Tools Books

This is one of the best books I have found on the subject of trusts. Most books on Wills only talk about Living Trusts, but this book outlines how some of the richest (and not so rich) families use Trusts to protect family money. It also discusses the downfalls of this practice, including causing legal battles for your next of kin. This guide not only explains trusts and living trusts, but also goes into details on being an executor, going through probate, handling executor fees and it discusses common problems within wills and trusts. There are many examples of legal cases throughout the book that illustrate issues and how they have been resolved by courts. It's definately worth reading if you're trying to get a grasp on the subject.

Family Money is an excellent and "user friendly" introduction for the non-specialist general reader into the intricacies of preparing and utilizing wills, trusts, life insurance, and other financial instruments for the purpose of endowing the people you love with the funds, properties, and possessions you wish to leave them as your legacy. Family Money covers the building and keeping of family money as a deliberate act while avoiding the hazards and uncertainties of contestable bequests. The reader will learn how to keep a will simple enough to do what is wanted, but detailed enough to satisfy a probate court; why probate is inimical to family wealth and how to avoid it; how to use living trusts to move as much as you can to family members; and when charitable trusts, special needs trusts, and other trusts can work in favor of your family. Of special value is the information on what to do if you find yourself named executor or trustee and how to instill notions of duty and humility in your heirs. If you want to pass on your wealth and possessions to those of your own choosing, then begin the process by carefully reading Family Money!

In my study of modern work systems I have often found that the top-performers are characterized by those that communciate well. Rick Maurer's feedback Toolkit is a very simple model to better communications in the workplace. Most of it is simple common sense, but the bottom line is that these simple solutions are still not being used in many organizations today.

The book is easy to read, and written step by step. No one could miss the meaning in this book. After I read it, and highlighted everything that was contradictory to what was happening in my organization, I slipped it under my bosses door. No doubt positive change is coming!

Don't judge a book by the number of pages- this short guide is a wonderful gem. Extremely practical how-to's, and how-not-to's, for giving and receiving feedback. Many organizations espouse feedback as critical to organizational learning and performance-- the skills gained from reading The Feedback Toolkit may actually make it so.

I love my Fertile Soul Cycle Companion! It walks me through the varied cycles of this journey - helping me to understand my body and its natural rhythms, assuring me what is good and healthy, and helping me address what needs nurturing.

Having used the fertile soul companion journal- I find it to be an indespensable ressource in the journey to getting pregnant. It is not only a beautiful journal but full of charts diagrams and information that make daily charting simple and comprehensible. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who is trying to conceive.

I approached this book with mixed feelings of suspicion and doubt. One question stood at first, how will anyone cover all subjects in finance in a single book with fewer than 400 pages ? I thought I'd get a book filled with old concepts of finance and no depth in discussions and on top of that accompanied by a minuscule font to fit the 400 pages!

To my surprise the book was amazingly concise, coherent and well structured. Mr. Estrada accomplished a difficult task in managing to write a well-balanced book which unites major theories in finance and its application (with emphasis on the latter). In fact, the author goes the extra mile in explaining how different point of views of a single model leads to different results. (i.e. CAPM and how investors approach it).

The book is divided into 4 parts.

Part 1: Risk and Return - ( 12 chapters ). Subjects covered include: Risk Adjusted, Diversification, Portfolios, Systematic risk, CAPM, Optimal portfolios.

Part 2 Valuation - ( 8 Chapters ). Subjects covered include: WACC, Reverse valuation, Market risk and Default risk, Duration and Convexity.

Part 3 Other Important Topics - ( 6 Chapters ). Subjects covered include: Real Options, Currencies, Options, Futures and Forwards, NPV, IRR.

Part 4 Statistical Background.- (4 Chapters ). Subjects covered include: Normality, Non-Normality, Regression analysis.


Pros:
*Short and independent chapters
*The consistent level of discussion. (leaning towards practicality rather than academic)
*The Problems section
*The Humorous style of Mr. Estrada which cracked the intensity of some chapters (two thumbs up for that)




Cons:

*Some tables and models are referenced in other chapters which requires flipping back and forth between chapters. And sometimes you end up reading the whole chapter, however I think this is a small price to pay for self-contained chapters.

*Part 3 which covers the futures and options could have been expanded a bit.

*The excel sheet (solution for the challenge problems at the end of each chapter) do not contain the formulas, only the numbers. Which misses the whole point of excel (it's all about formulas!) However if you followed the book you shouldn't face any problems it would just be a bit time-consuming.



Overall it's a great book with excellent presentation. nonetheless, it IS a nutshell which plainly means it does not cover topics as same as a book with 800 pages dedicated for a single subject.


I'd recommend this book for anyone interested in the subject from professional to students.

This is a terrific book that I wish had been available when I was taking my finance courses in b-school. The core topics in finance are well known and fairly standardized. However, students just learning can find the subject a bit counterintuitive and bewildering, no matter how normalized it becomes with familiarity. This book would be a great supplement for students struggling through huge textbooks and trying to get a handle on the basics. Of course, they should have the basic math required to execute these formulae or it won't be very helpful.

