Customer Reviews:
GET YOUR LIFE ON TRACK.......2007-03-18
Robert Kiyosaki and his team of writers have a unique way of teaching without preaching. All of his books have been inspirational, motivating guides that have helped me to increase my financial literacy. Any book that has his name attached to it, I will buy.
Excellent Resource.......2007-02-24
This is one of the best books on Debt and how to turn it around to work to your advantage. There are several strategies for reducing and consolidating debt, as well as dealing with creditors and credit reporting agencies. A must read for anyone interested in turning bad debt into good debt!
Old News.......2007-01-15
I was very disappointed in this book. Most of the information given is easily found on the internet for free. I thought there would be more tips on getting out of debt, but most of the book seemed to be about credit reports. I would not recommend this book at all. Just do some searches on the internet and you'll be able to get the same info. Or just borrow this book from your local library - just don't waste your money buying it.
An Excellent Consumer Resource.......2006-06-16
This book does a great job of covering several areas of debt that all consumers will find helpful. It is written in an easy to understand language, yet rich with detail and a variety areas covered. The chapter on debt collections touched on the topic of statute of limitations, which is very important to many consumers, including me. I found that two other books that I read on consumer debt did not deal at all with this important topic. I thank Garrett Sutton (and contributor Gerri Detweiler) for a very valuable book.
Good book with lots of different information........2005-01-14
I read this book to get a little more famaliar with budgets, and was very impressed with how many things this book touched on.
Very well written!
Customer Reviews:
THUMBS UP TO JAMES L. PARIS.......1999-10-26
Finally someone "steps up to the plate." James Paris tells it like it is! He is true in getting out his message to help fellow Christians. He offers practical advice and even a plan to turn your finances around in 10 days!
Customer Reviews:
i'm obviously in the minority here.......2007-09-06
it's not that temple is a bad writer. it could be that i've read to many 'hard-boiled' mysteries over the years.
the plot is well handled, and it's the typical convoluted genre plot. i guessed most of the elements well ahead of the writing. the identity of the love interest was obvious, too. and inexplicable.
the jack irish character is also typical--the tragic occurance in his past (from which he should have recovered), the borderline job, the suggestion of possibly shady dealings. i don't know much about betting, so i couldn't tell if his involvement in the betting scheme was legal and ethical, legal and unethical, or just plain criminal. i didn't think him tough or mean, since most of his actions were reactions. i found him fairly interchangeable with other hard-boiled anti-heroes.
i wouldn't recommend this author, but i am in the minority.
Ther are sections of this that just sing.......2007-07-19
This guy is really talented. The book ebbs and flows---some parts better than others, some sub plots better than others. But if you take the kind of distance from the plot that one needs for a Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett ---you'll find that you've found a true heir to the masters of the genre.
Am going to see what else this guy wrote. He's very good.
Best thriller I've read in years.......2006-10-09
I'v read more thrillers and mysteries than I'd care to admit, and this is the best I've read in years. "Bad Debts" gives new meaning to that tired genre "thriller." People say, "I couldn't put it down." I had to put it down several times. It was too intense to read uninterruptedly. Apart from strong characterization -- characters with whom one could genuinely empathize, exceptional plotting and engaging settings, the language is fresh and startling, the tough-guy argot of Australia. Without giving away the plot, there's one moment in which a high official explains all of the events that have driven the action to that point so as to undermine the assumptions of the reader as well as the hero. It's a daring authorial moment that draws the reader to stronger identification with the hero's shifting perspectives. Buy this book. If you don't find it compelling, you should give up reading thrillers altogether.
A complex and richly told tale with a fascinating protagonist.......2005-11-30
It was somewhat distressing to discover that Peter Temple has been active for years in Australia with nary a whisper in the United States. He has won three Ned Kelly awards for crime fiction, including one for BAD DEBTS as "Best First Novel." Indeed, with no slight to the other nominees that year, upon reading BAD DEBTS one can see why. It is a complex and richly told tale with a fascinating protagonist.
