Notes from Collection Development

Personal Finance

330.973 DENT 2009

The great depression ahead : how to prosper in the crash following the greatest boom in history / Harry S. Dent, Jr.

ISBN: 1416588981

Booklist (Monday , December 01, 2008)

Dent, author and consultant, predicts the economy is moving toward a major depression, with the deflation of bubbles in stocks, real estate, and commodities between mid- to late 2009 and mid- to late 2012, and it could last for a decade or more. Rather than offering only a gloomy outlook, Dent presents a road map for the difficult times ahead, suggesting cash and money-market investments initially and then highest quality U.S. Treasury, municipal, and corporate bonds and that same quality of bonds in stable Asian and European economies. When assets eventually fall in value, there will be unprecedented buying opportunities for those who are lean and mean. Theories and forecasts abound in the financial turmoil facing the U.S. and global markets in late 2008, and everyone may not agree with Dent. However, he makes a compelling case for his predictions and this is an excellent book to challenge a broad range of library patrons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

THE NEW COFFEEHOUSE INVESTOR : how to build wealth, ignore Wall Street, and get on with your life / Bill Schultheis

ISBN: 159184245X

Booklist (Sunday , March 01, 2009):

This little how-to-invest book, which elegantly summarizes our common worries about how to build wealth, was initially published 11 years ago. This updated, revised, and revamped edition stands the test of time and of updating. Seattle-based Schultheis states his three principles of investing allocate assets, approximate stock-market average, and save then proceeds to expand and expound with personal stories and provocative questions. When is enough enough? What’s behind this Wall Street obsession to beat the market? Why do we need to lead a penny-pinching life today for a high retirement style tomorrow? Forget the complicated formulas, the diversity of spreadsheets. Concentrate instead, he advises, on understanding your burn rate, the meaning of diversification, and the value of being on financial autopilot. Like his peers (Suze Orman et al.), the author exposes two myths: no load mutual funds and great companies make great investments. All in all, solid and comfortable investment counsel that will help balance (and, eventually, grow) your balance sheet. Appended: partial list of index funds; notes; additional reading. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

330.9 EPPING 2009

The 21st century economy : a beginner's guide : with 101 easy-to-learn tools for surviving and thriving in the new global marketplace / Randy Charles Epping

ISBN: 0307387909

Booklist (Wednesday, April 15, 2009):

The economic upheaval of 2008 has left many investors and ordinary citizens stunned and confused, as it seems like none of the normal rules apply in this fast-paced world of electronic trading and instant information. We hear many terms thrown at us, but few understand their meaning or why they have any relevance to our own financial health. Epping, author of A Beginners Guide to the World Economy (1992), has created this beginners guide to fundamental economic terms and concepts to help the average person understand and navigate the rapidly changing twenty-first-century economy. Oft-heard but confusing terms such as credit default swap and collateralized debt obligation are defined in concise, easy-to-understand language to help readers make sense of the information overload coming via media sources like CNBC and the Internet. There is no guarantee that this guide will make you a better investor, but today more than ever it is essential that more citizens become economically literate, and this is a great place to start. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

332.024014 PARNESS 2009

Rule your freakin' retirement : how to retire rich by actively managing your assets / Michael Parness

ISBN: 0312375751

Booklist (Sunday , March 01, 2009):

The advice given here prompts every American, wealthy or not, to not only understand finances but also to manage money not invest it for the long term. It begins, as most financial planners agree, with a firm analysis of ones assets, liabilities, and needs, including all types of insurance, estate planning, and an objective look at Social Security. Then the usual content follows, including discussions of 401(k)s, mutual funds, bonds and bond funds, cash, and asset allocation. Yet the author does dive into the kinds of tips usually known only by financial pros, such as possible fleecing in terms of management fees from mutual fund companies, the differences between mutual funds and the advantages of ETFs, and defining the bond ladder with a few simple how-tos. Part 3, then, clinches the deal, where Parness shares some ideas and tricks used by traders and inveighs against investors. With end-of-chapter quizzes and an approachable colloquial writing style, Parness helps ensure his future as a TV and radio expert. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

332.02401 FISHER 2009

The ten roads to riches : the way the wealthy got there (and how you can too!) / Ken Fisher, with Lara Hoffmans

ISBN: 0470285362

Booklist (Wednesday, October 15, 2008):

There’s not enough space to list all 10 roads, but here are 5 of them: start a successful business, become a CEO of an existing firm, turn celebrity into wealth, capitalize on other peoples money, and this reviewer's favorite marry well. Fisher, a self-made billionaire, chronicles how some of today’s millionaires made their fortunes and how you can, too. He offers case histories of famous and not-so-famous examples of success and failure. In his final chapter, The Road More Traveled, Fisher says that the first step is saving, and the second is to invest in something that offers substantial returns. He warns that bonds are a riskier investment than stocks, and he provides a five-step guide to saving and investing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)