Economic-Life Books

John "Jack" Bogle has hit a homerun with this book. There are so many though provoking ideas that I'm amazed that most of Americans choose to ignore them. I hope that this book wakens all of us on how far America has fallen from its solid foundation(s) to a country that is riddled with fraud and dishonesty. I couldn't get enough of Enough!

This is a wonderful book. The first paragraph sums up the problem with the finacial sector today. Greed is the root of all of the problems that we are facing today. With bailouts totaling more than $1T world wide we are supporting an industry that dug its own hole. $1T is, by the way, $170 for every man woman and child in the world.

John Bogle talks about this and the idiocy that has been taking place over the last 20 years or so.

I guess I've probably read every book John Bogle has ever published. Does he repeat himself? Thankfully, yes. Some lessons are not fully learned the first time around, especially when so much "investment" advice runs contrary to the long term, conservative approach that Bogle espouses. Can you lose money following his advice? Of course. Investing entails risk. But over time,the typical investor will do well to heed his words.

A good and decent man. A good place to start when you are seeking investment advice.

This book, published in January, is best written analysis of the 2008
economic crisis. I wish I would have read it in the spring !

While I was reading the book, I was saying "Amen!" over and over. Why hadn't I seen his work or story earlier?

There is great stuff that a lot of people will agree with (especially the ethical ones that usually get taken advantage of). The tough part is how to change things. There are some suggestions but they don't seem likely to happen soon.

The section on "Business" did start getting a little repititious. Yes, reputation helps things sink in but it was going too far. Just keep reading.

Excellent reading that inspires us to do the right thing. There's not enough of that in this world and I'm very glad that Bogle wrote this.

I work with people to train them how to do effective e-newsletters. This is the one book I tell them that they have to read. The book is short but full of effective concepts. Yes this is a five star book.

This is a great book for anyone who is looking to start their own business and has all the skills they need but just needs a little push and motivation to go off on their own. It is a quick read and isn't written to talk over you. The concepts are simple and things that I have heard before but I like the way they are compiled in this book. It also helps hearing from someone who has made the jump to set out on their own and has been successful.

Michael Katz' extraordinary book is informative, exciting, magnificent, fun, funny and incomparable. It is consistent with his e-newsletter: Filled with engaging messages that are as enjoyable as they are insightful, "ISBW" is a rare combo that few can pull off. Buy it, read it, enjoy it! Then read it again, enjoy it again... and buy it again! Worth every pence.

Michael Katz is a pro and this book is a fun, breezy read, and you can't "beat" the title. Some of the stuff seemed familiar from his blog but it has more heft all bound together in a book. He really has thrived as a "first-time, mid-life, solo professional" and gives others hope that they can do so as well. I ordered this book after getting the first three chapters for free via his blog, and then a follow-up email from Michael. He practices what he preaches (give stuff away with a personal touch).

So many books about business lessons are a struggle to plow through - they tend to be full of statistics and the authors often full of themselves. Michael's book is a quick read with funny, apt anecdotes from his life - like Lesson #10 and the old man with the tea. What a great, simple story from his personal life with a crystal-clear message that we can all use. I was making notes to myself at the end of each chapter about something I could do to grow our business or reputation - or just make my job more enjoyable. It's also a great book for anyone who's been considering quitting their job and starting something on their own -- but needs either encouragement or a push!

I loved everything about this book. I particularly enjoyed the card deck. I was unable to put the book down once I got into it. I spent a weekend in a hotel room with this book and a notebook charting my next move in all areas of my life.

It's Your Move inspired me and got me up and moving. This book is a roadmap for anyone that is serious about going to the next level in their life.

Regardless of how old you are and how long you've worked, you can always learn new tools to make you more effective in life. A book that can add to your learning is It's Your Move - Dealing Yourself the Best Cards in Life and Work by Cyndi Maxey and Jill Bremer (Prentice Hall).

The general design of the book and plan is a series of 52 techniques, or "cards", that you can play in your life in order to improve your effectiveness in life. The techniques are grouped into a number of sets: preparation, attitude, visibility, style, presentation, listening, learning, balance, and flexibility. At the end of each chapter, you are instructed to "draw" one of the cards and start to apply it to your life. By not being able to pick and choose what you want to do, you are forced to examine possibilities that you may shy away from if given your choice.

