Money Books

Everywoman's Money: Confident Investing was outstanding. Delightful read for invaluable results. Not only is Deborah Owen's writing style easy flowing -- she takes a set of complicated topics -- "recognizing the need to" and "knowing how to" save and invest -- and provided simplicity, clarity, and thoroughness. Simplicity of the complicated factors savers and investors need to consider and understand to develop good financial programs.
Clarity in the specific actions that need to be taken. Thoroughness in the breadth of savings and investment industry alternatives there are to choose from -- and guidance on making those choices.

Confident Investing is a terrific book for anyone who wants to understand the topic of money management and investing. It is entertaining, easy-to-read, and loaded with interesting anecdotes and "coaching tips" on how to get started and what to do! The topic of investing can seem intimidating at times, but Deborah knows how to break down all the "hard-to-understand" lingo and speak to the reader in a conversational and common sense language. I thank Deborah for giving me the motivation and knowledge level to take control of my own financial future!

Pryor to changing careers, I worked in the Brokerage/ Investment Banking Industry for 13 years and daily watched the insiders use the Stock Market wisely to build their dreams and financial futures. During those years there were very few books on the market that educated the average investor about the basics of successful investing. Debbie Owens has written Confident Investing to fill that void. Though there are many books on the subject these days, Confident Investing is one of the first books I have read that has provided the basic information and the encouragement one needs to become a successful investor.Though the book solely focuses on women, the information rings true for all novice investors. How much you invest is not the focus. Having a firm foundation about investments is key to making wise decisions with your hard earned dollars!

Debbie begins each chapter with stories about women in various life stages and how each person with financial education was able to change the course of their lives. Each women was able to make their dreams come true.

Each chapter also has coaching tips and a money therapy section to emphasis the theme for that chapter. The chapters end with a journal section to help you analysis those unspoken blocks that prevent each of us from reaching our goals. You can not read this book without wanting to make a change for the better.

I would encourage anyone who wants to achieve their financial goals to begin with this book! The best place to start is with basic information.... Debbie has "cornered the market" on that!

My firm took on a civil asset forfeiture case and I received the daunting task of trying to get the case to court. I found Mr. Sibley's book most informative, as it made clear an area of law that is unfamiliar to most. The book includes sample pleadings that I found very helpful. The area of civil asset forfeiture is complex, and Mr. Sibley's book is a must-read for anyone who is considering tackling it.

This is truly a BIBLE to handling civil forefeiture cases! It contains everything you need in battling with the government in forefeiture cases.

Mr. Sibley has taken the mystery, wonder and guess work out of the Federal Foreiture arena. This Practice Manual is structured to equip any attorney with the knowledge and skill necessary to challenge a property seizure by the Feds efficiently, effectively and with confidence. As a sole practicioner criminal defense attorney the Manual is perfectly suited as a practice guide for the occasional forfeiture matters I handle. The time savings alone are invaluable as compared to conducting research from scratch and the ease of use allows for quicker, more complete planning of case stategy and preparation. I find the CD format ideally suited for this type of manual as compared to a 600 page book. If you handle any Federal Forfeiture matters this manual will provide you with the amunition and armor needed to do battle with the government.

The product was as it was described. I received the text in a timely manner, actually it was soon after the purchase.

It is a very good book, but might be rather basic for advanced financial people. However, it is very easy to follow, so it might be good.

This book is a great introduction for someone with little background in economics or finance. It is also a good refresher for people that do have backgroungs in finance. I used it for the latter purpose and I still learned some things that I never previously knew. This book goes into a comprehensive examination of interest rates, fixed income securities, derivatives, and stocks. Easy to read and understand. Well written.

A very good book. I would recommend it to young and old alike. It is a good, clean, romantic story that shows how God has a plan for all of us.

This first effort is a gentle read. Suitable for adolescents as well as adult readers, Ms. Lewis entangles us immediately into the lives of her well-defined characters. I found myself caring about what happened next and hated to have it end. I particularly enjoyed the Christian focus which was laid-back but constant. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Lewis' books.

I was immediately absorbed in the lives of Lilly, Rose, Travis and Clarence. Lilly is able to reach everyone with innocence and compassion--a woman, yet still with the refreshing energy and naivety of a young girl. A touching and interesting story which has thread through the entire book love, compassion, kindness and Christianity. A great story and characters!

