5 comments about Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets.

1. This is by far the smartest book I have ever read. As a PhD statistician I thought I was pretty sophisticated about randomness. Wrong, this book made me think about it in ways that I had not before. Every student of life or mathematics must read this book before they can consider themselves educated.



2. The ideas in this book have created more controversy than they deserve, and it might have something to do with the title of the book. Given the number of people who equate "random" with "equiprobable", "Fooled by Probabilities" would have been a more appropriate title for the book, though not as provocative as "Fooled by Randomness". There is a finite chance that there is a black cat in every dark room, but when you switch the light on, there is no black cat in the room. Both are correct statements - mathematically and practically. This book must be read in the same light.
   
   It seems to me that the transition from an average to good investor (probabilistically speaking) happens as soon as you internalize the concept of expected values and invest by it. My favorite story from the book is where Taleb is asked which way the market is expected to go next week, and he says slightly up with a high probability (70%). Then someone intervened that Taleb had just made a big bet on the S&P going down next week, and he said that indeed he did. The one lesson this book teaches is that the two statements are not inconsistent with each other. 70% chance of a +1% change and 30% chance of a -10% change sums upto -2.3, a strongly negative expected value. Good investors always shadow the expected value (trend and magnitude), although market sentiments are always driven by either the expected trend of upward or downward movement, or expected magnitude of upward and downward movement.
   
   
   Four key insights that I received from the book about how we all get fooled by probabilities in our everyday lives are the firehouse effect, survivorship bias, endowment effect and Wittgenstein's ruler. Firehouse effect is characterized by a clique of people with much downtime (firemen) who end up strongly agreeing with each other about things that would seem incorrect to any rational observer - something that many investors suffer from. The survivorship bias talks about exclusion of failures from "objective" after-the-fact performance studies - something that many business books suffer from. Endowment effect suggests that people value something more after they own it or get familiar with it - something that many businesses suffer from. Wittgenstein's ruler says that when an unreliable ruler is used to measure a table, the table is measuring the ruler and not the other way around. Reliability of the ruler determines what is being measured - something that consumer reviews and stock recommendations suffer from. For these and many such, read Fooled by Randomness.



3. This book is great and should be a compulsory reading for everyone at college. Lots of people do not realize how much chances and coincidences play roles in our lives. This book is about learning to appreciate the vast number of variables in common life which are not controlled by anyone.



4. Interesting. Annoying. Self-referential. Insulting. Exasperating. Ultimately, intriguing. Taleb is smart, but an autodidact and quite full of himself. (After he lobs his tenth purely gratuitous insult, he is no longer cute -- he is merely sociopathic.) He gets a lot right, but he also plays fast and loose with schools of thought in which his understanding is strictly superficial. (And as with many autodidacts, he has trouble identifying which areas these might be -- making humility the mark of the really smart ones.) Like Descartes, whom he loathes, he is a rich guy who has the time and the means to ruminate with a wide swath of other intellectuals. This breadth offers bridges from ideas with which the reader is familiar into new and intriguing places. And on the pragmatic side, the reader can ask himself just what this guy does that might have saved us from loosing our collective shirts in the market.



5. The book sounds like it will give you some insight into the markets or the ramdomness of it. It builds on that expectation but does not deliver it slowly turns into a boring mumbuling of anecdotes. I did not finish the book and left it half way.

5 comments about The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways the Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!) (Fisher Investments Press).

1. A fun, fast (read it in one day) and eye-opening read on the real roads to real wealth. This was very different from Fisher's last book, the Only Three Questions that Count, which I also liked, but did not disappoint. This book is not about stocks per se (although Fisher does cover stock investing in one of the chapters as a path to wealth) but rather is a sort of frank public service announcement about the most realistic paths to wealth. And, it helps you figure out how to improve your odds of getting down the path you choose more successfully.
   
   The book uses real life, and often very funny examples to show what to do and what to avoid doing if you want to build real wealth. Highly recommended.