That protagonist is the wonderfully named Jack Irish, a rumpled knight with an enigmatic and fascinating backstory that undoubtedly will provide the impetus for many volumes in the years to come. Irish is what is known as a suburban solicitor, which means that he practices law in some way or another. He is not a shady character himself, though most of his friends and clients are, and the adage about lying down with dogs certainly holds true in Irish's case. His first marriage ended in divorce, and his second wife was murdered by one of his clients.
This resulted in Irish going on a functioning bender of a number of years' duration during which time he came close to losing his license to practice. As part therapy and part recreation, he assists a cabinetmaker and is also a fan of the local football club. Occasionally he is involved in the business end of horseracing with a former jockey named Harry Strang and his assistant, Cam Delray, an extremely capable gentleman who quietly and unobtrusively steals every passage in which he appears.
The impetus behind the novel is a telephone call that Irish receives from Danny McKillop, who claims to be one of Irish's former clients. Irish has no memory of the man or his case; when McKillop turns up dead in an unfortunate police confrontation before Irish can talk to him, it arouses Irish's curiosity. He is crestfallen to discover that he represented the man in what appeared to be a straightforward vehicular homicide case, occasioned by McKillop's intoxication, that resulted in McKillop's incarceration, from which he was only recently released.
Wondering if he could have done a better job on his former client's behalf, Irish begins to do some digging into McKillop's case and circumstances both before and after his release from prison. It soon develops that McKillop might have been a pawn in a clever plot that reaches to the uppermost levels of government. As Irish continues his thoughtful digging, he finds there are those who want the past to lay undisturbed and the present to remain unimpeded --- and are willing to do whatever must be done to ensure that matters continue as they have been.
American readers who are not well-versed in Australian ways will not get the gist of everything in BAD DEBTS, and some of the slang terms can be deciphered only within a carefully nuanced context. Temple, however, is such a master of his narrative that I think one is better served by plowing through any colloquial custom or expression that isn't understandable after two or three run-throughs and proceeding apace. I should note that Temple is also very funny, interspersing his dark passages with dry humor that matches the cleverness of his plotting and his characters. This is a welcome debut that will leave readers demanding more.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Jack Irish Is An Across The Board Winner!.......2005-11-14
I like Jack Irish. I like him a lot. Fortunately for me MacAdam/Cage now publishes author Peter Temple's noir novels, featuring Mr. Irish, in the US. By the way, he is not Irish at all, but the great-grandson of I. Reich, a German Jewish immigrant to Australia. In a market chock-full of detective type anti-heroes, Jack stands above the pack as the only Renaissance sleuth. He's also a man from Melbourne who gives great Aussie slang! Literary points for that! Professionally his moniker reads "licensed criminal attorney," but he branches out into debt collecting and is not above doing his own investigative work either. A horse-racing man and habitual gambler, barfly, apprentice cabinetmaker and Australian Rules Football fanatic, Irish is just pulling himself off the rails, and a serious bout with self destruction involving alcohol, when the novel begins. His wife was murdered by a disgruntled former client and Jack is only now beginning to cope with the rage and guilt while sober.
As he surfaces, he discovers that Danny McKillop, supposedly a former client, has been leaving a series of desperate sounding messages on his answering machine. Jack needs to refresh his memory since the Danny McKillop part of his past is a blur. The files show him the man was convicted of a hit and run accident, while under the influence of considerable alcohol, which resulted in a young woman's death. There were witnesses and plenty of evidence, so Irish could not have done much on Danny's behalf...even if he had been sober with his act pulled together. Recently released after serving ten years in the penitentiary, McKillop apparently wants to speak with his old lawyer ASAP. When Irish starts returning the multiple phone calls, he is informed that Danny has been murdered, like yesterday - by a cop, no less, who claims self defense.
