Money

There's usually something important to be learned by the absent minded habits of the great and powerful. This book includes one about Joe Flom: He likes to fill the margins of his notes with tightly wound, intricate geometric patters that are uniquely his own design. The author doesn't read much more into it, but there's no reason we readers can't. According the author, Mr. Flom can also be a little brusque in private.

For law students in particular, this book is a good dose of reality if they are wondering what it's really like to work in a big firm. Interesting critique of the usefulness of this book: I recently asked a Skadden associate (not in their NY office) how he liked this book, and he had not read it. He had to look it up on the firm's website to determine what I was talking about. So this book can help the non-Skadden population understand the Skadden firm perhaps better than the firm understands itself. That would be the ultimate tribute to the author, and a Delphic oracle to Skadden's leadership.

Since reading this, I cannot help thinking of Joe Flom whenever I'm trapped in some boring meeting, or sidelined in court, waiting for my case to be called. "Can I doodle as well as him?" I ask myself. Then the case is called, or the meeting accelerates, and--poof!--the evanescent reminder of old Joe Flom disappears along with it.

Mr. Caplan has gracefully provided readers with an exquisite portrait of the life and times of a twentieth century law firm. Compelling and balanced, the book joyfully tracks the highs and lows of a group of "young turks" who have defined what it means to be a lawyer in corporate America. I am grateful to Mr. Caplan for the time he put into this project, as it gives tremendous insight to law students as to how a law firm operates and what the culture of a law firm embodies. This book is worth reading, worth printing and well worth recommending. Caplan's Tenth Justice, his recording of the Office of Solicitor General is brilliant as well. Joe Flom and Sheila Birnbaum and the rest of the Skadden crew can rest easy as the bard who records their triumphs and tribulations does so with zest and intelligence.

Admittedly, the library on our breakfast room bookshelf is "eclectic." But it's interesting to see which books guests trot off to the beach with. I had to laugh when one couple -- returning FROM the beach with this book -- was overheard saying "If we do just those 3 things, WE can live on an island too!'

A comprehensive, practical, introductory guide to making sound financial decisions. Using an easy-to-follow question and answer format, this savvy, down-to-earth duo explains banking, the stock market, mutual funds, retirement, home financing, estate planning, and much more.

This book is as real as it gets. Accurate, and moving.

This is a frighteningly real story that delivers a message that all should read and consider.
The book paints a true to life picture of the dilemma faced by all societies of the world in finding a solution to the destruction rooted in drugs.
The subject of alternate avenues to the unsuccessful "War on Drugs" is one that has not been given due debate by this nation's media.

"Spend On Your Future" offered great tips for the novice investor. The authors did a superb job of explaining and presenting the information in a user friendly way. I felt more educated and confident in starting my own investment portfolio after reading this!

This book shows how to make money management for the beginner simple and fun. I've snoozed through many investment books in the past but found this one to be pleasant to read. The authors also do a good job of highlighting tips for the reader to remember for later. Well done Tim Collins and Jane Lehr!

This work, along with Friedberg's book and Hessler's work, make up the three primary basic reference works on United States Currency. The Catalog contains an excellent reference section on National Bank Notes, receiving much more press than in Friedberg's work. The pricing, while out of date, is actually fairly realistic in today's market, unlike the Black Book or even Friedberg's book. A great plus is that this work is cross referenced by Friedberg Numbers, which are the standard cataloging numbers used by all dealers and collectors in the hobby. Well worth the investment!

I'm interesting in catalog of all US paper money. Something o it. Am i find my interesting?

If you're thinking of starting or buying a small shop, you'll learn a lot by reading "Success in Store- How to Start or Buy a Retail Shop, Enjoy Running It, and Make Money" by Geoffrey Heard and Gordon Woolf.

Heard and Woolf cover many aspects of running or evaluating a shop including:

* The Importance of the Lease
* Licenses
* Recordkeeping
* Buying and Selling a Shop
* Dealing With Existing Staff
* Calculating Gross Profit Percentage, Markup, and Profit Margins
* Cash Flow
* Dealing With Customers, Including Shoplifting and Security
* Evaluating Stock
* Working With Sales Reps
* Purchasing Stock
* Promoting Your Shop
* Planning For the Growth of Your Business
* Deciding If You Should Purchase a Franchise, Start a New Shop, Or Purchase an Existing Shop

Heard and Woolf give specific advice for running many different kinds of shops, including bookstores, giftshops, clothing stores, antique shops, cafes, rental shops, and bakeries. The authors speak from experience having operated many types of shops. For example, Woolf owned (or owns) newspapers, a publishing company, a convenience store, a bookshop, and a small printing company.

Heard and Woolf point out that nearly anyone can start or buy most types of shops, but there are a few limitations-for example, only a pharmacist can operate a pharmacy.

Heard and Woolf write: "The first question to ask yourself is whether the business you are considering requires specialist knowledge and whether you have that knowledge (or a substantial part of it). There are businesses which require little specialist knowledge, but it is important to know how to obtain that small amount of knowledge if you do not already possess it."

Many shops fail though, possibly because it's so easy to start them. Heard and Woolf write: "While the majority of small businesses fail, and fail quickly, the business run by someone who seeks help from experts and who is prepared to admit mistakes, and do something about them, stands the best chance of success."

"Success in Store- How to Start or Buy a Retail Shop, Enjoy Running It, and Make Money" provides new shop owners with the benefit of the authors' experience, including important, but easily overlooked topics.

For example, there is a great discussion about leasing space. The authors write: "One of the fundamentals in which many new businesses go wrong is in signing an unsuitable lease."

Heard and Woolf warn new owners they might not get the same lease rate as some larger, more established stores, called "destination stores," because people go to particular shopping centers to shop at those stores. Thus, destination stores have more negotiating power.