If you've read books of this genre before, you'll recognize a number of the techniques... take risks, set goals, etc. But regardless of how many you've heard before, all it takes is one new idea to propel you forward. Maxey and Bremer have an easy style of writing that makes it simple to understand and incorporate the idea into your life. They also use actual personal stories to help the reader relate to the technique. All good stuff...

Worth reading if you're looking to make a change in your life...

This book was a real eye opener for me in many ways. It's down-to-earth format makes it easy and interesting to read. Within the 253 pages you learn how to enrich your personal,professional,financial and emotional strengths and how to vastly improve your weaknesses. It puts into words and organizes how to deal with almost any challenge one can confront in life and how to succeed and win at the same time. It makes sense! It's a blueprint to becoming or remaining proactive,powerful and self confident.

Although classified as a Business book, this title is really a self-help book. It was confusing for me as a reader, possibly based on my expectations.

Based on the subtitle of the book, I expected that I might see a card deck kind of format clearly presented. I imagined perhaps 52 great ideas that I could use to build my effectiveness. The fan of playing cards on the book cover reinforced that expectation. When I finally got past the pages of the publisher's advertising to reach the table of contents, I found that there were nine "hands," an introduction, a preparatory chapter, and a conclusion. Each hand (examples: attitude, visibility, style, listening, learning) in the table of contents has categories that highlight information and advice that would be helpful for anyone looking for some self-improvement help. There are graphics of success cards at the end of each chapter, but the graphics were not emphasized as well as they could be in the chapters. This is a design issue, rather than content, but the design affects the readability of the book.

Some "players" are introduced in the first chapter, representing composites of readers. The idea here, I believe, is that readers would be able to identify with these characters as they move through the book. These characters do stay with us through the book, but an army of other people pop in and out as examples in various vignettes. This parallel theme confused me as I was trying to follow the players and all the valuable advice being offered by the authors. The result of all these themes, a large number of call-out boxes, and a sans serif typeface made this book seem overly complicated.

Unquestionably, there is a lot of valuable advice in these pages, but be prepared to separate the book you'd like to read from the others that seem to be interwoven with it. The index, which appears just before the closing advertisements from the Financial Times, is helpful. The conclusion includes a survey with check-boxes that will enable the reader to focus on next-steps.

I've read quite a few self-help and business how-to books, and usually they are good for an idea or two. This one goes way beyond that, however. It has more helpful concrete information per square inch than any other business book I've read. I assumed I'd read this, then pass it along or resell it -- but no way! I'm keepin' this puppy. (Buy your own!)

If you want a reality check about the image you project at work, or some ideas about how to break the ice with the boss, or you need to figure out why your ideas just never seem to get the response you'd like at meetings, this book is definitely for you. It doesn't just tell you what to do; it describes a few ways to go about it, describes how each way might be perceived, and then walks you through some practical examples of how to go about trying something new.

I was surprised at how much information the authors included on topics that I hadn't considered much but that, by gosh, really do matter. A lot. This book comes at a topic from all different angles, and gives you quick fixes, easy things to do that are very effective, and also things you can (if you choose) build on if it's something that matters a lot to you. It is extremely thorough, in an easy-to-read way. For example, I've never really paid serious attention to clothes. I have the requisite business attire and know the "rules" -- nothing flashy, good tailoring. But I was fascinated by the discussion of color, different levels of business dress from formal to casual and what really differentiates each level (the unspoken rules that, yes, really do matter), a detailed and intimate talk about details you thought you could only count on a close friend for (bad breath and what really works and what doesn't, taking basic care of your fingernails), and a marvelously sensible talk about how to take care of different fabrics ("Between cleanings, wool garments should be hung out overnight before being put back in a closet. Wool is a resilient fabric and will return to its natural shape if allowed to breathe."). I found myself approaching my closet with new respect.

This is one of only a very few self-help/business books I've ever read that actually resulted in my changing something. And it was easy. I can count at least 4 things I changed immediately, with little effort, after reading this the first time. The chapters on increasing your visibility (hard for us shy types) and attitude and style are worth their weight in gold. The book is very useful as a reference you can go back to for ideas, and for ways to rethink a situation.

This one's a keeper.