2. Everyone knows its best to save your money and invest wisely, but here's the straight scoop on how the really rich got that way. This book was part no-nonsense career coach, part cheerleader, part cautionary tale. There's something for everyone here. And yes, it was a fast, inspiring, funny read.



3. This is a fun, breezy read, as investment advisor and long-time Forbes columnist Ken Fisher has written a serious, but humorous book about how to build wealth. And at 216 pages a quick read.
   
   Fisher's last book, "The Only Three Questions that Count", was superb. This latest book is very different from "The Only Three Questions...", which is all about personal investing but which also has application to other areas of a person's life.
   
   "The Ten Roads to Riches" is about the varied ways a person can build personal wealth. Fisher draws from his own experience of meeting many successful people, as he charts the paths. The chapters are insightful and written in a tongue-in-cheek style with ideas that can be easily visualized.
   
   Some examples: The first chapter "The Richest Road", which is founding your own business and building it into the next Microsoft, Nike, or Charles Schwab. The third chapter, about the "Ride-alongs", people who hitch theirselves to the Bill Gates's or Warren Buffett's of the world and rise as they and their firm rise. If you are Warren Buffett's longtime sidekick, there's got to be wealth in that, right? (Yup. Charlie Munger is his name and his net worth is $2 billion.)
   
   Chapter four is "Rich ... and Famous". Some tips: compose songs, don't sing them, and star high school baseball players have slightly better odds of making the big leagues then star football players.
   
   Chapter five is "Marry Well, Really Well", which is very amusing, but also serious. Hey, if you want to get married, hang around with rich people and fall in love with one of them! Plenty of examples including John Kerry (twice) and John McCain.
   
   Chapter six is "Steal It - Like a Pirate, But Legally", making a career as a plaintiff's lawyer and suing companies. Enough said.... And chapter nine is "Trumping the Land Barons" - all about real estate.
   
   The last chapter is "The Road Most Travelled", about doing it the old-fashioned way - get a good job, work hard, save and invest wisely.
   
   Each chapter is a survey, giving multiple examples of people who took the particular road, and offering ideas, but no detailed plan. At the end of each are brief reviews of suggested additional readings for anyone who might be inclined to follow that particular path. I was surprised that there are actually serious books about how to "Marry Well", but maybe I shouldn't have been?
   
   An enjoyable, quick read about one aspect of the business of life.



4. I wish I had read this book in high school; it honestly would have made a great impact on my life going forward and the choices I made in college regarding my career. Fisher doesn't pull any punches here. He lays out the pro's and con's for 10 wealth building occupations in an easy to read manner. Highly recommended.
   
   One caveat is that I wish Fisher had written more on the pro's and con's of the professions (doctor, lawyer, investment banker) instead of lumping them in to the final road to wealth ("the road more traveled").



5. Don't waste you money on this one. I've read a lot of business/self help books and in my opinion this is one of the worse I've come across. He really has nothing new to say whatsoever. Worse, he goes on a very long conservative political rant against lawyers and taxes. He also got a number of technical points wrong. I have a fair amount of expertise in several of the topics he was discussing and I really wonder if this guy did any research at all for this book. He was flat out wrong on a number of important points. A kid writing a high school paper wouldn't make some of the mistakes this guy did. If nothing else it's a commentary on how a guy like this got rich in the stock market.

5 comments about Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.

1. This (audio) book has some good examples of bad execution that lead to recent high-profile corporate troubles, and then gives some suggestions on how to do things. A lot of it is common sense and discipline, though, but there are a few helpful items - especially if you didn't pay the new-item proce and got it used :)



2. If a business leader were to select one book as a guide to success, this would be my choice. As a former AlliedSignal executive, I have seen these practices applied and reinforced; I have also seen the results that they deliver. The book defines Execution as "...a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability." This clearly, crisply defines what must be the major focus for each executive in today's challenging business climate.
   
   The 7 Essential Behaviors for Leaders should be posted on the office wall of every executive. They are timeless and appropriate in any business serving any industry.
   
