education-economics

I suppose there's some valuable information in here, but it could probably be reduced to a very brief checklist. Much of the book seems to be anecdotes about this "friend" who had this "absolute nightmare" building a home and how that proves that "you should always get it in writing" or something equally prosaic. They will misinform you that anchor bolts--in every house--are only required in earthquake zones and that the concrete compressive strength rating, e.g. 3000 psi, refers to its *weight*. In other words, know little about how houses are actually built, and so have exaggerated fears about what might go wrong. You're better off avoiding freelance writers capitalizing on the research for their own houses; choose a book from an architect, lawyer, realtor or builder with a few decades' experience instead.

I am a first time buyer and wanted to make sure that I was getting the best deal at every end of the process. I read this book and although many parts of it were good, it did not apply to my situation. This book is excellent for those that are building a custom built home with a builder. If you are looking to buy a production home (centex, KB, pulte) this is not the book you will want. I found some of the examples to be informative, but overall I will need another book to answer my questions. I hope my review helped.

If you're building or buying get this book. It has handy chapters which can help you prevent a lot of the pitfalls in both processes. Not too kind (understatement) to real estate agents in portraying them as leech-like. The editions seem pretty up-to-date with regard to web sites and other resources. This book also explains that Bob Vila is not building your house and it's not a good idea to kill your builder (though they don't rule out killing realty agents). I appreciate most the checklists of do's and don'ts in each process. And, the authors drive home the pluses of having key people on your side from the get-go (your own home inspector, your own realty agent--land purchases, your own attorney, your own etc.) representing your own interests. The contract discussions alone are well worth the small price of this handy and enjoyable book.

I didn't expect much from another book of financial advice -- but, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only do Clark Howard and Mark Meltzer cover many areas, but they write in a very clear, concise manner. There are a number of useful financial tips I have already used to save a not inconsiderable amount of money. More importantly, the book will be a great reference tool for my future purchases. Thanks Clark & Mark!

Once again Clark Howard, everyone's favorite Consumer advocate, has come out with yet another wonderful book on ways to "help us pack a punch in our wallet with better ways to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off!" Clark's down to earth teaching methods seem so elementary but they really do make a difference. This book is an easy read and a must for every family, single person, or young couple.

Just finished reading this book. It's somewhat mis-titled. It's not really a get rich book. It's more of a be careful and wise with your money.

This book covers things like car buying and leasing advice, how not to be taken and get a good deal, investing basics, insurance, home buying and renting, travel advice, Time-Shares, Health Clubs, etc.

Clark Howard is personally responsible for saving me $900 through this book and his radio show, all by doing simple stuff. I heard on his show about the Retirement Savings tax credit that I had failed to take in 2002 and probably would have missed this year. I will make sure to claim it this year and file an amended return last year. That was $400 saved. In the book, he also gave me a source (Costco) to shop for auto insurance that will save me $500 a year for slightly better coverage than I have now. I have checked around at many other companys and never found an offer nearly as good.

The writing is casual, fun, and full of anecdotes of how either Clark or his listeners have used his advice to save money. There's an incredible amount of common sense advice to save and protect you from getting ripped off. All of it is practical and easy. Nothing goofy like only buying 10 year old cars or recycling dental floss.

Read the book, listen to the radio show, and start saving your hard earned money!

Last year was my first year to homeschool my child,I purchased this book not realizing how wonderful it would be!The book covers all of the required subjects for my state which I found helpful.The book includes lessons for every day for 36 weeks it is absolutely wonderful!I was also able to supplement other books and worksheets to expand on what was in the book ,which I enjoyed.My only complaint is that a lot of the books listed to read were very hard to get,Amazon has many,but the ones they didn't have were sometimes impossible to find.Unless you have an excellent library near by (which I do not)you will have to substitute other books. I'm sure you can find those here at Amazon!This year I am teaching 2nd and kindergarten and I will again be using Learn at Home books!

This book may just save my sanity. 36 weeks of daily lessons, in 6 subjects, all planned out for you! All you have to do is "read and do"! Could it be any better? Well, yes. For one thing, the pages are all front and back, even the ones that aren't part of a particular week, even the ones that have cut and paste activities on the other side. That is my main gripe. Also, this book is laid out to follow the public school calendar (start in fall, end in early summer). We started school in January and are planning to end in September, so I've had to juggle a few of the activities and lessons around so that we're not studying Autumn in Winter, and so on. Those two snafus aside, this is a great, well-rounded book, and will help you to cover all the bases. You'll need to supplement with library books and whatever other materials you and your child desire.