I personally liked this one more than the world renowned "secret." Whereas "secret" said everything is in believing, this book gives you 6 directives that can "do" to guide your life and do something with your life. I liked it more because the six directives are told in a heart-warming story where you just can't stop reading because you like all the characters in it.

One last thing I would like to say is that it somewhat gets religous with one directive as it says "pray, don't pout." If you are not a christian, just think ignore it or think that you are praying to our creator.

Simply a great book to read! It is a quick read (I read it in under two hours) and keeps you interested. Perfect for anyone trying to balance work and family.

Kudos to Todd Hopkins for putting something down on paper that can be so impactful on one's daily life. This book is so inspiring and challenging. It makes you want to be a better person. I actually have bought over 3 dozen now, and I give them out to my business acquaintances and friends. I have seen some changes in them, and they have credited it to the 6 directives from the book. I encourage anyone to take the time and read this book!

This book should be required reading for every working adult that has a family. The authors make their point through the story-telling format - wrapping their message within the context of a fictional story. Most working parents deal with how to balance the demands of work, and family life, on a daily basis. The Janitor will help you regain that balance.

A deightful little read. It caught my eye at the bookstore the other day and I had to look at it! Some of the jacket reviews were enticing and one said that they cried at the end. Hmmm... I thought let's have a look. This was an easy read and boiled down to simplicity. Took me the just over an hour and a half to read the entire thing and in the end I did well up a bit. The six directives are excellent! Take them to heart. This book is really about life itself and not a business book. Some reviewers in the future may think that the directives are too simplistic but I think that they're just right and very easy to do in my every day business dealings and in life too! I do plan to read it often. Take time to read this! I hope that it'll recharge you the way it did me.

I like the SNAPP acronymn, the chapter summaries, and appendix that collects all the tips in one place at the end of the book. An excellent example of a well thought out and planned book.

I came across it when looking for Project management books, primarily thinking in terms of "work" projects. There are plenty of books that address "Why" and "What" to do. I'm sure I would have plently of company when, after reading them, I get left with a feeling like "interesting, but what do I actually do now?". Successful doing requires help with "How", and this is the focus of "Make It Happen". This books strength is about implementation. Biagi and Eyres help you with this by walking you through their SNAPP method (read the book). The beauty of this method is that it is readily applied to all sorts of projects, not just the "work" ones e.g. the garden fence etc.

I can vouch first hand that Tresa Eyres and Ron Biagi people practice excellent customer service.

In today's fast paced world which requires all of us to do more in less time, the book "Make it Happen" and the SNAPP approach provides the tools and methodology to ensure you can "get it all done." It's simple, it's logical, and most important, it gets results!

I liked this book because it allowed me to take my own complex project and break into meaningful pieces. I started reading this as an aide to start a whole new job - I finished the book and keep it close - to start a whole new life! It gave me a few simple concepts to apply to many different aspects of business and life. I grew more confident as I saw other people "get it" as quickly and simply as I did. Simplify, simplify, someone's job or goal and they will look to you as a leader. It started to become invectious no matter where I applied the concept. I pick this book up and no matter where I open it a pearl of wisdom is reinforced. Always gives me a boost when I need it because it reminds me the answer is always so close if you follow some simple steps - you'll never forget. Thanks to the authors - I am off to a fast start and enjoying every minute by laying the right foundation the first time. Novice to experts will cherish these "smart ideas". Great gift for a person you mentor on or off the job.

This book begins with the simple facts; what went wrong and what could have been done to avoid its happening.

What business professional has not experienced the grace and glory of a flawless project or event? What personal experiences have I started only to have a few flaws somewhere in the middle? It is so frustrating to want to be the "perfect" person, putting on the "perfect" business meeting or event, only to have an overwhelming feeing of knowing "something is missing....something is going wrong." I have learned in my life that it makes a difference to plan an event using a map. This book IS a map and eliminates the guess work to a project from beginning to end.

The authors of this book explain their step-by-step outline to make any business professional, as well as someone handling a private event, know where to start, how to accomplish, and how to accept the recognition for a job well done.

Each time I have a project, whether at work or at home, I utilize the five easy steps to help me start, plan and finish my project. By using this book I know where and how to start, how to stay on track with the project's objectives, and how the project will be completed with praise and recognition. The steps are easy, fun, and logical. A perfect book to have by my desk and at home for quick reference!