   The 3 Core Processes collectively cover all business activities that directly impact the ability to deliver superior performance - People, Strategy, and Operations. The discipline of structured, interactive reviews that cover the breadth and depth of the issues is a critical element, and written notes and action items provide a tangible record of decisions and "next steps".
   
   The 3 Principles of Execution capture the essence of the subject matter. I find the first principle especially insightful - "Execution is a discipline and integral to strategy".
   
   I strongly recommend that every leader in business read (and reread) this book.



3. Inspiring book. I also loved 'Running with the Rhinos" most recently published and fantastic insight on leadershipRunning with the Rhinos: Courageous Leadership for a Complex World



4. This book teaches that `Execution' is not just tactics - it is a discipline and a system. Former CEO of Allied Signal (now Honeywell) Larry Bossidy and top business consultant and author Ram Charan bring decades of experience to the subject of Execution. Together they stress that to be successful, execution must be built into a company's strategy, its goals, and its culture.
   
   One of the pillars of the book is that Execution is a systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it. Bossidy and Charan state that most companies don't face reality well, and state that unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they're pointless. Execution becomes the missing link between aspirations and results. To be successful, strategies must take into account the organization's ability to execute.
   
   The book Execution states, "In an execution company's operating review, the leader will want to know if the goal is realistic. "Fine, but will the increase come from? What products will generate the growth? Who will buy them, and what pitch are we going to develop to those customers? What will the competitor's reaction be?" If a milestone hasn't been reached at the end of the first quarter, it's a yellow light: something's not going as planned, and something will need to be changed. "Are the right people in charge of getting it done? Is their accountability clear? Whose collaboration is required and how will they be motivated to collaborate? Will the reward system motivate them toward a common objective?" The leader does not just sign off on a plan. She wants an explanation, and she will drill down until the answers are clear. "What are the programs? Where is the money going to be saved? What's the timeline? How much is it going to cost us to achieve it? And who is responsible for it all?"
   
   Optimism, motivation and realism are keys to success.
   
   Bossidy & Charan's First Building Block of Execution: 1. Know your people and your business 2. Insist on realism 3. Set clear goals and priorities 4. Follow through 5. Reward the doers 6. Expand people's capabilities 7. Know yourself
   
   "Execution" contends that leaders who execute focus on a very few clear priorities that everyone can grasp. Give people a small number of clear priorities to execute well. A leader who has "ten top priorities" doesn't know what he's talking about - he doesn't know himself what the most important things are. Have few, clearly realistic goals and priorities that will influence the performance of the department.
   
   The book highlights the importance of simplicity, stating that Leaders who execute speak simply and directly. A key takeway in the book is to simplify things so that others can understand them, evaluate them, and act on them. The authors rigorously promote that Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.



5. I have required all of my management team to read "Execution" book. This book tells you why many companies fail to execute its strategies and how you can implement a performance management system to execute your business model. The book also provides tools to execute better, faster and consistently. The leaders will also learn about required qualities needed to build a high performing organization.
   
   Here is the book structure :
   1. Why Execution Is Needed (The Gap nobody Knows, The execution Difference, The Building Blocks of Execution)
   2. The building blocks of execution (The leader's seven essential behaviors, creating the framework for cultural change, the job no leader should delegate-having the right people in the right place)
   3. The Three core processes of execution (The People Process: Making the Link with Strategy and Operations, he Strategy Process: Making the Link with People and Operations, The Operations Process: Making the Link with Strategy and People)
   
   I am big fan for Ram Charan. You should also read What CEO wants you to know, Every Business is a growth business, What the customer wants you to know, Confronting reality and Game Changer. You should at least read What the CEO wants you to know and Execution.
   
   Russell Sarder
   Chairman and CEO
   NetCom Information Technology
   www.netcominfo.com
   www.sarder.com

5 comments about Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD).

1. Brain Rules is a fascinating book. Medina has taken the complicated brain and made it understandable and interesting with an engaging narrative. Not only did this book cause me to look at my own life and "brain health" differently, it caused me to see the world differently. Reading Brain Rules is like finding the missing puzzle piece to some perplexing life questions. That sounds like hyperbole, but for me it was true.
   