In addition, Heard and Woolf address how running a business might affect your marriage and family. And, they address the important question: Will you make money with your own shop? And, how can you grow your business, if that's your goal?

If you're contemplating starting or buying a shop, I highly recommend "Success in Store- How to Start or Buy a Retail Shop, Enjoy Running It, and Make Money."

Authoritatively co-written by marketing consultant Geoffrey Heard and experienced convenience store owner Gordon Woolf, Success In Store is a practical, "nuts-and-bolts", no-nonsense guide to acquiring and running a retail business, whether personally established or purchased from another. Individual chapters deftly address ways to promote one's store, basic information on day-to-day business operations, making the most of the internet, and a great deal more. A wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques make Success In Store indispensable reading for anyone seriously considering retail business as a career.

The costs associated with a college or university education are going up faster than the general rate of inflation and projected to do so well into the new two decades. Taming The Tuition Tiger: Getting The Money To Graduate by syndicated personal finance columnist Kathy Kristof informatively presents 529 plans for financing a college education; along with financial aid routes to pursue; information on acquiring student loans; public, private, and corporate scholarships; Uniform Gifts to Minors Act Accounts; low-income family Individual Development Accounts, and more. An excellent and thoroughly "user friendly" financial planning instruction resource, Taming The Tuition Tiger is strongly recommended reading for the families of every college-bound youth.

Kristoff is very clear and helpful for anyone looking at the (phenomenal and rising) costs of educating a child. We'll be using this for private school and right into college. It doesn't seem so overwhelming now that we've had some guidance to the options (and their pluses and minuses).

This is indeed an interesting book, the only topic really missing being the debate on competitive banking under 100% reserves versus fractional reserve free banking. Chapters on, among other topics, dynamic inconsistency, monetary rules and competitive supply of fiat-type money-with a lucid critique of the Klein-Hayek model-are absolutely excellent. The math is accessible although at a serious level.

A great book. It is very comprehensive and written in a simple way (regarding the complexity of the themes it deals with). The investigation is very objective, it uses sound theoretical analysis and different mathematical models (which he explains in relatively simple terms), contrasting them with the historical evidence and empirical data. It treats the history and development of money (from commodity money to fiat money), and monetary institutions, doing an exceptional analysis of the gold standard, its costs and benefits. It also analyzes the role of Central Bank's in money and banking, and uses various models used to try to explain the Central Bank's behavior, according to different goals that Central Banks may have. Finally, it discusses alternative monetary proposals from Friedman to Yeager, with its pros and cons. In conclusion, a great book to update and deepen your knowledge about money and banking.

Sometimes, we need someone to sit us down and talk to us one on one about things, and in regards to living a thrifty lifestyle, author Pat Worthy Benson does just that in her book, Thrifty Sister: Saving Ways for Black Folks.

This is an excellent guide for those who are tired of being preached to about what they should or shouldn't do with their lives when it comes to spending money and setting priorities. Benson, who has spent over 30 years investigating, testing and living the thrifty lifestyle, is like a friend who sits down with you, tells you how being thrifty has helped her organize her life and how it can do the same for you.

There's info galore in this book on balancing your budget and managing your life, creating action plans for major, positive change, eliminating negative traits that are sabotaging your goals, improving your lifestyle on the money you currently earn, planning your future, and even down to the basics such as minimizing and prioritizing your grocery list, tips to keep you beautiful without paying a pretty penny, making a meal stretch, and so much more.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who feels the money crunch on a monthly basis and would want to get his or her finances and life in check.

Shon Bacon

...And actually that's "pigeon holding" or catergorizing this book and it deserves so much more. I myself am a 35 year old single male, I've had this book for a while and continue to utilize Ms. Benson's valuable tips. I make a good financial living... But I still have to maintain a budget... Espeacially living in New York. I put one of her tips to the test, just to see if I could do it... and she's right... I recently was able to purchase a DVD/CD player... I say that, because it was from the savings from three weeks of my awareness to my grocerie bills, and a lot of my purchase's are from dipping in another bill payments, and then it's "rob Peter to pay Paul" senerio to play catch up ... I've learn to buy in bulk and "brown bag" it to work, instead of eating out every day- trying to be Cool. Now it's just on Friday's, and the savings enable that to be a great treat, and I've even treated myself to dinner out, on a few occasions... Overall, it's helped me to reevaluate my spending in all areas. What's even funnier is... ... I've also like some of the old fashion "Natural Beauty" remedies. This book has it's special drawer, in my apartment... So It'll always be at a hands reach. Thank You... Looking for your next installment.

A great source of useful tips and advise from those who have made it to the top. No wasted time or space here. If you ask the question, "What can I do with..." look no further, the answer is in Tips from the Top. Edie cuts through the confusion most of us feel concerning money issues and gives advice easy to understand and invaluable to any wealth-wise person. I keep it on my dresser for quick reference and read a few tips for my subconscious before retiring. Open the book to any page and start reading to improve your money-consciousness and improve your wealth.

First disclosures: I have only read a few pages so far and I am a contributor to the book.

That said, I feel that Edie Milligan did a wonderful job introducing readers to the world and work of 110 practicing financial advisors accross America. For example, she says; "When you read a traditional personal finance book written by one author you need to sift through the whole chapter to find one or two points that you can use....This book gathers all those punch lines (you know the important stuff) into one place. There's no filler here to make the book look like it says more than it does. Just tip after tip of great advice..." What more could you ask for in obtaining advice but to get it now from the world's top money minds? I enjoyed reading the tips and learning new ideas I can use in the here and now to live an enhanced quality of life. If that's important to you, this book will not only get you thinking, it will get you moving!