It is my opinion that this book should not be limited to the business professional. It should be read by anyone who wants to succeed in life! I call this book my "training manual for success" and keep it near me when I begin any major (or minor) project!

This book took me back 26 years. To the former company that I retired from in 1979. It is written in the present tense, but if I had read it in 1975, it would have told my story of how we prepared a company to show the pentagon this company was able to build a product that is still being used by the US Navy today. I had the privilege of spending 14 days as a Tiger Cruise participant on the aircraft carrier "USS CARL VINSON".It was such a thrill to see four Phalanx missile systems being used on this ship. It was a bigger thrill to see this system being fired at night and knowing I had something to "Make It Happen"

I was fortunate enough to see Mark in action live and purchased the book right after our class. Mark seriously walks the talk and from a person in finance, it was great to be able to see someone having been in that line of work, using meditation to help. Highly recommend anyone searching for how to maintain a more balanced mind set in this crazy world to buy the book and go see Mark when he next speaks.

Namaste Mark Thornton!

I had exposure to some hardcopy and audiobooks and then I stumbled upon Mark Thornton's Meditation in a New York Minute...finally, a book/audiobook that really talked to me; I think Mark Thornton's easy, light delivery resonates with a person who hasn't had too much exposure to meditation, just like I haven't.

Mark's practical and supportive approach to learning how to meditate are relevant to my lifestyle, and I'll bet will be relevant to yours as well if you're interested in learning how to find some centering peace and calm in the whirlwind of your average day. An added bonus is that Mark debunks some commonly held misconceptions about meditation. I also have Mark to thank for suggesting involvement in local "meetups" - it's been fantastic. This book I wholeheartedly recommend-

If you are looking for the benefits of learning meditation without the need to find a new spiritual path, this is a great book. The author assumes you will read through the book quickly and writes in a way that allows you to skim quickly while identifying places where you need to slow down and read thoroughly. He has a practical style and a wide variety of techiniques that allow the busy person to engage in meditation without a radical change to his or her daily schedule. Mark Thornton clearly has knowledge of the topic, so those who already know some forms of meditation will recognize his experience. This is a great find for anyone with a high stress job or who is just curious about the topic.

MEDITATION IN A NEW YORK MINUTE, both in book and on CD, is a remarkable guide to meditation, successful thinking and responsible actions. Mark's invitation to meditate is gentle and persuasive. The use of inspiring quotes from spiritual leaders is motivational. The actual techniques that he presents are useful, doable and simple. I find listening to the CD life enhancing. Mark has the ability to invite his listeners into the ancient and deep practices of meditation and make it practical for the busy indiviual. His voice on the CD is kind and healing. The breathing techniques are simple. They can be performed through out your day and yet are profoundly relaxing and balancing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires calm, peace, harmony and contentment throughout their day, no matter what the chaos surrounding them may be.

In this hectic, 24/7 world, meditation is one of the last things for which most people have any time. This book shows a number of easy ways that anyone can do "mini-meditations" at any time during the day, and that take only one minute at a time.

Everyone has an area of calm deep inside themselves. Accessing that area will decrease stress, re-energize yourself, and enliven the spirit, without closing your eyes and sitting in a lotus position for hours.

Among the techniques are: breathing energy, ChiGung breath for calm, eating (or walking or commuting) with Awareness, magnify heart energy, magnify wisdom, seeing the good in all people and dealing with anger. Start with just one technique, and practice until it becomes second nature. Don't expect to "get" all of these techniques the first time.

This book also mentions quick things that can also be done by anyone at any time. Change your screensaver or cell phone display to CALM or PRACTICE CALM. Breathe in for four seconds, hold for one second, and breathe out for four seconds. Check the muscles in your forehead, and around your eyes, to see if they are relaxed. Massage them if needed. On the subway, imagine your spine is a tube of pure white light, growing brighter and more intense.

This is intended for busy people who don't want to read a lot of spiritual theory; they want to get right to How To Do It. The author is a former executive at JPMorgan, so he understands workplace stress. He has done a fine job with this book. It's simple, effective, and best of all, it's fast.

austin pryor packs this book full of great information and resources. check out his web site.

Managing your Money God's way is an incredibly concise and easy to follow guide to financial planning. Great book for beginners as well as advanced. There's something for everyone.