   The chapters on memory are particularly sticky. Have you ever wondered why someone remembers an event you were both at so differently than you? The memory is so crystal clear, you are sure you are right and they are wrong. It turns out, you are probably both wrong. When you read the memory chapters, you will understand how and why you remember certain things, and why you don't. In the process you will learn how to remember more effectively. You will also begin to call into question the accuracy of some of your most precious memories.
   
   Don't worry, the book is not science gobbledy gook. Medina use stories and visuals to make the concepts understandable to everyone. And in each chapter he gives advice and practical applications for education and business.
   
   It's the best book I've read thus far in 2008.



2. The first rule grabbed me - exercise to boost brain power. Medina gave lots of examples of how exercise helps brain function. He also explained how our school and workplace are set up which encourages no activity so low brain function. Since I am a health guy and believe in exercise, I really liked the first rule.
   
   The book included a 40 minute DVD. Firly well don. Funny in parts. Since I had been inspired about the exercise I watched the DVD while I was on my treadmill while trying to read the rest of the book. Of course, one of his rules is that multitasking does not work so I stopped reading the book and just watched the DVD while I was walking on the treadmill (not running). I don't think walking counts as multi-tasking because the one task (walking) is an automatic task.
   
   Since I want to know how to learn faster and better, I liked the 2 rules on memory. For short or long term memory we need to repeat things a few times to ourselves. Perhaps I should rephrase - repetition works.
   
   Of course, no book on the brain would be complete without a rule on sleep. The obvious gist is to sleep well -- think well. We know how to do it but don't always do it well.
   
   He also talked about the negative impact of stress. My personal beleif is largely stress is an inappropriate reaction to external stumuli. When you can understand that, you can deal with it so that it does not become stressful.
   
   He talked about remembering more by stimulating more senses and how we remember more when things are emotionally charged. He also noted that vision is the strongest sense.
   
   His finally rule was exploration -- we are powerful and natural explorers. Curiosity is good. I like that rule since I am naturally curious and naturally a learner.



3. Why does EVERY scientist who writes a book for the masses, on the brain, need to go into great length about what the structures look like. This book would have been better if the author focused more on useful information. For example, Gender (which he refers to as sex). He gives no useful information about what we can DO once we understand that gender brains are different.
   
   So there really are three or four usable brain rules.



4. It describes very well and in simple language how the brain works, and how it integrates with psychology. It gave me a good insight how our lives and thoughts may affect our brain.



5. I would recommend it. I definitely enjoyed reading it, so it's worth the read. Great info and good insight. I would also recommend, Tao Cycle Therapy: Natural Happiness via Self Directed Cure for Chronic Anxiety & Depression [Updated 2008 3nd Edition]

5 comments about Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant.

1. Strategy:
   
   1. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant because the rules of the game are waiting to be set. Companies need to go beyond competing. To seize new profit and growth opportunities, they also need to create blue oceans.
   
   2. Put the clock forward 20 to 50 years and ask yourself how many unknown industries will exist. Surprisingly, many of the unknown industries will exist.
   
   3. Value innovation is focusing on making competition irrelevant by creating a leap in value for your buyers and you company, thereby opening up new and uncontested market space.
   
   4. Value innovation is neither cutting edge technology nor timing of the market. Value innovation occurs when companies align with utility, price, and cost positions. "If the companies fail to anchor innovation with value in this way, technology innovators and market pioneers often lay eggs that other companies hatch."
   
   5. Blue ocean innovation seeks differentiation and low cost simulataneously. The goal is too drive costs down while simulataneously driving value up for buyers.
   
   6. Utility alignment starts at the top. Production innovation may improve subsystem performance without impacting the company's overall strategy. The production costs savings do not realign the utility proposition of the company. The product cost saving reinforce strategic leadership validating the status quo. "Although innovations of this sort may help to secure and even lift a company's position in the existing market space, such a subsystem approach will rarely create a blue ocean of new market opportunity." Market opportunity results from changing the utility proposition.
   