Jack is also tipped-off that Danny may have been innocent - that the woman's death, which he supposedly caused, might have benefited some politically powerful people. A few too many convenient murders later, (inconvenient, however, for Irish who is trying to shed some light on what appears to be a series of crimes, scams and cover-ups), Jack is warned off the case. It's those powerful people again. He is scared enough to seriously consider dropping it too. I told you he is a Renaissance sleuth, and not ashamed to be called a coward either. Seriously, there is wonderful dark humor throughout, but Temple's prose communicates a sense of evil menace quite effectively. It is not difficult to understand Jack Irish's fear given what fuels it.
Although plot driven, I am extremely drawn to the protagonist and his supporting cast. These characters, and Irish's interaction with them, give wonderful depth to the book. Jack works part time for Charlie Taub, a master cabinetmaker, and is dedicated to learning the craft despite the flack he frequently takes from his employer and teacher. It is obvious that the concentration required for the demanding carpentry work gives Irish some peace of mind and some breathing space as well.
Then there are the horse racing guys - or at least that's how I have labeled them. These men do not fool around with spending a day at the track. Their well-orchestrated machinations involve spotting horses who are long shots, outsiders, and setting them up to win, against the odds, for profit and pleasure. The wonderful Harry Strang, who gives a whole new meaning to "moneyed," is the man you want to see about a horse. Cam, who has "the Eye" know more than most about thoroughbreds and when he is not advising Harry about the four-legged creatures, he is enforcing Stang's will upon the two-legged variety. The gang down at the local pub is also introduced here as is Drew, Jack's former partner, and Linda, a potential love interest.
Peter Temple has won four Ned Kelly Awards, (the Australian equivalent of the Edgars), for Crime Fiction, including one for Best First Novel with "Bad Debts." Known in Australia primarily for his Jack Irish novels, Temple has a following which could very well expand to include a US audience now that "Black Tide" (book two) has also been released.
Looks like a winning series to me - certainly based on this well written, thoroughly enjoyable debut. Highly recommended.
JANA
Book Description
In this powerful workbook, personal finance experts Renee D. Crenshaw and Anthony B. Miles provide a crash course in consumer credit, including credit basics, credit scoring, credit bureaus, credit reporting tools, tips and hidden secrets to fixing bad credit, as well as building and maintaining AAA credit.
Customer Reviews:
everything you wanted to know about credit but were too ashamed to ask.......2006-11-05
This book was very helpful.It revealed some information that I did not know. I would recommend this book for anyone who is just coming out of bankrupty and or who has filed Chapter 13. Need more information on collections agency.
A must for taking control of your finances and your life.......2004-12-09
This book is excellent because it is at once comprehensive and easy to understand. (I'm really surprised that a search of Amazon revealed no other recently published books on this subject.) It really arms the average person with all of the information they need to understand the credit system, with tools and advice enabling him or her to manage and improve their credit. This book does not offer pie-in-the-sky credit repair schemes or tricks. It provides you with a clear understanding of credit in a straight-forward easy-to-follow Q&A format. It also supplies sample letters to help people to communicate effectively with creditors, and review the laws protecting people from being harrassed by them. This book should be required reading for everyone from the age of 13 and up. It's a great example of the kind of book that we should have in schools as part of a desperately needed financial literacy curriculum. Whether you have a credit score of less than 400 or more than 800 (I'm in the low 700s myself, and climbing), you must read this book.
Average customer rating:
- Risk Management, emphasis on management
- Excellent explanation.
- Interesting and informative read
- Profiteering without Prudence or Oversight
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Big Bets Gone Bad: Derivatives and Bankruptcy in Orange County. The Largest Municipal Failure in U.S. History
Philippe Jorion
Manufacturer: Academic Press
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The Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds, 5th Edition
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When Government Fails: The Orange County Bankruptcy
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Confessions of a Municipal Bond Salesman
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Risk Management
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Derivatives Markets (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Series in Finance)
ASIN: 0123903602 |
Book Description
How can a municipal investment pool, which is supposed to be safe, lose billions of dollars? What are derivatives and how did they contribute to this tragedy?
