5 comments about The Laws of Money, The Lessons of Life: Keep What You Have and Create What You Deserve.

1. Orman writes with an obvious bias. Though I agree with much of the obvious; it serves to cloud the not entirely correct. I would suggest Arthur Levitt's, Take on the Street or other such, more knowledgeably written books.



2. The book shipped to me was printed in poor condition. It's like a scanned copy of the original then being printed on a low resolution printer. It will definitely harm your eyesight if you read it.
   
   I returned it immediately and borrowed a good copy from a library.



3. I love this book. Practical enough for adults to use, and simple to read. Suze goes back to the basics of money and everyone can benefit from reading this book. This book should be used in High School to teach people from a young age how to deal with money. Our future will be a better place.



4. Excellent book, easy to read, understand and follow. I look forward to putting into action what I have read.



5. I have gained years of experience after reading this book without having to go through the trial and error process of actually messing up with my money. Even if you have messed up with your money you can at least understand the reasons of what went wrong and how to change course.

5 comments about Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work.

1. this is one another classic from John Maxwell. There are lot many things explained in this book that can help us in our daily life, profession/ business..



2. John C. Maxwell and his team have gathered 11 excellent ways to categorize thinking styles, as well as some introductory chapters on related topics, such as the need to approach life with a positive attitude instead of negative. The approach is typical for self-help books. Tell a story about how someone resolved an issue or experienced a breakthrough using the right kind of thinking, just as you, too, can do if you open your mind and really try.
   
   The stories range from trivial to very effective, and they work best if your own personal learning style works from anecdotes better than mine does. In this book, treat the stories more as examples that as instructions. Maxwell makes one good point after another. What you won't get is a lot of advice on how you can take concrete steps to shore up weaknesses. The basic premise is that the exercises and suggested time for contemplation will help the reader to have better self-awareness and acknowledge the benefits of corrective action. I didn't really feel like doing the exercises, so no doubt I undermined the material's effectiveness.
   
   Mr. Maxwell goes easy on the religious references, which suits his wide target audience. The ones he uses are always low key and reasonable, so a non-religious reader should not be bothered at all.
   
   Again, his list of 11 types of thinking is spot-on. Anyone who aspires to leadership must demonstrate most of them, and many of them relate even to young, junior people. As Mr. Maxwell says, it's never to early to raise your game.



3. In Thinking for a Change, Mr. John Maxwell explores how the way we approach thinking affects our lives. The book is broken out into two main parts. Part I is titled, "Change Your Thinking and Change Your Life". Part II is titled, "Eleven Thinking Skills Every Successful Person Needs. In this part he discusses several different types of thinking which are listed below and how to become more proficient at each...
   
   * Big Picture Thinking
   * Focused Thinking
   * Creative Thinking
   * Realistic Thinking
   * Strategic Thinking
   * Possibility Thinking
   * Reflective Thinking
   * Popular Thinking
   * Shared Thinking
   * Unselfish Thinking
   * Bottom Line Thinking
   
   I believe this is one of those books that the best way to truly unlock it's value is to read it through once and then go back to individual chapters and read and contemplate the ideas of that particular chapter over a week or two period. With this approach you get an overview of what Mr. Maxwell is trying to get at and then you dive deeper into the details and find applications to your life. At this point I have only read it once through. I believe with further contemplation this could be a five star book.
   
   Below are a few interesting tidbits I took away after my initial run through Thinking for a Change...
   
   * The Right Thought plus the Right People in the Right Environment at the Right Time for the Right Reason = The Right Result (pg. 43)
   
   * When team members come to me with a problem, I insist that they that they also supply three possible ways to solve it. Anyone can point out a problem; only people who think well can present possible solutions. (pg. 101)
   
   * Solid strategic thinkers always know that unless people are working to correct or bolster an area that needs discipline, they should always spend most of their time working in and developing their areas of strength. (pg. 148)



4. Should be required reading for all college freshman. From its examples to its suggestions on how to improve one's thinking, it is well thought out and full of insight. If you ever want to seperate yourself from the herd, then read this book and put into practice its recommendations.



