family-economics

This is a great book, easy reading, inspiring, and motivational. You can't ask for a better way to lose weight than with God. It's so great, in fact, that a friend and I have started a group at yahoogroups, based on the book...

This book is full of common sense and good advice. I've lost 25 pounds on it, and it's gone forever. This is the best book.

This book is the real thing. The author did what few people can do, lose weight and keep it off for good. It's a whole new idea about how to get thinner. No b.s. here. Honest and simple. There's a lot about simple nutrition, but no dieting. I like it because I can eat anything, and often, all day long. Chumley doesn't make me do heavy exercise, either. I started just walking 10 to 15 minutes a day and that was enough and I could do it. Most important, this book brought me closer to God and helped me put my beliefs into action. I'm losing weight with it. Thank God. I think this book can help you too. Give it a try. I also like his website

I have found so many helpful tips laid out in a basic format so I don't have to spend time hunting for the tips like I have in other "helpful" books. This book gives the best suggestions on how to cut corners without cutting the quality, as well as just taking the time to relish who I am. I have purchased several copies for the women in my family as well as my closest woman friends. I urge everyone to do the same!

What a delight to read. I just open at random and I am amused or I learn a new quick way to decorate, or wrap a gift, or how to quit worrying about my parenting abilities. Thank you Bridget & Judy. This book I will NOT lend out. But, I will be giving as gifts!

This is one bang-up good book...lots of informative stuff for all humans, whatever your gender. We can all learn to be a little lazier...it's amazing how much you can get done when you do.

Norman Pappas has made good on the promise in his book's title; it really does help the reader understand the obstacles to passing wealth from one generation to the next - and how to go over, under, and around those roadblocks.

This is a solid, common sense, easily-read guideline for those who are wise enough to learn from others how to preserve what it took a lifetime to build.

Only two types of people should read "Passing the Bucks": people who own businesses and people who will someday die.

It is Norman Pappas' factual yet enjoyable presentation of personal financial essentials that separates "Passing the Bucks" from similar books. Believe me, I've struggled to read many of them in an effort to understand how to keep Uncle Sam at bay and preserve the results of a lifetime of work for my heirs and business partners. Now I've finally got it!

The author is an obvious authority on wills and trusts, business succession, insurance, estate taxes, corporate benefits and personal financial planning.

However, it's the WAY he brings it all across that makes it all so digestible. You can almost see this book - and its chuckle-filled Q&A format - as a TV series with Jerry Seinfeld or Tim Allen as the baffled businessman (hey, they're just sitting around counting their money now anyway).

The ease of finally understanding the alphabet soup of trust options (GRIT, GRAT, CLAT, CLUT, QTIP) makes us want to put together a plan NOW to protect our assets. I never realized that my children might only see 27% of my IRA dollars! And who knew that it costs me $155 to make a gift of $100 while I'm alive...but $222 to give the same $100 in a will when I'm gone? I know now!

As Mr. Pappas says, we and our accountants and lawyers are too busy putting out the day-to-day brush fires to deal with the forest fire that's just over the horizon.

I now feel confident that the people I love will be the biggest beneficiaries - literally - of my having read "Passing the Bucks."

In "Passing the Bucks", Mr Pappas, a highly successful life underwriter and financial planner provides the highly affluent with an epicurean feast of wealth preservation techniques that he has used in over twenty-five years of hands on experience. The book is divided into two sections. The first deals with the passing of business assets, the second with personal assets. While written in a voluble question and answer format, the book is also a compendium of wealth transfer ideas that can and should be saved for future reference. Mr Pappas states that estate planning is a perpetual process that cannot be done in one afternoon with a group of professional advisors. The issues are complex and unique to each individual and must be continually reevaluated in the face of changing personal situations and governmental regulations.