In December 1994, Orange County became the largest municipality in U.S. history to become bankrupt. By borrowing heavily and placing the wrong bets, Orange County Treasurer Robert Citron lost $1.7 billion of Orange County's $7.4 billion investment portfolio.
Big Bets Gone Bad: Derivatives and Bankruptcy in Orange County is the first detailed description of the Orange County bankruptcy. Author Philippe Jorion, the only professor in Orange County who teaches and researches derivatives, is uniquely placed to understand the technical details of the portfolio and climate in the Orange County municipal government that encouraged the decisions that led to the bankruptcy.
Big Bets Gone Bad provides an introduction to the U.S. bond market and details Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan's efforts to tighten credit. Its description of the $35 trillion derivatives market makes the losses of Barings Bank, Kashima Oil, West Virginia, and Metallgesellschaft more understandable.
Big Bets Gone Bad explains what everyone should know about tax monies and public investments. Because nobody likes to lose $1.7 billion.
Customer Reviews:
Risk Management, emphasis on management.......2004-05-18
Jorion gives a good text book account of the Orange County debacle, concluding that this was a gross but purely human error, and not a failure of the financial system or the derivatives market.
The first part of the book introduces the problem quickly then proceeds to give the reader a crash course in risk management theory, explaining among other things the concept of Value-at-Risk (VaR). Many types of derivatives are described and their proper use explained. We are given a manager's working knowlege of finance.
Jorion then moves to the Orange County debacle proper and his conclusion is frighteningly simple: the financial managers of Orange County, entrusted with billions, did not know what they were doing. They were ignorant of what we learned in the first few chapters. They were amateur money managers playing roulette.
The book is still topical. The Basel II banking agreements mandate strict capital reserve requirements for a variety of risks, such as market and liquidity risk, so that understanding the concept of VaR is more important than ever. Most importantly however, Basel II requires preparation and reserves for operation risk, which most often has to do with the people side of finance rather than the mathematical vality of the models used. Jorion's book is thus also a good introduction to the human side of risk.
Excellent explanation........2002-12-11
This book tells the story of a 1.4 billion$ financial loss by the Orange County municipality.
The author explains very clearly what happened.
The municipality, through its treasurer, speculated that interest rates would stay the same or fall. Into the bargain, he leveraged his position with a factor 3. The means for the speculation were repos on bonds.
When the interest rates went through the roof (from 5,25% to 8% = + 52%), the value of the collateral (the bonds) for his position fell (with a factor 3). He got a margin call, but couldn't pay it. The biggest part of the investment (held by FBCS) was liquidated with a phenomenal loss. Only Merrill Lynch didn't cover their position.
The author gives excellent explanations on some very specialized investments like reverse floaters and other high tech financial operations of which the value can only calculated by partial integrals.
Food for investment bankers.
Interesting and informative read.......2000-07-29
Readable account of the Orange County financial blow-up. Particularly interesting is the description of Robert Citron, the hapless college dropout who controlled billions of dollars of public money. Also fascinating are the prescient comments of the obscure accountant who ran against unbeatable Citron in the election prior to the disaster. Jorion manages to educate the reader, in a very painless way, about the institutions of the bond market (such as repos).
On the minus side, the book is not particularly well documented (in terms of, for example, the graphs and the sources of the data) and some chapters seem suspiciously like lecture notes, hastily adapted to a book format. Still, an enjoyable trip to the dark side of financial market.
Profiteering without Prudence or Oversight.......1999-05-31
Jorion should be commended for his insightful, first-class treatment of this history making event. Big Bets... is a fast, fluid read that is devoid of technical terms and is written in an active, conversational and explanatory voice that the typical layman can readily understand. In this book, which reads more like gripping fiction, we are treated to an excellent character sketch of the key culprit in the Orange county financial fiasco, Robert L. Citron, his rise to power, the environment he worked in, the exotic financial tools he carelessly wielded, an unforgettable cast of financial hucksters and ill-advised power wielding greedy misfits, and the ultimate downfall of the Orange county financial safety net and its after-effects.
