5 comments about The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: 8 Steps to Having More Money Than Your Parents Ever Dreamed Of.

1. This book will basically focus on the way the stock market works and how to invest in it. It also tells you how much you can save in the future. It is the meat of the book when it comes to the stock market, but the book will also teach you the cost of bad habits such as smoking and the upsides of credit cards if used right. The book teaches you how to get your money's worth in the bank, teaching you everything from how they make money to what a cd is. The worst thing about this book that annoyed me so much, I took off a point, was that they try to write the book in a type of slang format. Going from saying the word dawg and writing rock lyrics about the book. This is very annoying, but the tips this book gives are just too valuble to detour you alway.
   
   I recommend it to anyone of any age.



2. This books gives the true value of savings: a life worth dreamings about and investments we make for it to see it happen. This is a sweet and funny little book that makes money look exciting as a tool and token. I see this book as the clues to playing a cool video game. (More, like the hint book.) It's so casual that you think your reading Reader's Digest. You never feel confused! Math teacher's, parents, middle schoolers, high school students, college students, retirees: you'll love this book.



3. This book has reinforced what I have been preaching to my 17 year old for years......1) save and invest your money early, 2)live within your means as you get started in life (used vs new car), 3) attend the local university (keep student loans to minimum) and 4) practice a healthy lifestyle and you will soon learn that by the time you are 30 you will have more financial freedom and less debt than 90% of Americans.
   
   I wish I had been taught the discipline for the first two items as it wasn't until age 40 that I reached financial freedom. Fortunately for him, he is a believer after reading this book. Maybe along the way he will guide others in the right direction.



4. This is an excellent first book to give a teen who is not sure about investing as a good place to put his or her money. It is written with teens in mind and has tons of real-world examples to which teens can relate. It is a good start to get teens exciting about making their money work for them. I got it for my 16-year-old nephew who was skeptical, but is on board with taking control of his own financial future.



5. I'm turning 38 next year, and I humbly admit that the whole idea of saving and investing only sank in a couple of years ago (this was when I made my first mutual fund investment, out of impulse!). I've learned about the Beauty of Compounding a long time ago, but I guess my brain wasn't wired enough to see its real-life application. I've had good jobs, and have made good income on the side, but I have never thought of consciously putting at least a dollar away for my future.
   
   Then this book came up from the bargain bin of a local bookstore, and priced at half its retail amount. To me, however, it's been a lifesaver. I am far from being a teenager, but "The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens" contained all the basic information I needed when it came to the nuts and bolts of investing. All the way from saving that first dollar to trying out the stock market--it's all in the book. And the Gardners' writing style is casual and careful enough so as not to overwhelm.
   
   It's not really 8 steps as the book cover presents. The first 8 go from saving and earning extra money all the way up to investing in funds, plus encouraging readers to form their own little "investment education groups." (A great way to spend weekend afternoons with friends--learn about investing instead of huddling around the videogame console.)
   
   The additional steps in the book tackle the stock market, for those who want greater risk and potentially greater returns. Steps 9 to 15 cover choosing the right companies, the basics of looking through financial reports, how to monitor the bourses, and managing the portfolio.
   
   Thanks to this book, I can more confidently begin my journey to a comfortable retirement--at 55!
   
   (Oh, and let the teens read it, too.)

No comments about High Season: For the Hotel and Tourist Industry: Cassette.

5 comments about Racing to Win: Establish Your Gameplan for Success (Drive Time Audio).

1. Coach will help you get on the right track. No race car required. If you want help getting your life together, here it is! There are no big secrets, no get rich quick schemes. Truthfully many of us already have heard much of what Joe talks about. Unfortunately many of us weren't listening.

   This book may be a little light on in-depth views of racing and football. In the balance however, it encourages personal growth, spiritual growth, relationship growth (with God,family,friends and business associates)and most importantly everlasting life and an understanding of the most important playbook ever written.

   Thanks Joe!




2. To reach the pinnacle of the ultra-competitive NFL (3 Super Bowl victories) is by itself a remarkable feat. To reach the pinnacle of the ultra-competitive NASCAR Winston Cup series (2 championships) is also remarkable.

   To do both in the same career? That's unheard of, unless you are Joe Gibbs.