"Passin the Bucks", is not, and does not claim to be a substitute for professional advice. Instead it should be used by the individual to gain knowledge so that he/she can come to the table with his/her advisors armed with the knowledge to carry on an efficient and intelligent discourse. With a little time and effort this volume will provide the affluent individual with information needed to preserve assets that have been acquired over a lifetime. So long as the government, through odious tax policy, continues to destroy family bussinesses and conficates already taxed personal assets, people like Mr. Pappas will be a welcome savior.

CGJM@AOL.COM

We received this highly useful, entertaining book as a Christmas gift. Traditionally I give my husband the new World Almanac at Christmas, and our daughters decided to augment the practice by adding this book. For information junkies, this book is decidedly a keeper! As you can leaf through it your curiosity will be stimulated, and you will learn something new. From a succinct description of how the electoral college works, to first aid advice for any emergency, to what to look for in a college or graduate school program, this book has it. Highly recommended!

This funny little guide is indeed an expret on every subject. Hence its title, i.e., Practical Guide to Practically Everything: The Ultimate Consumer Annual by Peter W. Bernstein, et al. In here one will find usefull information such as what to bring your tax acountatnt and what to say and what not say if the irs decides that audit is in the cards. Other fun information is how to spot a lemon (car), paying less for college, keeping your computer virus free to mention a few usefull tidbits. Highly Recommended.

This book covers any subject that you can imagine. If you want to know about investments, poker, camping, cars, or health, all in one book this is the book for you. It gives a few pages to each topic, and helps you learn a little about each topic. Every time that somebody sees me reading it, they ask what I am reading, and when I tell them they ask to borrow the book, and most of the time they read it for a few hours and ask me where I bought it, and I tell them AMAZON.COM. For just a few bucks they have a great resource at their fingertips just like I do.

I just finished reading the book, "Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child's ATM..." I was very impressed with Nathan Dugan's share-save-spend strategy, similar to what I was raised on--and eventually converted my husband to. Mr. Dugan's strategy combines spiritual and practical values into an easy to follow formula. Another aspect that I was impressed with was that Mr. Dugan also emphasizes understanding who you are and where you come from, in relation to your financial mindset--something that leads to our spending habits. I am trying to teach good financial habits to my three young children. When they come shopping with me we talk about the things that our family "needs" versus our "wants." I firmly believe in investing in oneself by saving money, instead of satisfying immediate wants. I appreciated Mr. Dugan's philosophy of grouping values and financial habits together, something I think people in financial straits don't realize. I've had extended family members approach me from time to time, asking for help in teaching them how to budget, etc. This book is a great reference that I will recommend to those who are struggling and to those who aren't, but need reaffirmation.

The book opened my eyes to the some of the psychological manipulations that advertising and marketing companies use to influence children. The strategies Mr. Dungan suggests for instilling traditional values like donating and saving money as well as reasonable spending can help children learn how to be successful financially in adult life.
As a professional financial adviser and I see many financially successful people. In virtually every person that has accumulated substantial wealth I find several consistent attitudes and habits. These attitudes and habits for success are rarely found in today's youth. If this materialism doesn't change the future will not be as bright as we would want for them. I have been searching for resources that will help me teach young people in my community the value of money and how they can make choices which will provide long term happiness and security and at the same time live a life of joy and fulfillment today. Mr. Dungan's research and suggested strategies do just that.
This book has become the centerpiece of my community education effort.

A brilliant review of what we/society have done to "drug" our children in a spending stupor and what we need to do to stem this cultural tide and raise responsible & healthy children when it comes to managing money/spending.

Let me be the first to say I too am part of the problem; I've indulged my child and mis-taught my son with illusions that spending is happiness. Mr. Dugan describes how I/culture are misleading our children, if not selling them out, for the sake of marketing gain: business profit over our children's happiness. We're allowing business advertising to be the stewards of our children's spending/financial health. Mr. Dungan shows us how to take back that stewardship and how not to abdicate our child-rearing responsibility (about spending) and what to do to raise wise-spending young adults.

I have a few years to try to undo whatever harm I may have wrought. Of course, it's hard to rectify a bad habit once started, so I envy those of you who get to Nathan's book early. For those of us who can't, I advise we buy a copy for each child, tell them upfront what we intend to do & why, and then go about the task of raising spending responsible children, and in doing so, healthier, happier young people.