5. The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life
   
   Thinking for a Change is packed with great ideas for succeeding in business and life.
   
   This is one of my favorite Maxwell books even though it falls out of his normal leadership content. In this book, John explains what it means to be a good thinker and also highlights the eleven skills every successful person needs including Big Picture Thinking, Creative Thinking, Strategic Thinking, Possibility Thinking, Unselfish Thinking and several more.
   
   I reread this each year and always notice new insights and better approaches to my business and life.I have highlighted significant portions and have used this book as much personally as for business.
   
   This is also a Top 20 recommendation for my coaching clients at The 1% Club, Inc.

5 comments about The Politics of Rich and Poor: Wealth and the American Electorate in the Reagan Aftermath.

1. This book is down right distortive of economic history and the 1980's... Overall, the poor did not get poorer in the 1980's, but quite the opposite. This book is essentially more tired and disproven Keynesian-Socialist views on economics, for people who want to go back to the policies of the 1970's-the era of double-digit inflation and 21% interest rates.

   If you want to narrow any imbalance of wealth- do away with the Federal Reserve system, which robs the poor and middle class of their purchasing power through the hidden tax of inflation. The rich are largely able to avoid the inflation crush, because they typically have the bulk of their assets in more 'inflation-proof' liquid assets like stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate. If you're not a bleeding heart, get something else like 'A Nation of Millionaires.'




2. Exploiting class envy is as old as civilization itself,and this book is another exercise in just that.I don't question the validity of Mr. Phillips arguments or stasistics.Sure the wealthier get wealthier or at least maintain their wealth from generation to generation(barring catastrophe)but that is because when you are talking in terms of millions of dollars money automatically makes itself grow.Someone worth $5,000,000 this year will with safe,predictable,long-term investments see an increase in their wealth till the day they die.Poor to middle class people on the other hand won't see a great buildup of wealth simply due to the fact that they don't have enough wealth to exponentially grow year after year.Even an idiot can stick $5,000,000 in the bank,leave it alone,and in five or six years have $6,000,000.Of course if you only have $20,000 in the bank it won't ever be much more than $20,000.All societies have an unequal concentration of wealth and always will.Most so-called economic booms do benefit mainly the upper classes while recessions hit the poorest the hardest.Phillips does a thorough job of exposing the boom of the 80's for the myth that it was, but all in all he has written nothing we didn't already know.



3. The myths (or many of them)of the right are given full exposure in this fine book. Well researched and well written, it is a good primer on the delusions of the privledged class (just read some of the other reviews on this page).
   Over all a significant contribution to the new analysis of conservative revisionism.



4. I was excited to find this book based on the tittle and book description, mainly because I felt I was going to get a book of facts to bolster my already formed opinions. Well the book did provide facts, lots of facts sometimes not in the best order, but facts none the less. What the author and publisher failed to realize is that in the method the book was written the average reader would find it almost impossible to plod through the text. I had a college statistics professor that was Asian with a very strong accent, and the ability to stand at the front of the room and drone on and on without every moving his body or using the black board (an interesting feat in a math class) that was more lively then this book. I am assuming that even economics professors aged 65 and over would think this book to be dry and dull.

   The net effect of the bone dry text and the overwhelming amount of facts, charts and lists of numbers is that a book I was excited to read turned out to be a downright pain to get through. It turned into a labor of love or some sick need to finish the book that finally got me through to the end. I feel like I deserved some medal for completing this thing. Overall the facts are interesting (in small doses) but the written was one that would bore the dead.