I used Learn at Home for kindergarden my first year of homeschooling my daughter. I loved how the lesson plans were already done for me. What a time saver! The lessons are fun and easy to prepare for. The only drawback is that sometimes the pages meant to be torn out are on the other side of another page or a lesson plan page. You can make a copy or just wait until Friday to do that page. I don't think it's worth the time and money to copy all the workbook pages and try to save the book for a younger child. There are a lot of recommended books to read - I just got on my library's online catalog about every 3 weeks and put the titles on hold, then the library called me and I picked them up at the desk (no searching the shelves), another great time saver. This book is such a bargain, I especially reccommend it for new homeschoolers.

Thanks to Wiley's CPA review, I passed ARE 85, FARE 84 and Audit 79, first try. (Failed on Business Law 72 but that was more due to lackluster studying than to the quality of the study material!)

The books are very complete albeit somewhat slightly confusing at first. All aspects of the CPA program are covered, and, if you study these books thoroughly (material + multiple choice), you have a very good chance of passing the exam at the first try.

Make sure you understand the structure and the way each book is organized before you dig into it. I found the overall organization of the books to be confusing at first, and the content quality is definitely not constant from one book/one chapter to the other, which is why I would give a 4-star rating instead of a 5.

Also, I would highly recommend the Wiley's CPA Preparation Software. It speeds up your preparation greatly, and is a good way of avoiding the inevitable and endless page-flipping of book study.

Good luck!

It is very important to have time management will preparing for the CPA exam.
This 4 volumes set is much better than the other 2 volume set although they both contain the same material, this one has it in a more well organized way where the questions follow the outlines, some people might find it not that helpful but it really is.
In general the both sets are easy to use and handle, the advices are very much helpful, and the material is right to the point a thing that really saves your time.
As an advice you have to go through this set at least three times; the first time (2-3 hrs/day): Read then answer the questions try to do so within 3 months (prepare notecards and don't put any marks with the questions); the second time(2-3 hrs/day): Answer then read topics on your mistakes and review your notecards on othr subjects within 2 months; the third time (5-7 hrs/day): complete a whole module daily (order is not important but might be good) you have to pass all modules 90% at least. One last time is a 4-days approach where you go through a whole section every day.

This is the absolutely best exam review resource out there to help anyone tackle the CPA exam. I have reviewed many CPA Exam review products and have found the Wiley CPA Review to be the best, by far. The 4 volume approach helps me study for the exam in an organized fashion. Plus, in each of the books, the subjects are organized logically into modules, and in each module you will see outlines and detailed reviews of the subject matter, followed by multiple-choice, OOAF, and essay questions. There is complete with detailed answers and analysis to each and every question. These books have way more practice questions than any other CPA exam book that I have seen. I would also recommend Wiley's CPA Review Practice Software. It helps you practice thousands of questions (which I really needed!) to make sure you are ready for the big exam. Bottom line, if you are truly committed to passing this exam, you should buy this 4-volume set of CPA exam review books from Wiley. I am making excellent progress in my studies, and should be well prepared to pass in May with invaluable help from these resources.

This book is an excellent source for understanding the major principles of economics. It seems more geared towards those people who want a general but accurate working knowledge of economic topics, especially since it shuns use of mathematics like the plague. It is this fact however, that makes the book less useful to the intermediate and higher level student of economics who just wants topics explained in as clear a way as possible, but then also wants to see the mathematical methods involved in these areas. Nonetheless, this is the first economics book that I have ever read that has such a high level of lucidity and clearness to it.

This book took an otherwise dull subject and made it interesting. This was the 3rd economics book that I read, and I found this one to be the best.

If you read only one book on economics, read this. It deals clearly and concisely with the substance of economics and with the economists' approach -- an approach that far too few people appreciate, and which this book will instil in you. Claims that the book does not have enough math and does not cover Keynesian macroeconomics are misguided.

Regarding the supposed lack of math, one must remember that math is merely a tool that should be used to clarify and not confuse economics. If one can explain economics in English, so much the better. Economics needn't be hard. Mankiw's economics is at least as good as the best of the harder and more mathematical textbooks, and better than the rest. The need is for good economics to be explained well to a large audience, and this book does it superbly.

Regarding the exclusion of Keynesian short run macroeconomics, all I can say is "Whew! Finally! At last!". Keynesian short run macroeconomics taught at the undergraduate level is mindless, unintuitive curve pushing and generates neither understanding nor love for the subject. Teaching that (especially in a first course to a general audience!) is absolutely unforgivable. If anyone is married to Keynesian economics, they can use Mankiw's "Macroeconomics" which covers with exceptional clarity and brevity all the standard material in an intermediate macro course including the ugly Keynesian short run macroeconomics. However, I am against such an approach. The proper way would be to do Mankiw's "Principles of Economics" in the introductory course and then cover the market-clearing approach to macroeconomics of Barro's "Macroeconomics" in the intermediate macroeconomics course.

