No comments about Office Development Handbook (Development Handbook series).

5 comments about Personal Finance for Overseas Americans: How to direct your own financial future while living abroad.

1. Barbara Frew covers all the fundamental points and strategies for managing your finances - whether abroad or in the U.S. The distinction between the two is increasingly that, while abroad, you cannot go to see your bank manager and must rely on other resources for advice. Personal Finance for Overseas Americans is that other resource. Ms. Frew covers the big picture - putting first things first - without forgetting to plan for retirement and unexpected events that may happen when you are away from your hometown. The expertly designed book takes you through all the steps from getting your life in order to planning your future in terms that do not assume anything about the reader. Readers with some background in the field will read the book for the expert advice while novices will learn the basics of their own financial health, how the worlds of banks and insurance work and how to review your own financial situation. After reading this book you will be ready to plan and monitor your financial health and to enjoy living overseas without wondering how you will fare when you come home.



2. I couldn't have been more disappointed by this book. It was 95% basic finance topics and 5% dealing with finances for living abroad. And the 5% was so basic that it was barely worthwhile. Not only was the book mistitled for it's content, but the style was condescending and repetitive. It's the first time that I'll be returning a book to Amazon.com



3. For those of you who live abroad but often times find yourselves too busy to pay close enough attention to your finances, this compact book is for you. I've lived overseas for over 15 years, and Ms. Frew's book helped me better grasp not only the basics I needed to better understand my investments, but also more advanced taxation and retirement issues. I found the worksheets particularly useful. Bottom line is that if you live abroad and don't have time to take a seminar in personal finance, you'll find this book to be a great primer, and a useful resource.



4. A better title might be: Basics of Personal Finance

   I did not find this book helpful at all with regards to the financial considerations of moving and living abroad.




5. I am seconding the earlier review posted which made the point that this book contains largely generic financial advice, with almost nothing related to living overseas. A _big_ disappointment.

3 comments about Consumer Reports Money Book: Third Edition (Consumer Reports Money Book).

1. If you've never been interested, never had enough, or pay for everything but attention-when it comes to finances, well here's a good place to start learning the basics about money management and its nomenclature.



2. I've always relied on Consumer Reports for information and I'm glad I used this book as my financial/monetary reference. I've learned so much about a number of topics from IRAs to wills, credit unions to buying my first house mortgage. Consumer Reports provides great statistical data to back up their suggestions or findings (for example, different compounding results for loans vs. leases). They don't just provide definitions for each topic, they give helpful, advanced suggestions and advice (for example, a regular IRA will compound much more than a Roth IRA because a Roth IRA gets taxes pulled out of it right at the contribution). I guess the younger you are, the more I can recommend this book. Anyone who is just breaking in to the real world will find this book extremely valuable. Everyone else will at least find further insight to topics they might already know about and also get their money's worth from the book.



3. This is the best, comprehensive book ever written for financial management for individuals and families.

5 comments about Pay Yourself First: The African American Guide to Financial Success and Security.

1. The process was smooth, I received the book fast and it is great reading. Very informational and helpful. Thank you.



2. This book does a very good job of divulging some very disturbing financial trends that, while on the one hand are not limited to African Americans, on the other hand they tend to disproportionately affect African Americans. The target demographic of this book appears to focus in particular on African American women, primarily the single female with one or more dependents. The book is written to a lesser extent with other demographic sub-groups in mind. That said, the book is nonetheless a very useful introduction to the subject of money matters, which sadly is a topic in dire need of discussion within the African American community.
   
   The book contains a number of good points, the best of which are the following: knowing where your money goes and having a goal, using time to your advantage (as opposed to letting others use time against you, like most of us do), developing an emergency fund before you begin saving and investing (which too few of us do, even if we do save and invest), emphasizing the importance of credit, credit ratings and the wise use of credit, paying cash for most of your purchases, presenting the perils of being dependent on a person or institution for some or all of your livelihood, unlearning bad money habits and learning good money habits, and reminding the reader that not taking control of one's destiny has dire consequences.
   
   To be honest, the book also has a number of key demerits. First, the author's financial compounding examples do not factor in mutual fund expenses and taxes. Second, contrary to what the author believes, buying a house is not always the wisest investment, even though (and this is generally speaking) houses usually appreciate in value (he also neglected to discuss the hidden expenses associated with a house). Third, for someone who spent a lot of time railing against excessive credit card use and advocating for the use of cash to pay for purchases, it seems odd to me that he never once discussed the use of debit cards and other pre-paid cards. Fourth, his information on contribution limits to tax shelters like the IRA and 401k are woefully out of date, but then, given that the book was last printed in 2001, the author may be forgiven for this (and perhaps should pen a revised edition). Fifth, the author contends that liquidity is both expensive and disruptive to the best plans- this is typical business school financial non-sense (ask Mr. Warren Edward Buffett about how he feels about having 45 billion dollars of liquidity) as it panders to the erroneous notion that one should have all his or her capital put to work earning some specified return. Most of us keep our funds in cash because for one, given the daily insults we suffer, we may not know what is coming at us next, and second, many of us are still woefully ignorant of ways to put our hard earned money to work. As such, someone truly concerned about African American financial health would not utter such silly remarks. Finally, Brown is wrong when he says that insurance coverage is an investment strategy; insurance coverage is a cost.
   