5. Phillips wrote this book in 1990.This allows a reader to compare it with later books that dealt with the same problem ,such as " Boiling Point " in 1993 and " Arrogant Capital " in 1994.The first point that Phillips demonstrates overwhelmingly was that the Reagan tax cuts were primarily aimed at increasing the wealth and political power of the Wall Street speculators and investment banks like Bear Stearns,Merrill Lynch,Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley,Lehman Brothers,J.P. Morgan,Credit Suisse,Deutsche Bank,etc. This was possible because Reagan was not able to differentiate between Wall Street speculators ,on the one hand ,and entrepreneurship and enterprise ,on the other hand. For instance,ALL of the supply side economists(Laffer,Wannsiki,etc.)and most of the University of Chicago economists advising President Reagan were tied in to the Wall Street crowd ,either directly or indirectly.Phillips covers this in chapter 3.It is here that he makes two serious mistakes in less than one half of a sentence that costs him one-half of a star.He states :" Most of the conservative theorists acknowledged their restatement of Adam Smith..."(Phillips,1990,p.65).First,none of the supply siders or University of Chicago economists are conservatives.They are Libertarians.This is a major confusion that is ubiquitous in America.Second,NONE of the policies recommended by these supply side and Chicago advisors follows from Smith.First ,Smith favored (a) an overall progressive tax system,not a flat or proportional system (Smith,1776,Modern Library(Cannan) edition,p.794),(b)retaliatory and revenue tariffs(Smith,pp.434-439),and (c)direct government intervention into the economy through the provision of universal religious instruction and education,provided for free by the government to all individuals who could not afford to pay,in order to counteract the massive undepletable ,negative externalities/spillover effects arising from the workings of the Invisible Hand of the Market(self interest plus the specialization and division of labor[Smith,pp.716-768,pp.734-741);Phillips does better on p.69 in recognizing Smith's opposition to the interactions of monopolies and government and their negative impact on the political sphere of life.]
   
   A major plus of Phillips exposition is not only the massive statistical support that he presents in this book about the increasing inequality of income between different income classes but a very clear cut example that can be understood by any reader : " Under Reagan,as under Coolidge,the clear evidence is that the net tax burden on rich Americans as a percentage of their total income shrank substantially because of the sweeping tax cuts.The surge in actual tax payments was the result of higher upper-bracket incomes.To measure the benefits,imagine a businessman who had made $333,000 in salary,dividends and capital gains in 1980,and paid $120,000 in federal income taxes.As prosperity returned in 1983,his income climbed to $ 500,000.Yet with the typical tax rates reduced,he might well have paid,say,$150,000 in taxes,more actual payment,of course,but less relative burden."(Phillips,1990,p.82;It is unfortunate that Phillips did not explicitly tie this example in to his Table 2 analysis on p.58 that showed the higher incomes going to providers of " financial services ",a.k.a.,Wall Street speculators).
   
   Phillips loses another one half of a star due to his failure to explicitly deal in this book with the negative impact of the rise of the Wall Street speculators under Reagan ,and their support from the Federal Reserve System under Volcker and/or Greenspan,as well as the support given to them by the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC),the regulatory agency which is supposed to protect middle class American from the ravages of speculators and projectors. The topic " Speculation " is not included in the subject index at the back of the book wheras it figures prominently in the later books ,such as " Boiling Point" and " Arrogant Capital ".Phillips's Table 2 on pp.56-58 is a briliant historical summary of the negative impact of speculation on the economy;however,he needed to explicitly discuss this problem in the same way that Adam Smith did in The Wealth of Nations on pp.260-340,especially on pp.339-340,where Smith pinpointed,as did the Scholastic philosopher -theologians of the medieval Catholic Church in the 13th century,the dangers of speculation,especially where bankers and financial interests are involved.
   
   
   This leads us to the end of the book and Phillips' discussion of the political ramifications of this process of allowing more and more income to be siphoned off to the " financial services" sector of the economy,i.e.,securitization/speculation and the generation of imcome without production by attempting to manipulate the the income, balance, and cash flow accounts of American corporations and financial institutions.
   
   Phillips correctly identifies what the Wall Street crowd,which controls both political parties,more(Republican) or less(Democrat),regards as their biggest future challenge :" Our biggest fear is that the Democrats surface with a leader who is able to capitalize on the theme of economic populism".(Quotation from GOP Pollster V.Breglio;Phillips,1990,p.210).One need only look at the reliance of the Clinton's,Kerry's,and Obama's on Wall Street money to recognize that such a leader does nor exist.

5 comments about Maximum Success: Changing the 12 Behavior Patterns That Keep You From Getting Ahead.