From the beginning, where Anderson announces that to understand present American politics, one must grasp that Texas is a third world country whose capitol is Houston, he grabs the reader's attention and doesn't let it go. (Not only is Texas a 'third world country,' but Bush et al. have tried to run the US the same way... and were successful for several years.) _Follow_ tracks several characters (DeLay, Bush, Abramoff) through a twisting maze of money laundering, fraud, and crooked politics.

Much of the book focuses on the Delay/Abramoff scandal, though he outlines clear ties between Abramoff and Karl Rove. (eg. Rove's personal assistant is Abramoff's former personal assistant.)

If you're not the sort of person who reads the news, this is not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you wish to know just how the American government was stolen by politicians more familiar with the Banana Republic known as Texas (and how it all fell apart...), buy this book.

"Follow the Money" begins in Houston, a city 62% minority, one of the most ozone-polluted areas in the country, and the largest city in the U.S. without zoning regulations. In 1994, top Texas officials were all Democrats, as was the majority of its House and Senate, and its Congressmen in Washington. The only exception was its two national Senators - both Republicans. George W. Bush won the Governor's seat in 1994, beating incumbent Ann Richards with 53% of the vote. (The author suspects that Rush Limbaugh's popularity in the state was a factor.)

After a brief introduction to James Baker (major player in the Bush I administration, and architect of Bush II's Florida win), the scene shifts inexplicably to Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Grover Norquist, and Karl Rove. It's on to Abramoff's first clients (Marianas Islands - fighting to retain their exemption from U.S. labor laws, and a Mississippi Indian tribe trying to prevent new competition in nearby Alabama), DeLay's creation of the K-Street Project and relief for corporations from taxation and regulation.

Abramoff goes on to create a number of false front organizations to launder his fees and donations, double-cross one Indian tribe client (also worked for their competitor against them), made numerous contacts with Karl Rove and the White House (learned despite use of Republican National Committee e-mails to elude retention requirement), etc.

A well-detailed and sordid history of recent American politics.

"Follow the Money" is, as John Anderson writes, a "first pass at history," an effort to chronicle a "vast web of intrigue." He might well have said a vast web of corruption, as intricate as a Mark Lombardi diagram, for that is the book's subject -- the barely concealed but highly complex efforts of Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, and a host of others, most with close ties to Texas, in their bald pursuit of money and power. Abramoff's story is particularly appalling -- for example, Anderson explains how Abramoff manipulated the anti-gambling Christian right in the service of his pro-gambling Native American clients who wished to crush competing tribes in nearby states, and then turned around to represent those same competing tribes in their efforts to legalize gambling -- but it is only one strand in Anderson's fascinating story.

Anderson's account is thoroughly documented and fair minded, acknowledging honesty and integrity on either side of the aisle whenever it presents itself. Witness the examples of Paul O'Neill, James Comey, and even John Ashcroft, all of whom come out quite well in Anderson's account.

Although George W. Bush is certainly an actor in this tale, his relative absence, compared to others, is telling in and of itself. Bush is not a prime mover in his own universe. That role falls to others, such as Dick Cheney and Karl Rove (yet another Texan).

Anderson's story, exposing the naked power grab of the Republicans in Washington, D.C. (and particularly in Congress), as well as in Texas, is a shocker. We can only hope the Democrats in Congress, and perhaps soon the White House, do a better job.

This "how to get out of credit card debt " book provides a practical, meaningful tool. Each of the chapters - including those on credit counseling, debt settlement, bankruptcy, what happens to your credit rating - can be read and used one at time enabling the reader to focus on topics of immediate interest. The budget chapter, which recognizes there is no single "right choice" only the choice right for you, provides the tools needed to create the personalized foundation necessary to becoming debt free. It seems to me that this guy knows what he is talking about and a few hours spent reading this book can save the reader thousands of dollars and more importantly, needless credit damage.

This is an excerpt from the Introduction that I hope will help you better understand how important this book is to you if your sincerely want to avoid bankrupty... and foreclosure.