   Still, potential readers must keep in mind that this book is intended to impart some basic financial knowledge to those who either have little or no financial know-how, or are guided by some crippling financial misconceptions (or more typically, both). The more financially savvy among us might get angry at his treatment of some topics, given what we know, but would have to agree wholeheartedly with his coverage of some very disturbing financial trends.
   
   In sum, I have to give Brown five stars for having the courage and foresight to tackle this looming crisis, if not outright disaster. By now, most of us know not to depend on getting that long ago promised forty acres and a mule, and now our attention must turn to thwarting the attempt to reinstitute feudalism (or is it slavery ?!?) of a financial sort upon the masses. I intend to purchase a few more copies of this book and give them to some people I know who are in dire need of its information. We've gone through too much and come too far as a people to even consider a wholehearted return to servitude- no, slavitude, and God as my witness, I WILL NOT GO BACK!



3. Whether your trying to save a little extra for your pockets, for a house, or your kids college funds, this book is helpful with getting you on the right track.



4. I would consider this a "jump start" book that contains much of the basics that one would need to understand regarding financial security and wealth building. However, I would suggest further study of other resources after reading this book.



5. This book is a good introduction to personal finance. It makes one think about how they are handling their money and gives new perspectives on what should be done with money to be more prosperous. That's great, but I wish the book would give more detailed instruction on how to get started. If one is looking for help in getting started on a budget and finding ways to help manage their money to start saving and investing, they will need another book to illustrate that process more clearly.

2 comments about Derivatives demystified -using structured financial products (Wiley Series in Financial Engineering).

1. The book covers the basic retail products very well, but don't expect highly sophisticated products.



2. This book is too simplistic for the real world.

5 comments about The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need.

1. This is a good read for those of us looking to improve our financial health and know only a little about investing. No magic solutions here: save money and invest wisely. But what does investing wisely mean exactly? Read this book for more. The author reviews concepts we know about the benefits of compound interest and the wisdom of index funds, and he does this by using his own stories to make this dry subject a bit more fun. The version I read didn't have a section on ETFs so you'll have to look elsewhere for that information.



2. I found this book very readable and full of excellent information. Although not all the latest vehicles are included, the information is useful for the typical investor. It is easy to read and understand by the beginning investor.



3. It is funny how several reviewers criticize the author's recommendation to "not lose money", while that is the number one rule from the richest person on the planet, Warren Buffett.
   They miss the fact that there is more to that statement that its simple basic message.
   I too have read a number of investment books and I found this one to shine above the rest for a simple reason: It covers a wide range of basic investment options, without equivocating, and goes into just enough detail to explain the investment without bogging down the reader with unnecessary details. If the reader wants more info, they can certainly continue researching.
   I really like the fact that the author gives definite thumbs-up or thumbs-down to certain investment vehicles (and gives good reasons why), where other advisors hem and haw about even the most ridiculous ideas such as annuities.
   Some reviewers claim this book is for beginners while others say that it's NOT for amateurs. I think it requires some basic knowledge but overall is a great reference and guide to get the average investor on track to a good solid foundation in investing and well on their way to a respectable portfolio. Any expectations beyond that are totally misguided.



4. I've read a lot of personal finance books and this one has some of the best information I've found. If you are interested in personal finance and investing, you should definitely read this book!
   
   Tobias writes in a witty style to keep the reader's attention while providing detailed information on investing that I haven't found anywhere else. He begins with information on how to save money on personal expenses like dining out and vacations. There are several good tips in this section. Then he moves on to retirement accounts and saving for education. He explains each type of account in detail and includes every kind I know of.
   
   His sections on bonds and stock investing are really informative. He explains items like treasury bills and TIPs and their advantages. He explains all kinds of bonds (I-bonds, corporate bonds, municiple bonds) and provides his recommendation on whether you should own them or not and why. I especially found his section on stock market investing useful. He has explanations of a stock's beta, buying on margin, options, selling short, LEAPS and penny stocks and explains the pitfalls that often get investors into trouble.
   
   The last portion of the book talks a bit about estate planning and also some very clever methods of teaching your kids about saving and investing.
   
   I like the author's philosophy on investment strategies and agree with most of his advice. This book covers a lot of topics in personal finance and is both a great reference and a fun read. I highly recommend it to others!!!



5. I bought this book in 1999 and read it annually. I always laugh out loud and recommend it to everyone I meet who is not and does not want to be an "expert" in the market but does want honest, forthright, expert advise on what's what in personal finance and investments. I re-read it recently and 10 years after it's release it's still dead on. I hope he updates it again soon cause the internet is even better than it was when he wrote this and there are even more investment "schemes" out there to AVOID!

1 comments about When Government Fails: The Orange County Bankruptcy.

1. Although informative, the author needs almost 400 pages to say what could have easily been said in well under 100.

1 comments about The Encyclopedia of Taxation and Tax Policy.