1. This book is written by psychologists and is very dry and unengaging. You probably already know it is an old emotional issue behind your troublesome behavior at work. For actual helpful tips, try reading "The Power of Letting Go" by Vredevelt instead. It is right to the point, unlike this old-school freudian book.



2. The book gives a lot of descriptions of bad habits. The value of possibilities to solve or handle the habits is low.



3. this easy to read book makes me realize that i actually fall into one of the 12 classic patterns that time and again hold me back from advancing ahead. Once I'm aware, it's not as hard anymore to break the patterns in order to break through the self-constructed limitations. The title of the book sounds terrible, "bad" habits ought to be revised into "hard-to-break" or "patternized" habits.



4. The book is divided into 2 parts Part I identifies the 12 bad habits that hold people back. Part II identifies the causes of the bad habits
   
   There is something for everyone. Certainly we all have some or many of these bad habits in full or partial degrees. Authors do a nice job in defining the habit and providing examples.
   
   You will find a number of "ah-has" along with sharp piercing observations. For example, for the Meritocrat:
   
   "one of those people who insist that proposals, ideas, products - virtually everything in life - must be considered strictly rationally, on their inherent merit, their absolute, true value. They see the world in black and white - without colors or shades of gray. If the meritocrat ruled the world, all decisions would be put through some sort of merit-weighing machine. Emotions, politics, sentimentality, loyalties, favoritism would play absolutely no part...he or she consistently talks about the ways things "should" be, about the unfairness of life, railing about how the well connected, the meretricious, and the conniving rise to the top, while the honest and the principled fall by the wayside...the meritocrat fails to see that people are complicated, with many shades of gray...sometimes to win the battle you have to negotiate and compromise - promise something to someone to get him or her to join your side - which goes against the code of rationality...the person who thinks this way is acting almost as an anti-Machiavellian, someone who loathes politics and flattery and the compromises of deal making. Most of us, it is true, would rather deal with the meritocrat than his polar opposite, the unprincipled schemer for whom ideals have no value. The schemer is loathsome in his treachery; the meritocrat insufferable only in his self-righteousness.
   
   While there is something for everyone, I found myself skipping many sections of the book that I didn't find applicable or perhaps at the farthest end of an extreme of my bad habit.
   
   While the book does an excellent job in describing and giving examples of bad habits, it falls short on practical ways to change.
   
   The book is dense, thick and slow moving - while examples were used liberally, I found it to read like an academic textbook and found it difficult to stay engaged.
   
   Finally, who says good packaging doesn't work. My eyes locked in on the sharp fire engine red packaging on the shelf and I had to have it.
   
   The 12 bad habits that Hold Good people back are:
   
   Part I:
   1. Never Feeling Good Enough (The "Acrophobe")
   2. Seeing the World in Black and White (The "Meritocrat")
   3. Doing Too Much, Pushing Too Hard (The "Hero")
   4. Avoiding Conflict at Any Cost (The "Peacekeeper")
   5. Running Roughshod Over the Opposition (The "Bulldozer")
   6. Rebel Looking for a Cause (The "Rebel")
   7. Always Swinging for the Fence (The "Home Run Hitter")
   8. When Fear is in the Driver's Seat (The "Pessimist Worrier")
   9. Emotionally Tone-Deaf ("Mr. Spocks")
   10. When No Job is Good Enough ("Coulda-been")
   11. Lacking a Sense of Boundaries ("Loose Lips")
   12. Losing the Path (losing sense of direction or enthusiasm) ("Dig Deeper")
   
   Part II: The Psychological Issues behind the 12 Behavior Patterns:
   1. Taking Others Perspectives (Not being able to take/see other people's perspectives)
   2. Coming to Terms with Authority (Not coming to terms with authority)
   3. Using Power (Inability to use power comfortably, skillfully, effectively)
   4. Looking in the Mirror: Examining Your Self-Image (Having a negatively distorted self image)



5. "The 12 Bad Habits that Hold Good People Back" is a breath of fresh in in a world filled with business self-help books. Most business books will try to tell you exactly what to do in order to succeed, but the problem with that is that no matter what type of situations are described in those books, they never seem to correspond to what is happing in your situation.
   