As one of the people interviewed for the examples in this book, I was disappointed to see there are several rather significant errors in my own interview. Speaking only for myself, this book seems put together rather hastily, and has some misleading mistakes in it. Despite the errors that I noticed, I also think it offers good basic advice to job seekers.

In my own case, the book describes me as leaving my campus during my PhD for an "internship" in Washington, DC. I would never have done this and wouldn't recommend it as a saavy career move for other graduate students. Rather, I left with a partially complete dissertation for a job directing academic internships, a job that I negotiated a salary and "research days" off to allow me to complete the dissertation. I worry that other mistakes like this may paint a too-rosy future for those charting a course for either academic or non-academic careers. My plan worked for me because it was a plan--carefully considered, with deadlines and timeframes built in. Research errors regarding my experience make me nervous about the other examples in the book.

My husband and I discovered this book about 2/3s of the way through our PhD programs. To call it a revelation would be an understatement. Despite the fact my husband's still a professor (for the time being), we recommend this book to everyone we know who's nearing the job search part of their graduate program, in addition to disillusioned colleagues both in and out of academia.

We found different parts of the book useful at different points in our job searches. Initially, we used it as a way to affirm our ambivalence about academia and the tenure process. The second read was more like reading a self-help book for the motivation, impetus and reassurance to go ahead and look for non-academic jobs. Later, we used the book to assess how our skills were transferable to a non-academic setting, and then for developing resumes, cover letters and job search strategies.

Although it has many valuable aspects, what distinguished the book from other good job search/career resources were the sections on thinking about how our skills were transferable from academics and on how to market ourselves in non-academic jobs. And this is why we recommend it to people who are continuing in academia as well: to know that the decision to be an academic is a choice. So many people seem to go with the flow, feeling pressured by colleagues, advisors and their own expectations to continue in academia while all the while feeling ambivalent or unhappy about the whole process. However, to realize that you DO have skills, and that what you've done in grad school (no matter how arcane) is transferable to other settings, and that your decision to continue in academia is a choice and not simply doing what's expected of you, is highly liberating.

While I credit Basalla and Debelius for giving me the clarity and confidence to leave academics, and for giving me the skills to be successful in my search (like turning a c.v. into a resume, interviewing well, and writing a solid cover letter), this job search aspect of the book is secondary. If you need a book on writing resumes or how to interview well, I would advise you to buy one focused on those aspects of job hunting. That's not the primary strength of the book.

However, if you're in grad school or done, and you've ever felt ambivalent about the process or environment of academia, this is a fabulous book. So What Are You Going To Do With That? is excellent for enabling people to realize that they're not the only ones who wonder whether academia is the right path, to develop confidence to make the change to a post-academic career, and to think clearly about their skills and moreover, their options.

I read the reviews and realized that I purchased the book to help graduate students that I was mentoring. The book is absolutely perfect for MA students and for some PhD types who are contemplating what to do outside of academia.

It's an easy read and better than most other career minded books that are geared more so for business students. I've had good responses from students who I've either loaned my copy to or who have purchased the book themselves.

If you arent used to taking your clothes to the dry cleaners for cleaning, and eating expensive foods, this book will offer little that you dont already know.

I checked this book out from the library and don't plan on buying it for my home library. This book would be more helpful to an urban, younger woman just starting to save money. Jonni is whiny about scaling back, and doesn't have a clear understanding of frugality. She clearly feels the loss of income and misses "the good life". (Her quote) Her self-righteous attitude about what she has to do without, is odd I think. One has to wonder about her subtle "Tightwad Gazette" put downs too. What's with that? And all that's in the beginning of the book!

Once you get past the "feel my pain part" it's an upbeat and helpful book. It deals more with housekeeping issues, ie: grocery shopping, meal prep, children, holidays etc. So if spending, or wasting food isn't the area you need to work on, you may want to pick another book. The recipes she offers here are for basic foods that most people buy, but could make at home far more cheaply. Ice cream toppings, salad dressings, granola etc. She does not offer recipes that are odd or time consuming. I have tried the recipes for household products and they are good. Her list of resources for other authors/experts is worth reading this book alone. It was VERY helpful. If you're a mom with grown children just learning about saving money, this would be a good start. The BASIC tips offered here are SUPER helpful, her attitude almost ruins a good book. If you're a guy, and would like more "guy oriented" money saving books try Gene Logsdons' books.