1. 1:54:41 AM calbeutler: you going to bed?
   1:54:46 AM jfunk725: no
   1:54:50 AM jfunk725: i havent even staretd my motino
   1:54:53 AM jfunk725: i've b een playing a game
   1:54:59 AM calbeutler: ?
   1:55:16 AM jfunk725: a really stupid game
   1:55:23 AM calbeutler: tell
   1:55:36 AM jfunk725: oh
   1:55:38 AM jfunk725: nothing to tell
   1:55:43 AM jfunk725: its just a stupid yahoo game
   1:55:52 AM jfunk725: i'm embarrassed to even say the name of it
   1:55:53 AM jfunk725: ha
   1:56:02 AM calbeutler: TELL ME!!!
   1:56:06 AM jfunk725: cute knight
   1:56:07 AM jfunk725: hahahaha
   1:56:22 AM calbeutler: i'm putting this bit of our conversation
   1:56:26 AM calbeutler: in every online profile i have
   1:56:27 AM calbeutler: AIM
   1:56:29 AM calbeutler: Gmail
   1:56:30 AM calbeutler: myspace
   1:56:31 AM calbeutler: facebook
   1:56:33 AM jfunk725: couldn't they have used a moree creative adjective than cute?
   1:56:40 AM jfunk725: ha
   1:56:43 AM jfunk725: do it
   1:56:46 AM jfunk725: you aren't going to
   1:57:00 AM calbeutler: why do you think i won't?
   1:57:40 AM jfunk725: i dare you
   1:57:52 AM calbeutler: well
   1:58:03 AM calbeutler: you keep looking
   1:58:05 AM calbeutler: compulsively
   1:58:08 AM calbeutler: at my profiles
   1:58:13 AM calbeutler: and soon enough
   1:58:18 AM calbeutler: at a time of my choosing
   1:58:25 AM calbeutler: your embarrassing little confession
   1:58:30 AM calbeutler: will be known to the world*
   1:58:50 AM jfunk725: ok
   1:58:50 AM calbeutler: *by world i mean the 100 or so people who might see my profiles
   1:59:03 AM jfunk725: so i'll just keep checking all your profiles in accordance with my normal schedule
   1:59:07 AM calbeutler: yes
   1:59:10 AM calbeutler: that's what i meant
   1:59:14 AM jfunk725: 10,245,903 times a day
   1:59:26 AM calbeutler: i thought probably more
   2:00:28 AM calbeutler: but ok

5 comments about How Charts Can Help You in the Stock Market (Fraser Contrary Opinion Library Book).

1. I have read some TA articles and books before.. but many of them were explaining what would happen when a particular pattern is formed and for me, it was like memorising those patterns. But this book aims to imbibe the basics onto you.. the author gives you the reasons for the expected results eg.. he explained the resistance concept by asking.. how often did you bought a stock, saw that drop down and eagerly waited for the stock to regain the price at which you bought it, so that you can sell the stock with no loss on your part !! I really thought that this was simple logical teaching..
   The 200 dma behaviour explanations are great !
   Highly recommended
   NB:
   Given the cost of this, its even more appealing to buy this book



2. This book as absolutely a perfect book to introduce new traders to charting. This book was written in 1961 well before stochastics, Willams%,force index and other new computerized indicators. However it is a great introductions to basic charting concerning resistance levels and support levels and how to read them. You will find explanations for head and shoulders formations, double bottoms, double tops, cup with handle and all the traditional patterns we look for. If you are a beginner read this book to get started. I learned a lot of these patterns on my own and made ten thousands of dollars off understanding when to buy at confirmed support and sell at the first strong sign of resistance. I could have made twice as much with this book to begin with. If you need to learn charting, buy it.



3. while I have read many books on investing,I can enjoy one more book, as a person who has invested for 20 years or more,I can say a good read and interesting,yes you can learn from the book,however if you are starting out in investing ...read Stan Weinstein's secrets for profiting in Bull and Bear Markets,as an older investor and read many books from Amazon I like to keep up with new books out, this is a book that will open some doors for you as far as keeping up,but I prefer to keep it simple,investing is simple once you understand the basics,I go long in up markets and short the down markets...duhhh not hard at all,this book did open up to me resistance and support levels ,I did enjoy it ...if you are a seasoned investor ...go for it ...it may help on the buy and sell...and be able to predict a day or two ahead of time ...helped me in my trading...but if you are new to trading ...forget it ....good book...only two stars ...well not good for all investors only seasoned investors will enjoy this book,while it may flustrate the new investor...Happy Investing



4. I was reading this book and it kept going against the grain in how one should really invest. Maybe this book will be good if you want to spend all your time day trading with little to no returns. I was very disappointed in this book's inability to look beyond what a stock really is - a real company. No where did I find any mention of researching the company that is the stock. A chart will not tell you if a company has good, strong financials or if management is good. You could avoid of a lot of losses before investing by putting some time into what a company is.



5. as always AMAZON comes thru finding books of interest for all customer bases. shipping was RAPID as promised
   couldn't ask for more in the way of service, product availability, and delivery!!!!!

No comments about How to Pass the Registered Representative Stockbroker's Exam: Series 7 Exam of Nasd (Series 7 Stockbroker Nasd Exam).