   This book is different. While there are thousands of ways to succeed, there are a limited number of traits that lead to failure. The authors of this book highlight those failure points, describe how these traits are created, and give some solid steps on how to confront those traits. One thing that you should realize when you buy this book is that the authors don't believe in quick fixes, and those readers who are looking for quick fixes will be disappointed. To overcome each of the 12 bad habits highlighted in this book will take a lot of self-examination, observation of others in your work environment, and assistance from friends or co-workers to help you pinpoint your weak areas. If you're willing to put in the work, then the advice in this book is very helpful.
   
   I really recommend this book to anyone who is looking to advance in their company. Without realizing your weaknesses, you may be stuck at the level you now work at. To get a promotion will take lots of hard work and effort, but with the advice in this book, you'll be able to reach your goals

5 comments about Power Talking.

1. great ideas, easy to use, practical



2. As an Advanced Toastmaster Gold, the book has help me and my fellow Toastmaster club members to develop communication skills. As a supplement to club activity, this book will help a person achieve their goals. Buy this book and join a local Toastmaster club and develop your communication skills.



3. So you want to win friends and the respect of your enemies? You've gotta read "Power Talking". Walther communicates his brilliance through examples you can use in your every day conversation. I first read the book in 1992 when I was in door-to-door selling. I learned from the book ways to phrase questions that led my prospects down the trail to customerhood. In the back of the book there is a huge summary of sticky and embarrassing real life chances for you to use your new Power Talking skills. He tells you exactly what to say, and having said them all many times, I've got to tell you, they work. Invest in yourself. Go back to the order page here on Amazon and get your copy today.



4. In the tradition of "How to Win Friends & Influence People", George Walther has written a great little book on communication skills that we all should try to master. The tips contained are simple and easy to incorporate. A very practical and useful book, all things considered. 5 big stars!



5. First, I'll say this is a timeless classic. Even though it's from the 90's (and on cassette), I still re-listen to this program every 6 months or so, and I have my staff listen to it also. It's simple, easy to follow, and in seminar format (not a narrative), so it doesn't matter if you can't listen to it all in one sitting.
   
   It's a live presentation, fun to listen to, and it's a concise yet very full presentation of 50 ways for you (and your staff) to improve their communication skills. It's not cheesy or cliche - he simply gives you power words/phrases to use, sabotage words/phrases to avoid, and helps you construct vocabulary and imagery that makes an impact.
   
   I'll add that I also have a book version of this, and the audio is much better. It's easier to follow, and better to hear him *enunciate* what he's talking about, instead of trying to interpret it on the written page.
   
   I need to also add that the full title of this program is: Power Talking Skills -- 50 Ways to Say What You Mean and Get What You Want.
   
   (I'm not sure why the Amazon page doesn't display the full title). I give this a full 5-stars.

2 comments about Leadership Lessons of the Navy SEALs: Battle-Tested Strategies for Creating Successful Organizations and Inspiring Extraordinary Results.

1. Got this book as a gift since I just happened to get out of the military and now work for a software company. This book goes chapter by chapter explaining how leadership is perceived and how it should be. The author explains different leadership qualities as well as leadership styles.



2. I am a profession College Coach. I have read many books on so called "Leaders" in the sports World. Wooden, Knight, Bryant, Hayes, Lombardi, Coach K, Dean Smith, Patino could all learn something from this book. This book gets to the point and proves the correct and effective technique. I have read maybe 30-40 books on leadership and coaching and I will say that this book is the best book I have ever read. After reading this book I gave a copy of it to all of the Coaches in my Athletic Department, and my Assistant Coaches. I can tell you not one person has not thanked me for getting them this book.
   
   If you are a professional business man or woman, a coach, a community leader, teacher, you need this book!

5 comments about Think and Grow Rich:A Black Choice.