From this book, we learn that Robert L. Citron was head of a large portfolio, had no oversight, and an inflated ego. His superiors and fellow investment participants (such as the county school district) knew full well what he was doing, but allowed him to continue unsupervised because of his past stellar performance- much of which was due to pure luck and favorable market conditions. We also learn that Citron, much like Nicholas Leeson, the orchestrator of the fall of Barings, was a financial neophyte. While on the one hand believing that he was fully invested in bonds, Citron had taken a heavily leveraged position in very exotic derivative securities, proving to Jorion's point that he really did not have a clue as to what he was doing.
We also learn that Citron (nor the people above him and his investment participants), who had no real background in finance, did not know the difference between market price and face value, nor did he know the difference between an option on an asset and the outright ownership of an asset. Based on one very bad bet on the movement of interest rates, Citron fully invested Orange County's finances in derivative securities that he did not understand at all, and compounded the problem by leveraging his position (basically using a little money to borrow a lot of money) to the extreme.
After reading this book, those of us who believe that our investments, from the retirement funds managed for us by fund advisors and our places of work to our bank accounts and our kids' education funds, are safe should have our heads examined. People such as Citron were not financial gurus, that is certain, but as the more recent derivative led failures at hedge fund Long Term Capital Management (which included the two Nobel laureates who literally wrote the book on derivative pricing on its stellar team of rocket scientists) and Bank of America demonstrate, no one is truly safe.
Customer Reviews:
Decent book.......2006-04-03
I agree with Mr. Keller: book reads more like a practical guide.
It doesn't resemble a traditional treatise like Siegel's "New York Practice". Caselaw and primary law is almost non-existant.
Double spaced and large font pages seemed a bit sneaky. Forms are provided in 6 pt micro type so don't expect any blank form copying.
As an overview this book is nice solid beginner's reading. Author shares some practical and personal insights which are useful. Hint: If you happen to fall behind in bills, it's a good idea to read this book. It'll tell you what Mr. New York Bill Collector can do to you (and what he can't or won't bother to do).
Good law and even bad law books are very expensive. This book sells for 15$ and it provides many solid hints.
A Good Overview.......2003-06-11
This is more like an introduction and overview than a guide or a reference. Having read the book, I'm still not sure that the author means a guide for attorneys, rather than a guide by an attorney.
The upside is that it is a quick read and contains a lot of sensible-sounding advice. The downside is that it is poorly edited and lacking in depth. The forms at the end are badly labeled, badly laid out, and nearly illegible. Also, they are specific to New York Courts and would be difficult to translate to other states. Part of the problem is that the New York statutes and rules the forms are designed to satisfy are, for the most part, not identified. Advice for collecting out of state is mostly just "hire local counsel."
Still, I would have paid to have lunch with the author to get his perspcetive on collections, and the book gives more than that for about the same cost in time.
Terrific Reference.......2003-05-31
As a banker, one never wants to have to be in the position of collecting bad debts. Mr. Lewis has done a great job describing the process -- a terrific reference for anyone who needs an experienced perspective on the process!
Reading a book that is very interesting and helpful.......2003-05-23
I read this book, and found it very interesting and very helpful to me.I would strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about real estate.
Book Description
Generation Debt offers a truly gripping account of how young Americans are being ground down by low wages, high taxes, huge student loans, sky-high housing prices, not to mention the impending retirement of their baby boomer parents. Twenty-four-year-old Anya Kamenetz examines this issue from every angle and provides a riveting, rousing manifesto that will inspire everyone to take care of their financial future.