Thank you Mr. Dungan for writing such a sage, concise prescription for our self-inflicted woes: Share, Save, Spend.

"Restoring the Dream" goes far beyond its predecessor, "Contract With America." It talks in-depth about the accomplishments and minor failures of the then new Congress, and how the Clinton Administration will handle the bills passed by Congress. Each bill, representing the ten points outlined in "Contract With America," is followed with a detailed summary of why Congress believes the given bill is needed. Of some interest is, term limits, the Presidential line item veto, the Taking Back Our Streets Act, and the need for National Missile Defense. In an almost "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"-esque style, Newt Gingrich went to Washington to take down the bad guys, bureaucrats. We all know their kind. Those who spend years upon years walking the corridors of the Capitol Building, out of touch with their voters and hometown, and seeing every event in a political sense. They are greedy, self-serving opportunists with no regard for the rest of America. The only solution to ridding Congress of these people is through term limits. "Restoring the Dream" talks of why Representatives should be limited to 4 terms in the House, and why Senators should be limited to 2 terms in the Senate. Interestingly enough, Congressional Republicans felt strongly about enacting a Presidential line item veto, even with a completely incompetent President, Bill Clinton. They knew it was in the best interest of the country and for the progress of democracy to quickly enact such legislation. They did. For those not acquainted with the concept of line item veto, it is when the President gives a warm reception to a bill passed by Congress, but finds one minor flaw and ends up having to veto the entire bill. With line item veto power, a President can veto certain mandates in a given bill, but still pass the bill in its modified form. This means more can get done for the people of America, and less partisan bickering on Capitol Hill. Urban areas have been deteriorating rapidly sense Lyndon B. Johnson's proclamation of his "Great Society" in the mid 1960s. Murders, drugs, gangs, and robberies have become all too common in America's largest cities. The Taking Back Our Streets Act addresses such concerns. Children must be taught at an early age that they are responsible for their behavior and punishments do follow for inappropriate or violent behavior. They need to grasp the American Dream and understand that they too, can contribute a great deal to society. Without such education, violence in our urban areas is inevitable. The Taking Back Our Streets Act stops crime in our cities dead in its tracks. Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and Sudan are just some nations attempting to obtain or already possessing nuclear missiles. The threat grows rapidly with each passing day, and the US currently has no system to protect its soil from a nuclear attack. National Missile Defense is a must for the modern and unpredictable world that we live in. The legislation mentioned in this book became the National Missile Defense Act of 1999, passed by both chambers of Congress, and signed into law by President Clinton.

Even thought this book is five years old, it's intriguing to see how the plan by the House Republicans actually came to be and how successful it was in transforming America. Their main objective was to improve conditions for families, create an opportunity society, and balance the budget. In my opinion, they succeeded at all three, and then some. Through emphasizing personal responsibility, trusting the individual, and placing power back in the hands of state and local authorities did the Republicans promote their message that large, inefficient government was useless and harmful and that decentralization truly epitomizes compassionate conservatism. Now that we have a balanced budget, welfare reform, lower crime, and booming economy, the GOP can take credit for the work they performed to make these unattainable goals during Democrat-run Congresses a reality. These men and women proved that lower taxation, deregulation, limited government, and faith in the local community can make the American dream possible.

I didn't used to believe the rhetoric leveled against President Clinton regarding his "borrowing" of conservative issues for political gain. But now I understand where such accusations come from. This book was written in 1995, after the new Republican Majority (104th Congress) finished its first 100 days of marathon legislation in order to fulfill its Contract With America (documented in another book). Restoring the Dream is an outline of the next steps in the Republican Plan to remake Government. The book begins by enumerating the success of the first 100 days of the Contract and devotes the remainder of the book to elaborating on new pledges for further reform. To say that such a plan is (was) bold would be an understatement. I have gained new respect for the Republican Party after reading this book and it has called into question the common conservative stereotypes. Unless this book is a cruel hoax and I'm a dupe, I believe that the Republican Party genuinely wishes to ensure that all Americans have an equal opportunity to succeed and to achieve the American Dream. In retrospect, it is a shame that Republicans were demonized and maligned by the establishment, having to endure accusations that simply do not coincide with the proposals outlined in this book. And while this book is certainly "dated" by now, it is instructive to see how much the Republicans have actually delivered on their pledges and promises - especially on welfare reform and a balanced budget. I recommend this book to every American interested in understanding the forces that are shaping America's future.