   7. Red ocean strategy assumes that an industrial structural condition are given and that firms are forced to compete within them, a structuralist or environmental determinism view. In contrast, value innovation is based on the view that market boundaries and industry structure are not given and can be reconstructed by actions and beliefs of industry players.
   
   8. In red ocean, differentiation costs because fimrs compete with the same best practice rule. In recontructionist world, the strategic aim is to create new best-practice rules by breaking the existing value cost trade-off and thereby create a blue ocean.
   
   9. Strategy will always include opportunity and risk.
   
   New markets:
   
   1. How to conceive a new market space: a. Look across alternative industries b. look across strategic groups within industries c. redefine the industry buyer group d. look across to complementary product and services e. rethink the functional-emotional orientation of the industry f. participate in shaping external trends over time.
   
   2. Emotionally oriented industries offer many extras that add price without enhancing functionality. Stripping away these extras may create a fundamentally simpler, lower-priced, lower-cost business model that customer will welcome.
   
   3. Products and services that have different forms but offer the same functionality are substitutes for each other. Alternatives include products and services that have different functions and form but serve the same purpose. Alternatives are broader than substitutes.
   
   4. A strategic group is a group of companies within an industry that pursue a similar strategy. Strategic groups can be ranked in a rough hierarchy according to price and performance. Most companies focus on improving their competitive position within a strategic group. "The key to creating a blue ocean across existing strategic groups is to break out of this narrow tunnel vision by understanding which factors determine customer decisions to trade up or down from one group to another."
   
   5. Individual companies in an industry often target different customer segments. An industry typically converges on a single buyer group. "Challenging an industry's conventional wisdom about which buyer group to target can lead to the discovery of new blue oceans."
   
   6. Untapped value is often hidden in complementary products and services. The key is to define the total solution buyers seek when they choose a product or service. A simple way is to think about what happens before, during, and after your product is used.
   
   7. All industries are subject to external trends that affect their businesses over time. Looking at these trends with the right perspective can show you how to create blue ocean opportunities. Most companies adapt incrementally or passively as events emerge. They pace their own actions to keep up with the development of the trend they are tracking. Key insights occur by discovering how trends will change value to the customer and impact the company's business model. Look for the value a market will deliver today to the value it will deliver tomorrow - "managers can actively shape their future and lay claim to a new blue ocean." The trends must be decisive to your business; they must be irreversible; and they must have a clear trajectory



2. This book helps focus the reader on looking at their business, competition and offerings in different and exciting ways. If you are considering a new business venture or product offering, you really should read this book.



3. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R284Y5A1JGFA8I Jake Olsen's review was made as part of a critical review assignment for the Fall 2008 Honors Colloquium on Creative Destruction at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, taught by Art Diamond. (The course syllabus stated that part of the critical review assignment consisted of the making of a video recording of the review, and the posting of the review to Amazon.)



4. I have been paying attention to the work of Kim and Mauborgne, since they published their first articles in the Harvard Business Review. The thinking they have developed since those days, i.e. building a strategy canvas, accessing non-users of your company's products, and then devising a process to create a blue ocean strategy expand one's ability to apply their ideas.
   
   Building a strategy canvas, however, is a lot harder than it looks. I've tried, with varying levels of success. Discovering the elements of your differentiation is more than half the battle. It's not so difficult to look at an already innovative product or service and abstract back to the strategy canvas. But, starting from scratch and developing your own, means paying attention to the blocking and tackling of Blue Ocean Strategies: Reconstructing Market Boundaries, fund in Chapter 3. In it, the authors identify the six paths to Blue Ocean Strategies. They are to look across Industry, Strategic Group, Buyer Group, Scope of Product, Functional/Emotional Orientation and Time. But one they left one out, which was in their original thinking. It is simply to look across Borders. Ask how do they do it in Spain or China? Just understanding how the healthcare system works in France, for example, can provide huge insights into anyone who sells products or services to in that industry anywhere in the world. I also find 'Crossing Borders' to be the easiest way to find the assumptions you have about your business model. This is the key starting point in how to create Blue Oceans.
   
   (see [.....] for more information).
   
