Money

This book may be a little old, but it has some absolutely essential information in it for someone with credit problems or hiding out from an abusive spouse or ANYONE who is trying to find you for ANY reason. Also, has invaluable information on how the creditors or anyone else who might be looking for you manages to find you out. The bankruptsy info is a little dated because of new laws, but there is still some good credit management material that would be timely and useful to anyone. Check out the loompanics site for more or call their order line 8003802230.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. My review may be found in "Art History" vol. 21, no. 3 (September 1998), 445-48. In the reiew I mention: "It offers the first extensive twentieth century analysis of Reni's personality and environment. Spear's relatively non-reductive research methodology is an interesting shift of study 'from the "outside" to the "inside"' of the subject (Spear p. 9). This method is used in addition to the standard revisionist focus on the artist from his/her own time, rather than from our time. 'The "Divine" Guido' is a welcome addition to the new historicist studies from publishers such as Yale University, Cambridge University, Prentice Hall and Thames & Hudson."

This worked miracles for me. I highly recommend it!!!

In the same way that the last generation kept Dr. Spock's book on hand, you'll dog-ear this book -- to help your kids become super savers, savvy shoppers, cautious about credit cards, and suspicious of advertising hype. Bodnar addresses the multitude of dilemmas faced by parents at every stage of their child's developing financial awareness.

If you are an investor who is worried about inflation, this is the best book you will ever read.

It explains what really happened during the 1923 German Inflation, and exposes the flaws of current macroeconomic theory which, I'm sad to say, have even fooled the Federal Reserve. This book explains the real meaning of Government Deficits and Debt, and the Trade Deficit. Sadly, publications from the Federal Reserve about the Debt show that they do not understand it!

If you think the Government Deficits and Trade Deficit are inflationary, you are DEAD WRONG!! Just wait until we get a Trade Surplus in America, and you'll be experiencing 1923 Weimar German inflation.

This is one of the few investment books that will make you rich, if you read it before the American Hyperinflation of the 2000's comes.

A technical analysis (written by a Phd in Economics) of a pure gold standard. Well written and very convincing.

Since his name's in the title, let's begin with learning who the author is. Jeff Thredgold is an economic futurist, a well-grounded forecaster. Today he works as an economic consultant and professional speaker, but his career includes 23 years with $85 billion banking giant KeyCorp, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. He's frequently interviewed on CNN, CNBC, and the financial press. He has a reputation for explaining economic trends in terms that everyone can understand and appreciate. He takes "the dismal science" and makes it interesting and enjoyable.

This book is a sort of Everyman's Guide to Economic Issues. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know, but Didn't Know What to Ask. Information, insights, and observations are presented in eight categories: The US Economy; the US Government; Money, Inflation, and Interest Rates; Investment and Savings; Global Issues; Global Players; The American Consumer; and The Changing Workplace. Each chapter is filled with background information and lots of short-takes about various aspects of our economic life. Boxes contain more information and, along with some graphs and charts, break the flow of the text. The result is greater readability, combined with a tight focus USA Today-style presentation of what could be complicated material.

Even though this book was published in 2000, the knowledge Thredgold delivers is still relevant and educational. His appendix on "Happy Talk" reminds us of many of the positive aspects of the economy, while many dwell on how terrible things are. You'll be amazed at the depth and breadth of material covered in just 164 pages-which include some good-natured humor and several pages of helpful definitions. The index is complemented with a list of charts and tables.

If you're looking for a book that will help you understand this all-important field, I'd recommend "Economy by Thredgold." He doesn't cover the Middle East, the Pacific Rim, or Africa in depth, but gives the reader enough insight to better understand how actions in those arenas affect us all.

For years I have been searching for the "right" method with which to measure IT costs and benefits. In my quest I have come close with a few well-written white papers that fell short because they didn't go deep enough. This book ends my quest - finally, I have found the "right" method.

The authors start with a chapter on the elusive nature of IT benefits, and the difficulties of measuring and managing them. This chapter lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. One nugget of valuable information given here is the recommendation that IT be run based on P&L (profit and loss). Because IT is traditionally operated as a cost center instead of a profit center I first thought that this was overly radical. However, as I dug deeper I understood the true intent: to tie together investment, value and economics, and measure IT investments based on their derived value to the business. This is where profit comes in. It initially looked like thinly disguised cost/benefit, but the expansion of this concept as the book unfolds makes it look like a true P&L approach.