   As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I was never followed the NFC too closely, but then when Tony Stewart joined Joe Gibbs Racing, I started looking at Joe Gibbs and his past accomplishments. What he has done in the sports world is truly remarkable.

   "Racing to Win" is more about Joe's principles for life and success more than his life story per se, although he uses several incidents in his own life to illustrate his points (including a perilous brush with bankruptcy during his coaching career). Throughout it all, Gibbs doesn't really toot his own horn, describing himself as "just a P.E. major made good", but the fact his that success seems to stick to him like a magnet lends creedence to his principles.

   Joe has outlined 6 fundamental prinicples that are necessary for a successful life that is also complete. Although one can have some success without all of them (and Joe presents his ex-boss, Jack Kent Cooke as an example), one will fall short of a full and complete life without all of them (career, finances, relationships, team-building, morality, health). These 6, applied with copious amounts of hard work, discipline and perseverence, are Gibbs's game plan of success.

   As noted by other reviewers, Gibbs' Christianity has a prominent role in his book, but anyone remotely familiar with him should know that it has a prominent role in his life as well. To criticize him for nothing more than actually practicing that which he preaches is a bit unfair, IMO.

   Joe's own track record of accomplishments speaks for itself. Together with Ken Abraham, he has written a book that is instructive without being preachy, entertaining (his anecdote about broadcasting with Mike Ditka will leave you laughing out loud), and will make you think about what he has to say. It is also not a overly long read, either.

   If you want to study the "why" more than the "what" behind Joe Gibbs, I highly recommend this book.




3. As a racecar driver, I was drawn to the stories of building a successful race team. What I discovered was a well-structured text on the values necessary to be successful in any aspect of daily life, and a reminder of what is most important in life. This book certainly has religious tones, as Joe Gibbs thanks God for the opportunities and lessons given to him, but I believe these lessons are also valid in a secular context: Success in your career, finances, team building, personal relationships, moral choices, and health.
   Joe Gibbs helps the reader to understand the principles presented with fascinating examples from his own life. This is a great read for anybody, regardless of whether you are church patron, a racecar driver, or a football player; but even more so if you are.



4. First off this is not an autobiography but a book that talks about how Joe Gibbs succeeded in the face of adversity. After reading this you will really get to know the kind of person Joe Gibbs is. He talked very frankly about his failures as much as he did his successes. I never knew the kind of financial blunders he had made because it seems he was so successful in football and racing that not much was ever said about business adventures outside these two arenas.
   
   Joe does talk a lot about his relationship with God in this book. It is very interesting that a number of other very successful people he did business with were also Christians. It is done with good taste and helps you to get to know his personal values.
   
   In this book you will find how Joe Gibbs kept the faith so to speak and continued to work towards being a success even after great financial loss. One has to give him credit for not quiting. He lays down his game plan for life as he sees it which can be very helpful. There are 20 chapters laid out under 7 different topics. Those topics are: Success in your Career, Your Financial Success, Success in Building Your Team, Success in Personal Relationships, Success in Moral Choices and the Final Lap.
   
   Overall I think it is a great book but I only gave it 3 stars because it just didn't keep my attention from one chapter to the next. There is a lot of great stuff in here and that is why I would recommend it to anyone to read.



5. Joe Gibbs is encouraging and inspiring in this book. It has definitely given me great principles to live by for a rewarding and sucessful life. I wish I had read it years ago.

5 comments about Less Is More: How Great Companies Use Productivity As the Ultimate Competitive Edge.

1. This book is an excellent example of the types of practices and procedures almost any company can follow to be successful both financially and ethically.
   Jennings cites numerous companies who have carved out success while still remaining true to their customers, their employees and their values.
   Not surprisingly, few of these companies are ones that so called pundits regularly review.
   As the other reviews have noted, these companies are very successful financially, but they get there by asking the really pertinent business questions, and not by hiding behind an air of executive invulnerability. The leaders are real leaders, more focused on growing the company, serving customers, and doing right by employees.
   What vividly differentiates these companies from the "name brands," is that in the "name" companies, executives are more concerned with their own compensation, preserving their own existence, and with profits at all costs, than long term success.
   The questions you should ask yourself after reading this book are, "Where have all the leaders gone?" and "Why don't all companies follow many of Jennings' researched best practices?
   After that, I would run, not walk, to one of these companies and see if you can start at the bottom and learn what it's like to work in a real company.