1. Great book. I would recommend this book to anyone who want to be successful in their respective field.



2. Preparation is definitely the key!
   
   It becomes important that we know about the rules that will ultimately determine our success. Not just to know their meanings and what they do, but to make these principles a part of us - a habit that will lead us to do the right thing automatically, regardless of the circumstances. As Kimbro said, "it is our job as Black Americans to disentangle the myths, misconceptions, and half - truths that clouds the judgments of our society".
   All, regardless of race or class or economic status, are entitled to a fair chance and to the tools for developing their individual powers of mind and spirit to the utmost. This promise means that all children by virtue of their own efforts, competently guided, can hope to attain the mature and informed judgment needed to secure gainful employment, and to manage their own lives, thereby serving not only their own interests but also the progress of society itself. Also noted by Kimbro, "Blacks as a whole have moved from a position of utter destitution - in terms of wealth, education, and human rights - to a place alongside their ethnic counterparts".
   
   Black males, particularly, have edged precariously close to becoming an endangered species. There are more Black males in prison and correctional facilities than on college campuses. Functional illiteracy among minority youth may run as high as 40 percent.
   
   The search for solutions to our educational problems must also include a commitment to life-long learning. Learning is the indispensable investment required for success but without life-long learning, one's skills will become rapidly dated.
   
   This would also reverse the current declining trend--a trend that stems more from weakness of purpose, confusion of vision, under use of talent, and lack of leadership, than from conditions beyond our control. We as Black Americans need to realize that we do not simply exist, we need to always realize what our life will be, and what we will become in the next moment.
   
   
   
   I took liberty to expand upon the following:
   
   THE PRESIDENT'S NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION (During Reagan era, still suitable today):
   
   The report called for greater federal support of education and included the claim that the nation was threatened by "a rising tide of mediocrity". A Nation at Risk is a reform based on the development of standards-based curricula. The focus is on outcomes of education in relation to standards of achievement, the idea being that student achievement and instructional programs were likely to improve.
   
   One of the most quoted portions of this report came from the introduction just after the "Rising Tide" remark. It said: "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. As it stands, we have allowed this to happen to ourselves. We have even squandered the gains in student achievement made in the wake of the Sputnik challenge. Moreover, we have dismantled essential support systems, which helped make those gains possible. We have, in effect, been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament".
   
   The following five recommendations were made by the report:
   
   Content
   Recommended that the graduation requirements for all students be raised to include 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of science, 3 years of social studies, 1 semester of computer science, and for college bound students 2 years of foreign language.
   
   Standards and Expectations
   Schools should expect better academic performance and behavior from students and universities should strengthen admissions requirements.
   
   Time
   More time should be spent on the new required courses by being more efficient and by lengthening the school day and year.
   
   Teaching
   A series of recommendations that focused around teachers being better prepared.
   
   Leadership and Fiscal Support
   A call to citizens to hold educational leaders responsible be willing to provide the fiscal resources needed to implement the outlined reforms.
   
   
   
   
   Using available statistics, Black America continue to take for granted the enormous and victorious battles won by the Civil Rights movement. "If there is one thing that we have won and accomplished, it is our moral right to exist".
   
   
   Racism and discrimination should never be an excuse for your lack of development, but real creative ability-ability to live largely in a world based on ones own inner resources, finding one's true self, overcoming ignorance, and always remaining receptive and teachable should be never ending endeavors.
   
   Slavery in America has left a scar on the Black family structure where as slave master would separate parents from children, husband and wife from each other is still visible today with children being born into single parent households or children being separated from parents. This cycle has not ceased but instead has taken new forms.
   
   Kimbro's writing style is multi- dimensional and stimulating to the imagination. It spirals you into the seams of the book. In the section dealing with the " Law of Compensation" there are many lessons to be learned by all ethnicities.
   
   Black people have to take the opportunity and the responsibility by portraying themselves differently. As Kimbro mentioned, your thoughts are the steering mechanism of your life. "Faith only enters the mind that has been properly prepared for it. Although I must add, your heart and your guts usually have a say so with what you think or decide too.
   
   Quoting Thurgood Marshall, " Blacks must earn their way to higher achievement". In other words, through perseverance, hardwork and desire.
   
   As John H. Johnson stated, "Black people have the power to make it in this society".
   
   As George Washington Carver stated, "We must rid ourselves of the idea that there's a short - cut to achievement".
   