Customer Reviews:
Trivial and full of banals.......2007-09-27
The book is partly obvious and mostly poorly researched. Nota bene, what really interesting and insightful about the financial side of life can someone write just two years after graduating from college? What's more, Miss Kamenetz writing style is stiff, repetitive and the final procuct boring. So, save yourself $14 and few hours of time possibly wasted on reading this opus.
An Unfortunately Terrible Book.......2007-09-16
The arguments set forth in this book are often poorly reasoned, the research is inadequate, the people interviewed by the author are far too similar ... but worst of all, the book is horribly unbalanced in terms of the (liberal) political bias of the author. And speaking of the author, readers will rarely have encountered such a self-absorbed promoter of ideas she clearly has not taken the time fully to understand. I don't know how many times she interjects that she went to Yale. Who cares? She suffers the delusion that affects many (young/second-rate) journalists, which is that anybody cares about the personal opinions of journalists. This is a great topic for a book, and Kamenetz accidentally blunders upon a few good points, but it is unfortunate that the subject matter is done such a disservice ... the only redeeming quality is that she quotes a few other authors who actually have something to say.
Must-read for parents.......2007-08-26
Anya Kamenetz' book is a must-read for parents. If you set aside the polemical aspects of the book (such as what policies or societal influences are to blame for the pressures the current generation faces, a topic where the author treads lightly) you will find an excellent primer on how to prepare your children for their future.
Ms. Kamenetz crystallizes the following points:
College students are responsible for a larger share of their educational costs than ever before
Federal grants have given way to student loans
A college degree is no longer a guarantor of higher income
The workforce is no longer a guarantor of benefits, pensions or long-term security
If we don't inculcate our children with a value system and personal responsibility, they will fall prey to the temptations of easy credit and debt
I don't agree with Ms. Kamenetz' solutions, which rely too heavily on redistribution of wealth. I was taught in Economics that whenever you subsidize something, the costs go up. I did enjoy reading the refreshing suggestion of "De-Schooling" in the chapter on "Waking Up and Taking Charge". Our system of higher education has become too costly, probably due to all the subsidies we throw at it, and does not provide skilled, trained workers to face the shifting demands of the workplace. I like the notion of breaking the monopoly on education.
To ask the question, "who is to blame," for these challenges facing the current generation, is to completely miss the point. The book would be worth twice its price if Ms. Kamenetz asked one of her contemporaries who was commiserating on their excessive credit card debt why they didn't tear up their credit cards, get a second or third job, then save up enough money to get out of debt and pay cash for night school. Our society has many freedoms, but also has many trap for the unwary. If you are savvy and make astute financial decisions, no one may write a book about you, but at least you can sleep at night.
It is difficult to write a book with the subject "Woe is we" without sounding querulous; however, for the most part, Ms. Kamenetz adroitly avoids the finger-wagging that would otherwise dilute her message - it's time to turn off the TV and the XBox, sit down with your kids, look them in the eye, and have a serious talk on how they can survive and thrive in the brave new world.
The elite impersonating the oppressed.......2007-08-10
I am the demographic this book was written for. I am of the generation she is talking about. I come from humble people; I'm the first person in my family to go to college, yet I managed to get a Ph.D. -in physics even (meaning, unlike some of the nincompoops interviewed in this book who got degrees in imaginary subjects, I had to do real work in school). When I got out, I was in debt up to my ears, and I had to take a job which didn't allow me to express my unique genius. Yet, I remain unmoved by, contemptuous even of her screed. Perhaps this is because I studied addition and subtraction in my long and sordid eduction, and fully realized that, if I took out loans, I'd have to pay them back. I also never needed the money to survive: it was all play money. Like Miz Kamenetz and the people she interviews, I spent my loan money on exotic vacations and baubles to make my life more comfortable. You can in fact, survive on very little money in america: even in expensive places like Berkeley or New York City. Yes, credit card companies are evil. Don't do business with them. Yes, higher education has become much more expensive. Make sure you get your money's worth. Take courses that can get you work.