This is a clear, well-written, easy-to-understand book that is ideal for people wanting to know more about saving and investing. The book is written in layman's term with lots of graphics and illustrations that make it an easy read for investors of all levels. I strongly recommend this book, and have personally given away a half dozen copies to various friends and relatives over the past year.

Great Book. Some of the information is out of date, but the principles taught are very relevant. It expands greatly what is offered in their newsletters. Would be a great gift to give.

The principles in the book will not get you rich overnight (by design); however, they will put you on solid financial footing. Starting with getting out debt, creating a "rainy day" fund and finally investing through mutual funds. None of this is earth shattering but if you are justing starting off on your road to financial freedom or are ready to systematically invest your surplus, this book is for you. I also subscribe to the SMI newsletter to help me manage my 401k/IRA accounts.

Amazingly clear in his explanation - a wonderful encouragement to continue trusting in God no matter what our natural circumstances may bring. Sure, things may get tough but It totally affirms that God is in control, no matter what, and that we as followers of Christ must look to Him and only Him for all our needs.

I have followed Andrew Strom's ministry for five years, and have found him to be a man with one goal and purpose, that of restoring the authentic organic Church and calling the saints to repentance. His latest book, "Survive The Depression...The shaking Has Begun" will hopefully motivate Believers to truly stand up for righteousness and the Gospel. I for one will, with God's help, move our group in that direction. I thank God for Andrew's boldness. Please read the book.
Michael Cox

I am a big fan of Andrew Strom and his writings, so I was excited to receive the book. Having mostly read Andrew's works on the internet, this was my first hardcopy book of his. The message of this book was pretty much on target with everything Andrew has written in the past, which is excellent stuff.

The problem with this book is not really the content, but the fact that there is very little new information in the book. It is basically a cut-and-paste of the writings he has already put out over the past couple of years which are widely available.

The title of the book also does not match the content. "Survive the Depression" seems to indicate that there would be hints, tips, and clues about what we as Spirit-filled believers should do to survive the coming economic collapse. Unfortunately, there was virtually no "meat-and-potatoes" advice concerning tangible response on our part in dealing with the upcoming difficulties. I think Andrew must have realized this, because he added an additional 3 pages which he sent out by email after the book was delivered. This supplement is apparently included in this Amazon version, but it did little to prop up the weak content in the rest of the book. There are dozens of pages convincing the reader that a depression is coming, but almost nothing concerning what to do about it.

Some of the book also includes supplemental prophecies and vision accounts by other authors. I was pleased to see this, because it was the only thing in the book that was actually new to me. However, these authors are not widely known in the prophetic community and it would have been better if some support info was given to validate the sources' credibility.

Finally, I would have really enjoyed it if some of the book had been devoted to the "good news". This book left me feeling a little down, shall I say "depressed", about the depression facing our country. I think that it would have been great if Andrew talked a little bit about the joy of salvation, and about the springs of water that the Holy Spirit wells up in our lives.

In short, I was hoping this would be a clear and concise book that would help me to refine the particular ways I explain these truths to others. It fell short of my expectations, but is still a valuable collection of many different writings in one, easy-to-get-to place. Thanks!

This small book is a big wake up call to the church, no matter your denomination. I will be sharing it with others.

The Tithe That Binds

Thank God for brethren who point us to the gospel and away from the apostate madness of what passes itself off as Christianity. Highly recommend this book and we welcome you to read our article "Preparing for the Days Ahead" @ preparehisway.com while you wait for Andrews book to arrive [...]

This book really illustrates the problem we have in this country. Most people are busy paying on 300K + houses, paying SUV bills and are starved for time to live life the way it is to be lived. My hope is that people will use this book to fight corporate greed and gain a real life.

This book is not repetitive like others book in genres similar. This has many wonderfully written topics on time and our lack there of it in the United States. Different issues can arise due to lack of time. Some others also cross compare other countries who have more time and leisure, yet still have a great economy with more relaxed workers. Defienntly worth the time to read and may give you ideas on starting a movement to bring about more time for us.

This is something that needs to be forwarded around. We need to spread the word.

MSNBC had the nerve to do a news story saying people in the US have the lowest productivity in the first world, but as this book points out, people in the US work an average of 9 more weeks than other first world countries. People who put in 10 and 12 hour work days as we do and don't take vacations are exhausted, and have terrible health and productivity as a result of it.