Another group that will benefit greatly from a handbook like this are people whose job is focused in an area that uses a narrow portion of the subject matter, but occasionally need or want to refresh themselves in matters not part of their everyday work. Picking this book off the shelf and reading a few pages on the relevant topic will put you right back in the swing of things.

The book has thirty clearly focused chapters that are broadly organized into four parts: Risk and Return, Valuation, Other Important Topics (such as NPV, IRR, Real Options, Corporations and Value Creation, Options, Futures and Forwards, and Currencies), and Statistical Background. Another really nice feature of the book is that, where relevant, the author includes material to help you implement the chapter material in Excel. Using spreadsheets is the way to go in finance, and this material is most useful. However, it is basic information and there are other books to help you with advanced topics and Excel. There are also a few problems provided in each chapter for you to work through and develop more intuition on the subject matter.

The author writes clearly, has chosen good intuitive symbols for the equations, and is clear where there are differences of opinion, problems with certain models, and cautions the reader on certain aspects of investment (such as currencies). Yes, this is NOT a substitute for more in depth reading on these topics, but it is a wonderful handbook and great for a quick refresher.

I am quite happy to have this on my finance shelf.

As the name of this reference implies, it provides a good review from particle physics to astrophysics, and of significance, relates inner space to outer space. Both theoretical and experimental methods are explored. The classical big-bang theory is clearly discussed, as are its difficulties and the solutions provided by inflation theory.

I have read lots of popular science books about particle physics and this is way out in front of the pack! It clarified many things that other authors just assumed the reader could understand. For example, the section on how to build synchrotrons and accelerators and why the devices are shaped the way they are was so clear. Plus the color photographs and drawings make it a lovely book to just browse through. If you love particle physics, or are even just a little intrigued, this book is a must! I intend to reread it sometime.

FUNDAMENTAL WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
AUTHOR: Rachel Andrew, Chris Ullman and Crystal Waters
PUBLISHER: Glasshaus
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: The very first thing I always look for when a book contains a CD is the contents of that CD. If it has a trial version of the software the book is about, it is one I would think of buying. Fundamental Web Design and Development Skills has such a CD and it contains Macromedia's Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX and Fireworks MX. Anyone buying this book is off to a flying start with these programs available to them

Next I check out the Contents section. Fundamental Web Design has 16 Chapters and the titles of the Chapters make real sense. A reader would know where to look for a specific item. Then I look at the Index which, of course, is another version of the Contents but gives a more in-depth listing. There are 28 pages of information located here. Between the Contents and the Index, no reader should have to wonder where to go to find the information he/she wants.

In reading the book, the chapters give a good explanation of what the chapter is about. It doesn't skimp on explaining what HTML or XHTML is but it also doesn't go overboard to the point of boring a reader or giving extraneous information. The chapters contain visual examples of what is being discussed and each chapter ends in a summary of that chapter.

This is a book I wish I had known about when I was beginning to learn Web Designing. I would have been able to "test-drive" the software and would have bought these programs to begin with rather than going through different software first. The CD also contains all the files needed to work through what the chapters are teaching and as it says on the CD, there is "an extensive list of links to provide you with further reading and material to compliment the wealth of knowledge already contained within this book......."arranged into categories for easy reference.

I would highly recommend Fundamental Web Design and Development Skills to anyone even if you already have some knowledge of web design. Why the writing in this book so understandable may be due to the fact that two of the three authors of this book are women and the only man has interests in art and literature, is a cat lover and has worked with a baby in his lap.

Glasshaus has a new book for anyone looking to get involved in web development, and learn the best ways to go about things from the outset. In this book we see an admirable dedication to sticking to the modern standards of XHTML 1.0, HTML 4.01 and CSS; with little space wasted on discussing the common methods that forward-looking web designers are trying to distance themselves from.

While this book is very much targeted at the beginner just starting to make their way in the field, it would serve equally well as a guide to the modern way of doing things for any developer still mired in the un-compliant techniques and inaccessible practices of the past. Careful attention is paid to explaining fully the relationship between HTML, XHTML and XML, and the future-compatibility ramifications of your choice of markup. The only time deprecated elements (like the tag) are ever mentioned are necessary notes for those coders who are tasked with redesigning existing sites authored in old-style markup.

Covering a wide range of topics, all extremely relevant to anyone in the business of making quality websites, this book should help any reader to feel confident in their awareness of the current state of play. The first few chapters introduce the fundamental concepts of markup languages and hypertext, before diving straight in to page and graphic design. Designing page layouts using tables is advised against, and the superior CSS positioning options are championed. Subjects usually left out of introductory texts - like accessibility and site administration - are here examined and explained without ever being simplistic (or stunting the reader's understanding with overly-technical information). In fact, the book carries a very strong commitment to usability and accessibility, and includes many practical implementation tips. A complete introduction to JavaScript is also included.

While a complete discourse on each subject area are naturally beyond the scope of the book, adequate exposition is given for each topic, which will provide ample foundation for further learning. This book is an excellent starting point that will quickly set interested readers on the right track.

-- Ross Shannon, yourhtmlsource.com