2. This spring, I had a night-flight from Houston to Europe. I never got any sleep due to this book. It reads like a fiction novel while the focus is very much on the softer issues of productivity businesses. The well-written behind-the-wall stories and interviews with successful top executives give us insight to many issues that usual case stories do not explain.
   
   Business magazines often glorify top executives by telling about the grand strategic plan behind the success. This little book shows us a different story. It provides insight to the many seemingly small traits of the lean culture that only works because they taken serious by the organization and used in combination. These are the 11 traits required for the leader of a highly productive enterprise: attention to detail, high moral fiber, embracing simplicity, competitiveness, long-term focus, disdain for waste, coach leadership, humility, rejection of bureaucracy, belief in others, and trust.
   
   I'm sure you're really not impressed of this list. Neither am I. But try challenging some of the advice. Humility? When was the last time you saw a big company using this as a standard. When you hear the story of many head offices visited in this book, you'll understand humility. Often you'll find a very simple and humble office building for a huge company. No art on the walls! No lavish entrance hall! In these companies, you don't find huge corporate staff creating immense bureaucracy and all sorts of information requirements from their operating companies or business units. These organizations do actually "walk-the-talk" on lean - unlike many fad-driven major firms who's paying lip service to a lean culture.
   
   PERSISTENCE is a word missing from the 11 traits, though attention to detail and long-term focus do include some of it. They never lose sight of their BIG idea or focus. It includes their performance measurement. "Everyone who works for SRC gathers once a week in their respective lunchrooms and takes part in a review of the business's financial performance for the previous week. By DOING IT WEEK IN WEEK-OUT FOR MANY YEARS the exercise has also become a system".
   
   Okay, I'm sure that the book's research on productivity could have been better. And some of the firms reported on may experience difficulties, though most are still flourishing. But don't read this book for the hard stuff. Read the soft issues that over time usually turn out to be the hardest to beat.
   
   I agree that it resembles "In Search of Excellence" to some degree, but remember that this book is on the lean culture of Cost Leadership firms (my interpretation, not the author's).
   
   Peter Leerskov,
   MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business



3. This is not just another book about the secrets of famous companies. It is, instead, a book about the secrets of somewhat obscure but great companies. The principles that author Jason Jennings propounds are familiar enough, but most of his examples will not be familiar to the general reader. That is no drawback. Although some of these companies are less well known, they have all achieved great business success (if not fame) by applying some of the most tried, true and proven axioms of management. Treat people with respect, pay them for performance, focus on one clear and understandable mission - there is nothing new about these principles, except that they keep proving their efficacy even in the unlikeliest places. Do not look for a deep examination of management here. The book provides frustratingly scant background information about the companies themselves. But we assure those seeking a handbook of solid if venerable management advice that you will not go wrong with this interesting little book.



4. Stories of successful businesses fill this book. The author got "down and dirty" and did in-the-trenches research to find the best performing companies in the world. Then he spoke with the CEO's to find out what makes them and their businesses tick.



5. I picked this book up out of sheer curiosity and read it to its entirety in one sitting. Jenning's presentation style and narration are excellent - the book flows perfectly and many of the points brought up can be taken and applied.

5 comments about Joy At Work: A Revolutionary Aproach To Fun On The Job.

1. I greatly admire the concepts and approaches defined in Joy At Work. No question there are many inciteful ideas that need to be applied to the American workplace. It is refreshing to read a business book that takes a very different approach than the overused "CEO" approach to leading a company to success. Books like "Good To Great" and "In Search of Excellence" are really missing the point that Joy AT Work captures.
   
   However, Joy At Work suffers in the writing and lack of tangible application. Concepts and ideals are repeated so often that the reading becomes boring and difficult. I also struggled with how a company would go about implementing the concepts presented. While the approach is a paridigm shift - to the point that it isn't really something that gets 'implemented' but a way to think, to feel, to act.
   
   Explaining how Joy At Work was put into place at AES doesn't really help us understand how to go in that direction.