Miz Kamenetz of course comes from a privileged background. Her parents were professors, well connected in the publishing industry, and she went to Yale (!). On her website, she describes not making her credit card payments for 3 months, while on a trip to Europe. Making a few guesses about her age and the exchange rates in the last few years, I'd say that was a pretty unwise decision, even if it did net her a marriage proposal from a google employee, and an eventual position giving finance advice for Yahoo. It is also symptomatic of a privileged generation, whining, essentially about its good fortune. 30 years ago, only people like Kamenetz would have been able to go to Yale, get credit to buy very nice things they can't afford, and take ill considered trips to europe. I don't know which generation she's talking about which had it better than ours: any such generation I can think of had considerably less access to both college education, credit (which is, frankly, nice to have: beats taking out loans from the local fingerbreaker) and easy living. A book by a Marie Antoinette who is unacquainted with anything remotely resembling financial hardship adds absolutely nothing to the discussion.
Suitable at best for preteens but doubtful .......2007-07-11
The only reason why this book might add some value teens is due to the fact that America's school system gives no mandatory education on consumer finance. However, the premise of the book is flawed and very little practical education would be provided to even preteens by reading this book.
As a resource for adults, it is quite myopic. Many of the reviewers I have read appear to be not only more knowledgable than the author, but they seem to be capable of writing a much more comprehensive book. When you run across this situation (which is rare) you know the book stinks (no offense to the reviewers).
At only 26, and with no experience or training in finance or investments, the author has shown that she is not capable of delivering relevant content on this subject. In fact, the real Debt Generation would be the baby boomers, as anyone with reasonable knowledge of consumer finance would agree.
The fact is that much of the debt our nation's youth has today is primarily due to their greed and lack of work ethic. We cannot blame them however. These disturbing trends of a supra-sense of entitlement by this generation is mainly due to the media and pop culture, which values easy money and luxury items at a time when America's standard of living is in decline.
I find it ironic that the author is now working as a "financial expert" for Yahoo Finance. That not only provides a good indicator of the lack of value of the other "financial experts" working with Yahoo, but it paints what I feel to be an accurate explanation why Yahoo is a company in decline.
Book Description
Debt is just like cholesterol. Too much of the wrong kind can kill you. But too little of the right kind can be a problem too.
Just as not all kinds of fat are equally bad for your health, not all kinds of debt are equally bad for your wealth.
Jon Hanson learned about debt the hard way, barely surviving his own “near-debt experience.” Now he can help you avoid the same fate. Good Debt, Bad Debt doesn't offer quick-fix solutions. This isn't optimistic taffy to soothe your ego. It's about embracing the reality of where you are financially and working to improve your position. Hanson explains that “debt takes more than your money. It takes your freedom, time, peace of mind, and opportunities. Debt makes cowards of us all.”
Good Debt, Bad Debt concentrates on what you can do using your present income. It blends personal stories, research, history, and humor to build the argument for living life with a plan, instead of allowing yourself to be controlled by your emotions and impulse spending. With a new chapter on debt warfare, Jon Hanson will bring you out of the financial trenches and show you how to wage war against the most difficult personal economic pitfalls.
Customer Reviews:
This is Life 101 - Required re4ading for EVERYONE with a pulse........2007-02-14
What a great book. You will love the authors connection through his creative and easy to understand language. You get the feel throughout that the author doesnt try to impress you but rather provide honest advice based on both experience and research. No doubt, hands down the best and most enjoyable financial book available. The value of this book over a lifetime is immeasurable. Thank you.
Public schools should pass these out before Math texts!.......2006-04-23
I picked this book up at the library and did take my time over it (renewed once) but that is after reading the first few main chapters. Ane reading other stuff inbetween. It IS easy to become more financially set. To save money, live with a reasonably priced car and house (below your "means") and bank the differences. Short term deferment results in long term gain, don't keep up with the Joneses. Timeless quotes are given from experts through history. Humor makes this a good read.
