But I couldn't put it down.  I felt I understood the motivations of the individuals in the book.  I came to admire most, though not all, of them.  And for a book that tells a story to which everyone has a general knowledge, I was surprised that I was in suspense to the very end.  There were so many different ways the trade was played by various actors.  One can identify with all of the worries and mistakes made by each of the individuals in the story.

I highly recommend this book!