Dr. Bland's book provides a systematic analysis of the quality of life provided by numerous American cities. Various salient criteria--cost of living, crime, etc.--are used in his analyses, but the overviews given are brilliant snapshots of the overall quality of life in each of the cities. One gets a sense of what one can expect in each of these cities in terms not only of the various factors analyzed, but how they all work together in producing the "way of life" or "style of living" of each city. This is a must-read for someone considering a move in retirement.

I don't think I'm exaggerating in I saying that "Retire in Style" is the single best resource currently available on US retirement communities.

I have reviewed many other books on the subject and have found that most are either too data intensive, losing the reader in a sea of numbers and academic jargon, or too superficial to offer any meaningful commentary on where to retire. In contrast, Dr. Bland's book provides all the meaningful data necessary to make an intelligent choice while maintaining surprising readability.

If you are looking for a resource to help you determine where you will retire, I suggest buying Dr. Bland's Book. It is entertaining, informative and captures the unique character of each location.

"Retire in Style," by Warren R. Bland is an ideal book to help you find an attractive and affordable town for retirement. It is well researched and organized and uses tables, charts and maps effectively. Forty very charming yet affordable towns and cities are described in detail and rated on 12 criteria important to retirees. An additional 10 places are described more briefly. We are glad we bought this book and are looking forward to seeing some of Dr. Bland's top-rated places for ourselves.

Succeeding Generations takes the family business where few dare to venture: into the perilous landscape of succession - the boneyard of many a family enterprise felled by dissension, sibling rivalry, and greed. Ivan Lansberg, co-founder of the Family Firm Institute and your guide through this treacherous terrain, neatly straddles the worlds of academic rigor and real-world experience as he shows you how to pave the way for the generation to come. Case studies of well-known family businesses illustrate Lansberg's observations and bring his advice home. We from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone involved in the complex concern of family business.

Ivan Lansberg's new book is an excellent resource for anyone living through, or helping to manage, the succession process in a family business! The book is thoroughly scholarly yet practical...it is "a must read," for anyone interested in the subject. It is the best book on the subject I have read!

Ivan Lansberg is among the top thinkers in the Family Business field. In this book, drawing on his experience as a consultant, and also on his work as co-author of Generation to Generation, he sums up all there is to say about the complex family/business relationship. A must for anyone interested in the subject.

How would you hendle the death of a loved one? For me, until I read this book, I wouldn't have had a clue! I think this book makes sense for anyone who is going through the financial transition that death brings to survivors but also to anyone who wants to be prepared for the event. Think about it...we will all eventually have to face this, why not be prepared? This book covers more details than I would have thought of, and I work in the financial industry. I think a major plus to this book is that is gives definitions, addresses, phone numbers, web addresses, etc... of all the things and places you will need to know about. I would highly recommed this publication.

If your loved dies suddenly or you know its coming this is the essential book to read about handing the situation.

A compact guide on what to do when and how. It brings together in one easy to read and understand format the information you will need immediately after a death and later on.

This is a book to have on hand as you would have a dictionary.

When my mother died I found it was dificult to get the information I needed. Laywers can be very expensive. If I had this book it would have saved my time and money.

Although the book origionally seemed small for the price I discovered that it had a lot of information. It covered everything from how to handle my husband's car lease to estate processing and identity theft. It was also well written and had a easy to follow format.