Basic math classes in our public schools would do us a world of good if they just taught these basic concepts!!! But it took me to age 40 (like the author) to learn this. Do I really need all this junk in my life?
Definitely a good graduation present for any young person -- if they read it. I know in my head that putting a little away each pay will add up, but it is that immediate gratification that can ruin such a plan. Any intelligent person will see the basic, logical reasoning given here. I hope people can be persuaded to put it into practice. Yes, you can cut up your credit cards, or at least pay them off monthly. Thank you for a great book! P.S. Buying this on the gooddebt website will give a donation to childrens' autism research.
Good Debt, Bad Debt.......2005-09-29
I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of eye opening information in it and walks you through step by step. This book really makes you stop and think about all aspects of your life and where you've been and where you're going and where you want to be. We all have to start somewhere and sooner is most definitely better but we can all still do it.
I will be purchasing a couple copies of this book to give to my sister, who is recently divorced, and my future daughter-in-law. I feel that it is something that should be passed along.
Overlong and Overwritten. The message is good........2005-09-08
While I strongly agree with the message of this book, I cannot recommend it. The theme of the book is that you need to save part of your income and invest it to create wealth for your old age. This agrees with the research in the book "The Millionaire Next Door," cited by Mr. Hanson. That book, through personal interviews, shows that most self-made multimillionaires lived on part of their income and invested the rest for high return.
The main weaknesses of "Good Debt, Bad Debt" are repetitiveness and overwriting. The author Jon Hanson says he wanted to be an author for many years. When he told this to an English teacher, he says she laughed uproariously. He would have done well to have called her in to help with the volume. The book could be, in my judgment, about one-third as long with judicious editing and still convey most of the information contained. I found it hard to read the last one-third. Also, the author self-consciously and seemingly proudly coins new words and phrase, as well as "10 second lessons."
The writing itself is clear and there are very few typos.
The message is fine: reduce your consuming-being in the "consumerati"-and then invest, with real estate being favored. The author also shares some of his personal history, including his own weakness in following this advice. There are some brief descriptions of people who have good and poor savings patterns. I'd like to see more-detailed case histories of people who changed from poor to good financial management and the results. Because of the repetitions, some readers might find some ways of saying things a little clearer than others.
Overall, while I like the message, I don't recommend reading this book to get it.
Oh, why does my review different from earlier ones? I feel this author got shills to give him excellent reviews which, in my view, are not deserved. Only one of the four other reviewers have reviewed other books than this one. And two of the three apparently shill reviewers are in the same state as the author, suggesting people who know him. So, I recommend you ignore earlier reviews.
a great financial AND "spiritual" guide - GET IT!.......2005-03-01
first of all, EVERYONE can use this advice - I think the debt load in America averages about $8,000 for each and every adult in this country! Hanson's book is awesome: it injects a little (much-needed) humor into one of the most depressing and stress-inducing problems in the world: DEBT! The "math" part of eliminating bad debt is easy, but getting a grip on the difference b/n good debt and bad debt - and then feeling strong and confident enough to actually do something about it - are areas where most of us fall short. Jon Hanson will definitely give you a kick in the butt, and will make you smile AND think! He's taken the best lessons from Rich Dad, Automatic Millionaire, and a few other best-of-breed books and gone one step further: his book is actually FUN! Definitely get it, and start climbing out of bad debt today - don't wait!
Average customer rating:
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A Private Eye's Guide to Collecting a Bad Debt
Fay Faron
Manufacturer: Creighton-Morgan Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books | Business Ethics | Consolidation & Merger | Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Distribution & Warehouse Management | Industrial | Information Management | Leadership | Management | Management Science | Motivational | Negotiating | Operations Research | Planning & Forecasting | Pricing | Production & Operations | Project Management | Quality Control | Risk Assessment | Statistics | Strategy & Competition | Systems & Planning | Systems Analysis | Teams | Total Quality Management | Training
General | Marketing | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0962009679 |
Books:
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