European countries such as the United Kingdom where they eat more sugar and fat than we do, are thinner and in better health because they are not working themselves to death as we are.

One of my favorite quotes from this book, is "Time is a family value."

The Mother Manifesto is is a co production of Take Back Your Time and MomsRising
The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want - and What To Do About It

With this book, John de Graaf provides an opportunity to sit down with talented writers and perceptive thinkers, and hear their views on one of society's most pressing problems - time poverty. As we race to produce more stuff - stuff that is poisoning our environment - we lose the time we need to take care of ourselves and our families, particularly those most in need of care, the very young, the very old, and even our pets. As this book shows, Americans' single-minded focus on production comes at the expense of other areas of life that desperately need our time and attention. Children growing up in institutionalized care, pets being dumped at shelters, citizens relinquishing their right to vote, obesity becoming epidemic as fast food replaces home cooking, landfills overflowing with the items we frenetically produce; the list goes on. In addition to viewing the problem from several interesting and diverse perspectives, the book includes essays on possible solutions and provides ways for readers to get involved. Everyone should find the time to read this important and engaging book.

As a Physician I can personally vouch for the toll "time poverty" has on health and happiness. I don't believe a day goes by where I don't see someone stressed to the max. Time is the ultimate commodity: With enough time virtually every other limitation of life can be surmounted.

It was with this in mind that I eagerly approached this book, hoping to find some wisdom to pass on to my patients (and to absorb myself). Unfortunately, instead of useful tips on priortizing, frugality and responsibility, what I found was a collection of Marxist propaganda regarding the evils of capitalism.

According to this book, a young boy is a murderer because his welfare mother was forced to work for a living for a change. Pehaps if The State (productive members of society) had been less cruel in asking that she pull her weight and provide for those she brought into this world, her son may not have committed murder, at least until he was an adult. Then we would have to find someone else to blame (just not the murderer).

Perhaps if we all lived in a communtist utopia where citizens are imprisoned for speaking out against the People (government) such as modern day communist China or the recently deceased Soviet Union, we would all be perfectly happy. That is unless you want something better for you or your family. Shame on you for working harder because you want to take care of your family.

Apparently I only struggled through years of brutal schooling and worked over hundred hours per week to learn to care for others (at far less than minimum wage and mostly at my expense) out of pure capitalist greed. I guess I went over six months without a day off simply to oppress the poor. This sort of polemic makes me sick. Please don't be poisoned by this garbage.

This book is not about helping you to spend your time on what is important or effective time or life management. It is simply a Marxist polemic angainst capitalism. It is unfortunate that one can't find a reasonable critique and review of the shortcomings our current system without a subversive agenda. I guess I'll keep searching.

I would love to give this one back to Amazon, but I think I will keep it in the "Know Your Enemy" section of my bookshelf.

This is such an easy read! I found it fascinating to learn that the Bible has so much scrpiture on money and how to spend, save, and tithe! It was required for pre-marraige counseling, and it offers examples, solutions, and comparisons between what society deems appropriate and what the Bible states! I really enjoyed it, and it provides practical solutions you can implement into your life!

This book came to my attention through a class told by Crown Financial. I have recommended "Your Money Counts" to numerous people and purchased a copy for my son. It is an excellent tool in learning how to budget and be a good steward of the money we possess.

This is a great book. It really doesn't tell you anything you don't already know, but it reminds us of where we are and what we should be doing as stewards of His belongings. I am a Financial Planner and I give it to my clients as gifts and they love it !

This is a fantastic book. It's easy and enjoyable to read. It tells you all those common sense things about money that we often lose sight of in this world's culture of materialism and 'gotta have it now' attitudes. I've read it multiple times and it just keeps driving home those truths you need to be reminded of like figuring out contentment, the value to giving and saving, etc.

I teach a seminar at our church on the Biblical approach to managing one's finances, and I use this book as a starting point. My students love it (one said she needs to go back and "marinade" in each chapter. Another pointed out that the while the title is "Your Money Counts", what he got from the book is "Y our Money Counts.") The bottom-line is that this book is an easy-read and makes it clear why God cares about our money matters, and it is equally clear how to apply those principles to succeed financially. I teach it once a year, and so far 90 students would vouch that what this book teaches works!