2. It is easy to by cynical about this book. You can sit back and say why Mr. Bakke's approach won't work with the people you have, in the industry that you are in, or with any number of the restrictions that you deal with. And you may be right. But there is reason not to keep an eye on the utopian goal of making work enjoyable, and at least to veer in that direction. How can one argue with a right-minded approach to making the world a better place?
   
   Mr. Bakke was the founder and guiding partner for an international company in the business of supplying energy. As the head of the company, he was uniquely positioned to shape the company according to his ideals. His book is best at conveying how management might infuse joy into the workplace, and still profit.
   
   This book is a wonder if only for the author's steadfast insistence on living by your principles...for doing the right thing. Managing by allowing subordinates to make decisions is a concept to which every manager should be exposed.
   
   "Joy at Work" is not without flaws. It could be written more concisely. The book would benefit from a broader study of workplaces. I bought the book thinking it was more in the self-help/motivational genre. It is not. Techniques to stay happy and motivated on the job are only peripheral to the subject discussed. What is most lacking in the "Joy at Work" is how an ordinary employee might put the books insights into practice, short of job hopping jobs until finding compliant management. But one book can't say it all. I am stretching to give this book a five star rating, because it is a landmark book. More can be built on what Dennis has begun.
   
   Buy it, read it, tell your friends about it. And buy a copy for your boss.



3. Finally! Here's a truth-telling CEO, with years of in-the-trenches experience, who practices what he preaches. Dennis Bakke thoughtfully dispels popular business myths, and he'll persuade you to think differently about your workplace. People are not "our most important asset." (People are people, not assets.) Customers are not always No. 1. (It's not that simple.) Gutsy CEOs will buy Joy at Work for every co-worker--and feed a revolution of joy in the workplace.
   
   Rule #3 in Bakke's Water Cooler Wisdom Top 10 List is my favorite, "Attempt to create the most fun workplace in the history of the world." Bakke is waging war on leaders and managers who keep all the fun (that is, decision-making) to themselves. I share his aspirations for fun. "The Hoopla! Bucket" is one of 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit. Managers who thrive on power, prestige, and phony empowerment will hate Bakke's book. I hope Joy at Work becomes a movement!



4. This book is in the same category as BEN & JERRY'S: THE INSIDE SCOOP and NUTS: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES' CRAZY RECIPE FOR BUSINESS AND PERSONAL SUCCESS. The two things that make it unique are: 1) Bakke's thoughtful analysis of the conditions contributing to a joyful workplace (and the obstacles to creating these conditions) and 2) the fascinating fact that AES was (and is) a GLOBAL corporation.
   
   Many people have observed that "humor doesn't cross boundaries." This is in fact true. But laughter, joy, and fun are another matter! As Bakke says: "`Cultural diversity,' it would seem, tends to melt away when it comes to basic human traits." In other words, you cannot fail by creating a positive workplace, no matter where on the globe you do it!
   
   A must-read for anyone questioning the conventional wisdom of 21st-century corporate success.
   
   Doni Tamblyn is author of Laugh and Learn: 95 Ways to Use Humor for More Effective Teaching and Training and The Big Book of Humorous Training Games (Big Book of Business Games Series)



5. H. L. Mencken defined an idealist as, "One who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." His clever definition suits entrepreneur and author Dennis W. Bakke, who learned that you need both rosy ideas and practical outcomes, and that sometimes - but not always - you can have them simultaneously. He and his partner, Roger Sant, founded the Applied Energy Services Corporation (AES), an international energy giant that now serves 100 million customers in 29 countries and earns more than $13 billion annually. This is a remarkable achievement, particularly since from the very beginning the two founders prioritized ethics, values, corporate responsibility and respect for their workers ahead of profits. For many years, they made this idealistic formula work. Then came the energy-industry doldrums and the Enron collapse, and these practices were swept aside. Readers will find it refreshing to read about two businessmen who believed that how their company operated was more important than how much it earned. getAbstract recommends this uplifting book, and welcomes Bakke's candor about how things went right - and wrong. As an entrepreneur and executive, he is an apt person to teach that businesses need both purpose and profit.

1 comments about Mark H. McCormack on Managing.

1. This is the first book in my required reading that I ever reread. I find his illustrations on good/poor styles and approaches enlightened and for the most part uncommon - while still being practical. He handles his business with the attention, care, importance that one might handle a family.