We lost 60% of our total income when I quit my job to sah. Prior to that I wasted money like you wouldn't believe. This is a good book to get started in being frugal. I've cut my grocery bill almost in half by following these principles. While I liked Tightwad Gazette the ideas were a little too radical to me that is why I preferred this book since she makes you believe that even a former yuppie can learn to be frugal.

I loved this book!! It's become my sah bible and I recommend it to all of my friends.

There are a lot of people on these reviews getting 700+ scores, I guess I'm more average, and knowing that ETS's average score is something like 520, if you are scoring a 750, then it is probably not due to which test prep software you bought.

That said, this book has all of the sae pointers that the other books have, and the tests are not indicative of how you will score on test day. The software just gives you a range, like 640-700, but on test day when you wind up with a 610 you'll wonder why. Skip this book and get a better one.

I just started studying for the GMAT a couple of weeks ago, and this was the fourth book I went through. This one had the easiest practice tests (compared to Princeton Review, the other Arco book and Barron's). The appendices provided a good, if somewhat skimpy review of math and grammar, and the math explanations were very easy to follow. I agree with everyone else who posted that there were a lot of typos, which were extremely annoying/frustrating, especially since I was trying to time myself. This book was also weak in providing explanations for answers to the verbal questions. Overall, I would recommend it but also warn that it should not be the sole source of anyone's GMAT review.

Aside from the actual ETS software, of the books that I bought (Kaplan, Barron's), this software was by far the best. The software is very similar to the actual GMAT CAT. It includes 5 tests that mimic the format of the GMAT CAT very well. I attribute a significant portion of my score (over 750) to this software. The book is average. It has several errors, one of which - repeatedly using SAT rather than GMAT - is particularly annoying. I'd like to think there is some difference in level between the SAT and GMAT. Buy this book for the software.

I should have heeded the warnings of the other reviewers. Paul Pilzer is a complete hack. This book is a complete waste of money.

Paul Zane Pilzer has done it again. "The Wellness Revolution" is an extraordinary book. It gives you a very factual view on one of the greatest lifestyle and business revolutions about to take place in our lives. I read Paul's two other books " God Wants you be Rich" and "Unlimited Wealth" which I enjoyed immensely, but I must admit that "The Wellness Revolution" is my favorite. It gave me a strong understanding of why the Wellness sector is such a great business opportunity as well as its implications in my personal life. It motivated me to make important changes to improve my health and personal well being. It is a very well researched book. I believe that if you do not read "The Wellness Revolution" you're missing out on the biggest shift about to take place in our lifetime.
Radames Soto-The Wall Street Journal

Pilzer has done it again.

Nobel-prize winning economist and economic advisor to two presidential administrations, Paul Zane Pilzer offers irrefutable proof that the next major boom in industry will lie in the industry of "wellness" as opposed to the $1.5 trillion dollar "sickness" industry.

It's also worth nothing that this is a book about WHY Americans aren't healthy and, surprisingly, it's for economic reasons. Pilzer shows compelling evidence that the $1 trillion food industry and the "healthcare" (sickness) industry fuel each other in propelling the average American to obesity and malnutrition.

This book also details how the baby boomers (who have been used for years as an indicator of where economic growth will occur) will create an entire industry that simply doesn't exist yet. The present $200 billion wellness industry is only the tip of the iceburg compared to what's coming.

One of my favorite parts of the book is concerning "Wellness Insurance" which shows a deceptively simple way to lower your annual insurance costs by over $3,000, have more money with which to purchase wellness products and services and STILL have the healthcare benefits that you need. Outstanding!

The information here is earth-shattering. And though it may be a bold statement, Pilzer shows inarguable proof that the coming "wellness revolution" may impact our lives more than the automobile and the personal computer.

Based on the information in this book, I believe the wellness revolution will dwarf the Internet millionaires and billionaires of the 90's.

Buy this book.

Nothing in this book is new. It presents common sense topics as if the editors were the first ones to come up with the ideas. This book is very shallow and was not worth the money.

I read the MBA Jungle, B-School Survival Guide and found it to be an excellent resource. If I was reading this with the eyes of a prospective student, this book would have accurately addressed what I'd need to know. As an administrator/educatior who works with the MBA program at our institution, I can say the information I read was right on target! You did a great job. It was easy and fun to read and I plan to recommend this book to prospective students.

I found this text to be quite helpful, specifically, toward deciding if B-school is right for me, whether full-time/part-time is the way to go, and whether I should set my sights on a top-tier program or feel satisfied with a middle-tier school. Additionally, there's a ton of info that would be helpful for those in the first few months of the MBA program.

If you're still deciding whether or not an MBA is right for you, this book will be a great resourse in helping you decide.