America's working families are in jeopardy, with children being raised in two-income households where both parents are working and workplace demands cutting into home life. The Widening Gap examines the lives and lifestyles of American working families, considering their class, ethnic background and family obligations. Case histories supplement analysis of modern gaps between workplace demands and family health.

Most people have a job that allows little leeway for spending necessary time nurturing children and older relatives when they need special help. After all, employers are hiring the employee, not the family. Right? Well, read on to learn what some of the consequences of that system are now.

Many people feel overwhelmed today by how to earn a living, take care of the family, and raise children. For women who work outside the home, a recent study showed that the average work week is 85 hours for work, commuting, home chores and errands. Even with that tremendous effort, what's to be done when your 7 year old suddenly becomes very ill at school? How do you get your child home after an after-school activity? If you don't have much money, who takes care of your 3 year old?

The conclusion of this book is that millions of children are being shortchanged in the process. And the children who are being shortchanged the most are the ones with the most significant needs and with the lowest-income parents. As a result, we face a future of underprivileged youngsters numbering in the tens of millions becoming ineffective adults, rather than having a society that provides equal opportunity for all based on their potential to pursue the opportunity.

The book is based on four quantitative studies, comprising interviews with a total of 7500 people. These studies focus on finding out how family needs are being met, and what the consequences are for children. These studies appear to be the first quantitative studies to take the anecdotal evidence we see all around us of problems, and find out what is happening to all of U.S. society.

Most U.S. children are being raised in households where every adult works for a wage or a salary. School days and school years are shorter than work days and years, so there are many uncovered hours. Half of those who would like help with child care cannot get any, adequate or not. Many of the rest have inadequate child care because adequate care is not available to them or too expensive. Children are mostly being left to fend for themselves. As the cases suggest, this is often dangerous. It is never good for the children.

When children are ill, they are sent to school anyway. If they need attention because of special or just doing their homework, often one parent has to work evenings or weekends and cannot spare the time to help out while the child is home from school. If the family only has one parent at home (as so many do in our divorce-riddled ranks), these children are raising themselves.

In addition, one household in four is helping an elder relative.

Children in school who are having the most problems are the ones whose parents are around home the least.

Life as an adult in these households is "predictably unpredictable." As a result, something unexpected happpens about once a week in 30 percent of the households that requires someone to leave work. The women in the family usually rise to the occasion. Their employers often take it out on them in terms of reduced promotions, raises, and security.

The U.S. model for dealing with this has been to either rely on employers to provide help voluntarily, or to ignore the issue. As Dr. Heymann points out, many employers are never going to see this issue as being in their self interest to solve. In fact, the problem is largely invisible because people who leave work to take care of parents or children rarely tell their employers that's what they are doing. Other excuses or no excuses are provided.

Dr. Heymann argues for increasing the social safety net to cover children better. Since so many people cannot afford or find good preschool care, she argues for this becoming something that the community offers . . . in the same way it covers the later grades. Since these formative years are very important, large educational gains should result. Dr. Heymann also argues for many kinds of paid leave from work to help children.

Beyond that kind of legislation, there are things that employers can do. Focus on output rather than attendance. Provide more flextime. Allow more work to be done at home.

Government can do more. Let routine administrative things be done by mail or telephone. Provide after-school care at no cost in every school. Have transportation so elderly people can get to appointments, and children can get home after the work day ends. Have teachers available to help students after school whose parents are still working.

Although the author did not suggest it, my reaction is that we probably need to start a large number of experiments to see what works well and what does not. These experiments could be funded by companies, company foundations, and community foundations. From such experiments, we can find the most effective ways to improve this crushing burden on the development of children and on their parents. Although the working poor need this help the most, everyone needs help in some instances. The question is simply what the best ways are to improve things.

Investing more in helping our vulnerable children and older citizens will repay us handsomely. Let's find the best way to do it!

This book brilliantly addresses the issue of a non family friendly society that focuses more on the tenents of capitalism than the health and well being of children. Excellent discourse, research, and recommendations...A must read for all who are interested in issues of disparity, family strucutre, health, and culture.