Chapter two focuses on reasons to evaluate IT investments, and gives a number of approaches to perform evaluations. It covers the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and also discusses some of the pitfalls of benefit evaluation. This material segues into chapter three, which covers the investment decision process. The authors did a good job of explaining this from an IT perspective, and ties it closely to meeting business requirements.

The next chapter discusses the issues associated with, and the techniques used, to perform the IT evaluation. This is where the book gets interesting and a coherent method for measuring IT costs takes shape. What I liked most about this chapter is the list of possible techniques you can employ and how the authors classified techniques based on relative strengths such as objective vs. subjective, etc. This allows you to select the best approach based on the degree of precision you are willing to accept and your goals.

Chapter five, identification of IT costs, is about what we all struggle with: identifying total costs of ownership, finding the "buckets" into with to place the costs, and the cost drivers themselves. The costs are divided into direct and indirect cost portfolios, and the cost breakdowns for each portfolio are comprehensive. This material is valuable and will lend itself nicely to a number of approaches, among them activity-based cost management. Chapter six, IT Cost Control, shows you how to manage the costs that you identify and is a good primer on IT budget management for those who find themselves in a new management position.

IT Business Case Accounting, the topic in chapter seven, presents a straightforward approach to building your business case for IT investments. This is "must" reading for IT management and consultants. Chapter eight, Risk Analysis, is standard fare if you are familiar with these techniques. It is covered completely and provides a solid foundation in the science of identifying, quantifying and managing risks.

My favorite chapter is nine, Evaluation of the IT Function. As a consultant who performs such evaluations I thought I knew a thing or two. This chapter sparked some ideas, and the accompanying checklists are worth their weight in gold. Not only is there a comprehensive set of checklists, you are also shown how to assess the results. Contrast this with books (and consultants) who provide findings, but fail to show the root causes of the findings or make valid recommendations based upon them.

Chapters ten, eleven and twelve tie up some loose ends by covering Ranking and Scoring of the evaluations, Determining Value for Money, and Designing IT Surveys for Benefit Measurement. Taken together these three chapters can stand alone as a small book on using quantitative methods to measure IT value. Chapter thirteen addressed project management issues, which were fairly generic, and the authors end the book with a chapter on final thoughts. They include nine appendices, of which the following provide additional value: C - Financial Measurements used in Cost Benefit Analysis (great primer for non-financial types), D- Factor Analysis (advanced techniques for correlating questionnaire responses), E- Sample Sizing Scenarios (how to select sample size using statistical techniques), F through H Questionnaires and associated issues (the questionnaires are more excellent material for consultants and auditors).

This book provides a roadmap to measuring and managing IT benefits. The approach is straightforward and the goals are achievable (although not without a lot of hard work). It also provides many valuable checklists that will serve you well regardless of whether you are intent on implementing a measurement and management program, or are just seeking some techniques to more effectively manage an IT function. I strongly recommend this book to all consultants who perform IT organizational analysis, and members of IT governance committees or program management offices.

Carole has distilled the essential ingredients of how to create
prosperity in your life - better than virtually any other author I've read - and I've read dozens of prosperity books. Carole's book is essential because she emphasizes the importance of feeling one's vision - feeling from the heart instead of operating from the head or mind. Most prosperity authors focus on creating prosperity from the mind. Carole is honest, sincere, and very down-to-earth in her guidance. She stresses the importance of maintaining a connection with our inner power as the key to creating. Most of all, she emphasizes the importance of having fun while creating one's prosperity! Her exuberance leaps off the pages of her wonderful and engaging book which I re-read continuously. I keep a copy in my desk at work and one by my bedside. She is a prosperity genius!

This book offers a wonderful explanation of how and why we make some of the financial decisions that we do--how it's easy to run up credit card debt because of a lack of emotional attachment to a piece of plastic as well as the importance of working with someone to make important financial choices. This is not the fluff you've seen elsewhere, this is real analysis that's nonetheless down to earth and readable. If nothing else, it makes you understand and perhaps feel better about why we make the financial choices that we do, better arming you to make more educated decisions in the future. Great read!