   Understanding the 'how's' of Blue Ocean Strategy, like most things, let's you apply it rather than just to understand what the authors mean.



5. Its is a good book to read not only for marketing people but for anybody who is interested in looking at things from a new perspective.

5 comments about The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything.

1. This book is packed with outstanding advice and techniques. A must read for any leader.



2. This is bye far one of the best written books I have read. I am presently on my second reading so that I may use it in the training of my sales staff.



3. Covey writes gracefully of the most needed principle in regards to managing life and business. He reminds all readers that success is hinged to the seamless practice of living inside the paradigm of trust.



4. This book is excellent. As a fan of Steven Covey, this book by Steven Covey's son is one of the best self-help/business books I've ever read. It is worth every penny - even if you can't change the face of your organization, you start by learning to trust yourself. That alone, is the reason to invest in this book. Check out his website as well for free resources.



5. My title is actually all I need to say, but will add this. All the money in the world cannot buy you a good name, which people trust. Most of the BS going on today in the finacial and mortgage sectors could not have happened if people understood trust.
   
   I bought this in the audio book format because I wanted to understand trust. Not that I lie, but I wanted to understand all the damage that happens when people, especially in business, lie. Trust has to be earned, and, when broken, it take a long time to be earned.
   
   The author takes you through many practical examples on how to build trust in our business and personal lives. I have a former colleague who is a pathological liar. I tried explaining to him how much easier life is when people trust you. It's also less expensive... no extra money or time wasted on rebuilding. But some people will always lie and/or other have the belief that business or individuals will lie to them. Perhaps if more of us read this, we can break that chain.
   
   This book is rewarding, even though we should know about trust already. It also motivated me to look at other works in this area, specifically on ethics.

5 comments about Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies.

1. First a disclosure: as a former Forrester analyst, I worked with Josh and Charlene for several years.
   
   Now the review. There are lots of books about "social media," "Web 2.0", "consumer-generated media" or whatever you want to call it. Most do a creditable job in explaining what it is, what the technology underneath it is about, how people use it, etc. But most fall short of helping marketers, brands and companies figure out what to do about it.
   
   If you are a business person trying to figure out how to include these tools in your mix, this book is a must-read. In the usual Forrester straight-up style it provides frameworks and ways to think and act strategically in this emerging area. Especially helpful is the explanation of how various capabilities of social media technologies apply to marketing, sales, customer support, customer service, etc.
   
   If your bosses are skeptical or resistant, it provides great case studies of successes comapanies have had. If your boss is one more motivated by fear than succes, it also has disasters that have befallen unwitting companies. Either way, it will help you sell in the idea.
   
   2009 will be a big year for social media. Buy Groundswell now, read it, and get your social media strategy in place.



2. Many people in Advertising and Marketing have not yet csught up with what is happening. Like the never-ending theme in military history, they have their guns pointing in the obvious direction of the enemy which is sneaking up on them from behind. This book does a good job of putting into perspective the fact that there is much happening openly on the Internet of which many are too little aware. Companies are still spending too much money on surveys and focus groups, then going on to largely TV and print advertising, not realizing that what happens online is so much more important than it was even two or three years ago. It is not just the obvious - the young, the buyers of technology - but the mainstream which is now online. This is an important book for enyone who wants to reach and communicate with people of all ages and psychographics.



3. This book contains the most complete description I have found of the social web. It is a great book for any manager wanting to understand web 2.0 technology before implementing any of the tools behind it. There is a good discussion of how to go about deciding the type of social interactions you would like to establish, then there are case studies describing how other companies implemented things.
   
   The book presents a methodology for determining the best online tools to use. It is POST - People, Objective, Strategy, and finally Technology. I found this very useful because I think the tendency is to say something like "I need a Wiki" without evaluating why that is the right thing to implement. When specific tools are discussed, the authors provide information so you can research them more thoroughly on your own.
   
   The author's target market is people who are interested in alternatives to traditional advertising for business, and I'm sure it is very useful for this. My personal interest is e-government and e-democracy, and it is good for this as well because of its focus on social technology over marketing.
   