5 comments about Rich Dad's Rich Kid, Smart Kid: Giving Your Child a Financial Head Start (Rich Dad).

1. Great audio book. Gives you information to help you teach your kid about money, and ways to keep you from over indulging your kids.



2. This isn't really a 260 page book, it's a 5 page pamphlet that repeats itself over and over.
   
   Really there is nothing new here if you've read Rich Dad Poor Dad, beyond a shameless marketing co-promote for his games, other books and a few of his friends.
   
   Overall I thought Rich Dad Poor Dad was a pretty good book. This book however made me realize that Mr. Kiyosaki really has discovered the secret to becoming rich - write one half way decent book and then milk it as long as you can with other related books and products.



3. The title is her words not mine. I bought this book thinking that she might get through the first 3 or 4 chapters before she put it away in favor of her school work. Instead she carries it with her to school and reads it when she finishes her work. One of her teachers asked her about the book and after my daughter finished raving about it the teacher decided to get a copy for her self. That teacher now uses the book and it's principles in her classes.
   What better testimony about a book than it is now being used in an academic setting?
   My daughter has also surprised me by asking financial questions when we are alone. I am now in the middle of a job hunt and she asked me questions about what my salary would be with a new company. She listened intently as I explained negotiations over salary once I was offered a job. I explained the different factors that went into determining what I would ask for as a salary, such as distance to the new job, what others were making doing the same job, and benefits such as medical, dental, and of course vacation time. For an 11 year old she had an amazing grasp of what I was talking about. I believe this understanding came from reading this book. My son on the other hand, who is 24, is still working in a dead-end job making minimum wage. I gave him "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and the cover has never been broken.
   Buy this book for your kids; it is well worth the "investment" to teach kids how money works. Do it now while they are young.



4. If you've read Robert T Kiyosaki's other books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad, the ideas presented in Rich Kid Smart Kid will probably not be new to you. However, the information is reorganised to focus on applying the Rich Dad concepts to the task of educating your child, which allows this book to remain a useful resource- even if it isn't 100% new.
   
   Most helpful, in my opinion, are the parent-child interactive activities recommended by the book. For example, one suggestion is to take your child to the bank and ask the banker what interest rate they pay on savings as well as what they charge to borrow. Without the need to understand complicated math formulas, your child will quickly see that banks charge more than they pay, which will hopefully prompt questions in the mind of your child. Those questions will inspire your child to get answers that inevitably increase your child's financial intelligence.
   
   One knock I often hear about this book, or any self-help title for that matter, is that the ideas are obvious. Some people wish to argue that because a concept is simple it is not useful. I couldn't disagree more. I try to judge the value of a thing by whether or not I get enough out of it to justify the cost, be it in dollars or time. If you cannot get the purchase price of this book back out of it in value, then you just aren't trying very hard.
   
   While some of the concepts may seem obvious or simple in nature, it is the application of these concepts that produces real results. Some of the most complicated subjects in our world can involve very simple ideas. Think "What goes up, must come down." Simple, yes, but the practical applications involving gravity occupy a great deal of study time among physicists of the world.
   
   My point is simple. This book gives you a variety of ideas and suggestions that will help you improve your child's financial education, but YOU have to be the one to do the work. Is it the world's greatest book and ultimate problem solver in the universe? No. Is it worth the purchase price? Without a doubt, absolutely yes.



5. We listened to the audio version with our son. What a mistake. After listening to this he didn't want to go to school anymore. The book taught him that school won't help him make money in the future. Robert mentions several men who dropped out of college and made a fortune. He makes it seem real easy to become rich. He never mentions all of the other drop outs who lost money and are in the poor house.

No comments about Success Skills for Women (A SkillsPath Seminar on Tape, Six-Tape Program).

5 comments about The Courage to Be Rich: The Financial and Emotional Pathways to Material and Spiritual Abundance.