   Black America has to realize that whatever God has allowed to be taken away from it temporarily he has suredly replaced it with something far greater. A glance at history will confirm that. Although many individual Black Americans in this society continue to adorn themselves with the albatross of ignorance around their neck. Black people need to reconstruct the perspective lens of White America.
   
   Although I thought, Kimbro did not use fair judgment by not choosing Reginald Lewis (TLC Beatrice) as a role model in his book due to Lewis's butting heads with John Johnson of Johnson Publications. In my judgment, if Kimbro knew about this spat he should have left Johnson out of the book.
   
   Although this book is directed at the African-American community, the principles found within are color blind. Dr. Kimbro creates a step-by-step approach for achieving success. There is enough in the book that merit's a periodical re-read.



3. An excellent read for anyone who desired to have it all and wants to truly know how to go about accomplishing that very goal step by step.



4. Think and Grow Rich continues to be a book I would suggest that everyone keep in their library and read at least once a year.



5. This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Next to the Bible it has had a positive effect on me and I share its positive message with everyone.
   
   I speak to groups and this is on my suggested reading list.
   
   A must read.
   
   I am not one who writes or talks much but I have to share with those who I meet.

1 comments about The Worldly Philosophers.

1. "Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and with each edition he's further refined and polished it and in the process it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.
   
   I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.

No comments about Recruiting 101: Building a Big Network Fast.

5 comments about Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35/Audio Cassette.

1. I saw a person online recommend this book and I read a lot of financial books and never heard of this book, so I thought I'd give it a try. I only could read half of the book and refused to read anymore. This is the first book in probably 5 years that I couldn't read the whole book, becuase I felt it was a waste of time.
   First the author says we should all be renters. Second he only advocates using CD as your investment. Then he talks about places that have a lower cost of living. What was considered lower cost of living in 1988 will not apply to 2006. Also the CD rate of 8% does not currently apply either.
   The book really doesn't teach you anything that you probably don't know from reading these other reviews. Save your time and your money. I read my copy from the library, but I want my wasted time back.



2. The reviewer who pans the Terhorst book for being out of date misses the point. Of COURSE the book contains out-of-date financial information--it was written in the 1980s. The point of this book is living your dream, and the Paul Terhorst presents a blueprint of how he and his wife, Vicki, followed theirs. I agree that if you want current investing advice, other texts would better suit, but for an inspiring journal of how one couple changed their lives, this is a wonderful book.



3. Sure the figures and numbers are old, but the idea is the same and it can still be done! You can retire at 35 if you open your mind! 500,000 was a whole lot more back then than it is now, but even with higher prices I certainly know I will retire when I get that much and retire well, before I am 35!



4. This is a great book. Very good read. Lots of insights. The investment advice might be dated but everything else is very relevant.



5. Unlike Paul, I didn't want to travel the world. I wanted to retire in the US while I was still young enough to do what I wanted. I retired when I was 50 and have lived really well for the last 10 years.
   
   Paul and Vicki are still going strong. They built a house in Argentina, but they still travel. They switched out of CD's into index funds and have done well. They use healthcare in foreign countries, which works if you know who has good care and who doesn't. They do.
   
   Almost anyone can retire early provided they start planning for it when they are young. You have to save and invest. Learn to do it when you are 22 and by the time you are 45 or 50 you can retire and live well for the rest of your life. If you need to spend everything you make on all kinds of crap, then you won't be able to retire--ever. I have plenty of friends in that boat.
   
   It all depends on what you want to do with your money. Spend it now or spend it later. My money goes to work for me everyday. It works harder than I ever did, and I'm happy to let it. If you save your money, it will work for you too. Of course you'll need to educate yourself. It's the price of freedom. Everyone says they want that freedom, but few are willing to do what it takes to get it.
   
   It's not about CD's paying 2% interest. Not everyone gets it. But everyone wants a magical answer. Okay, here is it is.
   
   Learn how to invest wisely. Read The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein. It's the only way to make money consistently. Paul figured that out after the rates on CD's fell. Now you know the secret. What are you waiting for?