   Great book!



4. This book is great...if you're not from the Facebook generation. The first couple of chapters were almost snoozers for me. The only thing that really saved it was the real-life stories the authors included. The stories managed to hold my interest long enough for me to move on to the next chapters.
   
   What I mainly gathered from this book--and you could gather this on your own if you don't live under a rock--is that media and marketing are moving more and more toward the consumer. That is, if you plan to reach your consumers, you'd better figure out how to operate in the new media world of Facebook, blogs, wikis, etc. And if you don't, your company could feasibly become stale in the next five to ten years.
   
   I suppose what I liked best about the book is that it really acknowledges that power has shifted in the corporate world, and it seems to be shifting toward consumers. TV and radio ads no longer dominate our lives. Rather, Internet forums, blogs, and social networking sites are going to be the new wave of marketing. YouTube has taken the place of TV ads.
   
   Overall, I found the book generally repetitive. I'm on the cusp of Generations X & Y, so I've grown up with computers and more recently, Internet access. None of this was much of a surprise to me, but it might be much more helpful to someone less familiar with today's Web 2.0.



5. As developer/publisher of a fairly high traffic site (we saw over 800,000 unique visitors last month) with close to 25,000 registered members, I found this book helpful for explaining why it is okay that a large percentage of members are not article or diary posters to some of the most active members of the site.
   
   The book helps one understand, with real numbers, the power rule, and how the percentages of participation work.
   
   The tips on how to add social networking/web 2.0 to a business, and the things to consider have been useful in my work as a consultant.
   
   I've read a lot of books on web development, web 2.0, social networking, etc., and this is one of the most useful because of its specificity and clear description of different categories and aspects of web 2.0

5 comments about When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change.

1. you would think that the CEO of the largest bond fund would have meaningful insights to share..... but you'd be wrong



2. The United States is now a debtor nation to the tune of about $10 trillion (why did I have to find out this amount from BBC America & THE THREE TRILLION DOLLAR WAR instead of from CNBC?). Debtor nations issue & market their debt at attractive rates to nations having a large surplus of money beyond what they require for investing in U.S. Treasuries. Unfortunately, due to an absence of a compliance agency overseeing the integrity of U.S. debt, bad debt got mixed in with good debt. (See my review of BAD MONEY for background on how we got to this point.) Thus, the global credit lock-up. Now it looks as if a stop-gap recall & some form of warranty for guaranteeing our bad debt has to be implemented UNTIL pristine regulations concerning debt quality & compliance laws are promulgated.
   
   WHEN MARKETS COLLIDE presents a structure for repairing the global crisis. Sadly, it took a "Black Swan" event to awaken us to this necessity. El-Erian provides guidance for individual investors/institutions, national policy, & multilateral relationships.
   
   Consider the global economy as a 3-D chessboard with each country represented by a board & everything inter-connected by derivatives for easing the passage from one board to another of each country's financial instruments & products. In other words, the variety of investment vehicles are here to stay.
   
   From an individual investor's point of view, due diligence must rely less on out-sourced risk management advice & more on our own efforts. For example, Citigroup at $55 per share began losing value prior to the end of 2006, but it took Deutsche Bank until November 14, 2008, to guide us from a Buy to a Hold. Readers need to incorporate risk management with overlays & the Lemon Theory into traditional asset allocation. Promising alternative investment vehicles are the "130/30" funds & indexed products with actively managed overlays.
   
   I would ignore any negative comments on writing style. El-Erian mastered his English writing style while at Cambridge & Oxford.



3. excellent read and very pertinent to the investor/trader who wishes to stay on top of the future investment climate.



4. There are few people in the world whose opinions and insights on financial issues matter more than El-Erian. So this is an extremely important book, even for the average investor. However, the book's audience seems to be mainly managers of large portfolios and financial policy makers, and many of the issues discussed will seem arcane to the average investor. Making it that much more difficult for the average reader, I thought the writing style left much to be desired. For instance, El-Erian repeatedly outlines the issues the book will cover, but then, when he actually gets to the meat of his arguments, I felt he left many important points unclear or even just alluded to. I hope future editions will try to improve the books clarity and organization.
   