1. Suze Orman's Book is well written and thoughtful, that being said, she doesn't provide anything beyond common sense and basic knowledge: Stop accruing debt, live within your means, pay off those high interest credit cards, distinguish between good and bad loans, save money, INVEST YOUR MONEY. All this is the same material you will find in every beginning personal finance book, and online for free. The problem is that after peddling all these little trinkets of knowledge, with an over indulgent helping of self-pity, she doesn't help you make a plan or answer some fundamental questions. Like...HOW? This book does not provide the basic mechanics of how to do what she says, and gives no details on how (in financial basics) she got where she is. How do I redistribute my debt so I can pay it off (what is a good time horizon), how should I save money so I don't get burned out by saving, how do I mentally control my spending, and most importantly how do I invest the darn money? If you tel people to save and invest, you need to give them a hint of a plan (e.g., save 10% of every paycheck, but no more, so you grow to hate saving money) or maybe also just a single chapter on where to invest the money beyond, use your 401(k). Maybe one on why being too risk averse is bad. Ultimately, this book simply provides abstract goals, that require you to go out and get another book to help you get perspective on getting there. So just skip it, and get the next book.



2. I'm a little sorry to see all of the negative reviews this book has gotten, since I found it to be one of the most eye-opening things I've ever read and, by following some of its advice, have gotten my finances into better shape than they have been in years.
   
   Let me clarify some things. This is not a book for the financially advanced, for professionial money managers or financial advisors, or for stock brokers. The intended audience here is the "Average Person" who works at something else every day but wants to better understand how to handle their money. This person probably has credit card debt, spotty savings, and some bad financial habits. I had none of those things when I picked up this book and I still learned tons from reading it.
   
   The principal message here is that being rich begins with your thoughts. They way we think about money determines to a huge degree what we do with it, how we invest it, and how we spend it. I think no one will deny that fundamental truth, but Suze's gift is finding the ways to connect our thoughts with practical advice to change bad habits for the better. Many people could make a few simple changes in their lives and end up with a lot more money, and over time, that could mean real wealth.
   
   It is true that some of the conclusions here will seem obvious to the financially savvy. But I question the idea that this is all "repackaged common knowledge." It isn't. Her messages are of the kind that bear repeating. How many people still buy a $3.50 latte every morning, stick thousands of dollars in a bank savings account at .2% interest, and have credit card debt well beyond what they can afford? If it were so obvious that these are unwise things to do with money, fewer people would do them! Suze shows that it's not enough just to recognize financially unhealthy behavior, you must also understand your personal history with money, the way you have been taught to think about it and value it, and understand how that history influences your financial decisions. Her recognition of the emotional value of money gives her the edge over other financial how-to books, which typically assume that money is a raw numbers game. It's much more than that, and Suze is right on insisting so.
   
   Her most controversial advice is that you, and not a financial planner, must ultimately be responsible for your money, and I think a lot of the one-star ratings below are from frightened financial planners who know that Suze is onto their game. She does not, for the record, say that you should never work with one, but simply acknowledges that the ultimate responsibility for your money is with YOU and not someone you pay to organize your investments. I think she's right, and with all of the online resources available today, there's no reason to be ignorant about how money works in our society. A little more attention from you can mean a lot more peace with your money, and being responsible makes it much easier to make money grow.
   
   One of the best sections of this book comes at the end, when she talks about the importance of giving. I just loved her discussion of how important it is to give and wish everybody would read it! In our greedy world, it's a message that needs to be heard.
   
   I found this book lifechanging and hope others can too.



3. In Suze Orman's book / CD there is tons of excellent information. Listening to this CD and reading her book has helped me very much. I encourage anyone to buy this and study it throughly!



4. I won't say much but the book will help a lot of people who are lost about saving money or spend too much money. Suze's common sense is simple but it comes from personal experiences. I was surprised to learn that her father dropped out of law school to run the family chicken stand business. I knew about Suze's work at the Buttercup Bakery and her life after college. Of course, Suze does leave out her personal. It was only recently that she came out of the closet and announced her lesbianism and long-term committed relationship to her producer, Kathy Travis, known as K.T. Suze does not write about gays or lesbians at all in this book. She writes about mostly heterosexuals who have misplaced their own common sense about money. SHe writes about her own losses and mistakes along the way which has infused her with knowledge to correct herself and others from making the same mistakes. This book is to help and assist people in difficult situations. This book may help somebody out but it would be nice if she came out with her own autiobiography.



5. This is one of my favorite books and messages. I recommend it to everyone.

No comments about High-impact communication skills for women.