   Finally, I wish El-Erian would have spent a bit more time on explaining how the average investor implements and monitors the investing strategies he recommends. Nevertheless, keeping in mind that this is not a handbook for us normal people, the average investor can gain a truly authoratative big-picture account of how the global financial landscape is evolving and how this will impact their investments in the coming years.



5. The book is trying to keep the language plain but probably is not for those who haven't a clue about economy. It is a very interesting read so as to see the flaws and cons of today's economic world and to read between the lines from now on.

5 comments about The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing.

1. This book is a must have, I have recommended to all my friends and family. Kudos to the Author for publishing such a wonderful book



2. This book is great. Good information, which usually is hard to understand because if you're new to the world of investments it should sound like gibberish, but this books makes it so easy that you'll think you're reading a cookbook.



3. I wrote a review i guess about a week ago but it never show up here. I guess our mr.jason kelly removed it. I susbcribed to his monthly newsletter a few months ago and he suggested to buy CROX at $10, which is a smart buy. After buying CROX, it dropped to $7, then our great mr.jason kelly said in the newsletter that it's a smart buy again. Guess what, it dropped to $3 and our greatest stock advicer jason kelly said it's a smart buy again ... wow ... what a great tip ... and if you google CROX now ... it's under $1 ... I am wondering if jason kelly will say it's a smart buy again. so pls subscribe to his newsletter if you want to loss all your hard earn money !



4. Jason Kelly knows how to teach! He's also accessible via his website and the "Kelly Letter". If you're a beginner you owe it to yourself to get this book. I'm sure you'll want to sign up for his inexpensive letter as well. Five Stars!!! Just order the book now!



5. The book is a good reflection of the author who simply copies a "little" from here and there of other publications.

5 comments about Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny.

1. If you are a woman, you need Suze Orman's 'Women & Money.' It is a must in order to gain knowledge about your finances, so you will not have to rely on someone else or pay a huge fee for attorneys or financial assistants. Great - great product.



2. Suze Orman provides an excellent perspective on women and power/money. Very useful information with interactive website. Nice.



3. This is an excellent book that I would recommend to any woman who wants to gain organization and control over her financial situation. The book is written is an easy to understand format. It clearly explains what actions need to be taken each month, for five months, to create order surrounding your finances. Buy this book, get out your highlighter, mark the steps you are going to take, and check them off as completed.



4. I never imagined in a million years I would pick up a book on personal
   finance. I had an idea that investments and numbers were just too hard,
   something I'd never understand. Reading Suze Orman's "Women & Money"
   turned that notion on its head. Her warm, funny and no-nonsense book is
   not only informative and empowering, it is also really enjoyable to
   read. While she offers plenty of detailed and helpful financial advice,
   the underlying theme throughout -and what really impacted me- is that
   control of your financial destiny begins with you. How you treat your
   money is an extension of how you treat yourself. Her 'Save Yourself
   Plan' is about letting go of the old excuses that say 'I can't' and
   letting go of the shame and blame of past decisions; it's about
   empowering yourself with knowledge and starting fresh from exactly where
   you are in this moment.
   
   A wonderful companion book to Ms. Orman's that expands on these
   ideas is Ariel and Shya Kane's Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life. Their inspiring approach to
   living in the moment (instead of in a continuous loop of worry about
   the past and the future) gives you the tools to dissolve those old,
   limiting stories about yourself ("I'm not good with numbers!") and step
   into a life that is easy, alive, and full of possibility.



5. I love Suze Orman and as a 26 year old woman I was more that excited about learning how to control my own destiny by learning all I could about my money. The problem....I would like to enjoy it before I retire. Suze should change all the names of her books to. " Suffer now, Retire rich part 1, 2, 3 and 4" because that's the philosphy of her books. I am more interested in learning techniques that can produce results in 3-5 years. 35 years is too long to reap the harvest. This book has it's place but it didn't help me much.