"Although personal responsibility is the fundamental first step in getting your financial house in order, I have always firmly believed that the credit card issuers have played a major role - and some suggest a dark role - in creating the current consumer debt crisis in America. I met with hundreds of good people who took responsibility for their debt and looked their financial disaster in the eye. All of them soon realized that the blame did not belong to them alone. They demonstrated to me that consumers in debt trouble are ready, willing, and able to rethink, reject, and release the habits and misconceptions they had about credit, avoid bankruptcy, and start building a durable financial future. This book has been written to help you take responsibility, just as they did; to support your desire to spare yourself the personal anguish and long-term financial consequences of bankruptcy; and to give you the skills you need to never again to be in anyone's debt."

The trick to getting out of debt is doing something, but first you need to know what to do.

This book crept to the heart of credit card debt straight away - the fact that most of us don't want to even know how much our debt is, or admit to ourselves that we've gotten into this mess in the first place. Debt is intensely personal.

Harvey Warren lays out the groundwork by showing us how the credit card companies work, how they set us up by luring us in with promotional awards, and give us more credit than we need. He does an excellent job in advising the consumer of the options and programs that are out there, what to do about the crushing shame that comes with overwhelming credit problems, and how to start to get out of the debt hole. This was a very informative book, and I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with overwelming credit card debt.

Morrie Warshawki's second edition of "The Fundraising Houseparty" is as informative and eye-opening as its predecessor. At a slim 58 pages, Warshawki's conciseness is a welcome alternative to wordier books that say much less. The cost may seem a bit steep but not when weighed against the cost of hiring a fundraising house party consultant. Because that's what this book is: your own houseparty guide.

Warshawski is quick to admit that not all houseparties are financially successful. Care must be taken. But it's hard to imagine losing money if following his detailed advice. Someone brand new to personal asks will find this work helpful.

Warshawski's work is eminently practical. He tells you:
* how much time to allow for the people to mingle (30-45 minutes),
* how to position the food table (pulled away from the wall), and
* which type of video presentation works best (one that makes people cry).

The Fundraising House Party is packed with checklists, annotated outlines, attractive and informative samples of invitations, and even a script for the peer solicitor. Most of the invitations can be done on something as easy as Microsoft Word.

"The Fundraising House Party" is easy to read in 30 minutes but you'll be refering to it for months to come!


Chapters include:
*Introduction
*Key Elements
*Pre-Party Checklist
*The Party
*Some Last Notes
*Appendix

I just finished The Fundraising Houseparty and I was extremely impressed with the professionalism and quality of content that Morrie presents.

No goofy gimmics or weird tactics to make money off of houseparties.

Morrie presents a lot of quality ideas, tips, and principles to make your fundraising houseparty a success.

Highly recommended for the nonprofit professional.

Now in an expanded edition with new examples, The Fundraising Houseparty: How to Party With a Purpose and Raise Money for Your Cause lives up to its title as a concise, no-nonsense guide to organizing a successful fundraising houseparty. Chapters cover how to compose a tasteful invitation, the all-important task of selecting an "Ask" (the person who will ask party guests for money), how to tastefully make follow-up calls, the role of refreshments, setting a target fundraising goal for the party, and much more. Black-and-white photographs and a wealth of sample documents, especially sample invitations, round out this easy-to-follow guide useful for corporations, charities, and even private individuals (such as struggling artists). "Follow-up calls to confirm that people are in fact coming are absolutely vital. You don't want to hound, but you also want people to realize that this is not a casual party... Two weeks before your house party, start calling everyone on your list... If someone says they cannot attend, then ask them to make a contribution." Highly recommended.

Some critics have complained that Brett Duval-Fromson's the Gaga Years falls short of his Running and Fighting: Working in Washington. That's a bit like comparing the Cherry Orchard to King Lear and concluding that it isn't a very good play.

And in any case, the critics may not have been paying close enough attention. It is only on the second or third reading that one sees how Duval-Fromson's wit suffuses this book. One of many examples: The chapter on MiniScribe, a disk-drive maker whose financial shenanigans are compared to fall of Acre in 1291, is written without recourse to the letter "E" -- a wry comment on how MiniScribe ulimately lacked earnings.

While many consider the Gaga Years a business book, in my library its shelved elsewhere -- between Dumas and Eckhart.

Duval-Fromson's work has it all: The braces, the big cigars, the Lydians. Drawing parallels between Croesus, Ivan Boesky, the beginnings of Lyme disease in Westchester, and George Soros' sparring with the Hunt brothers, the Gaga Years weaves a tale that will keep you turning the pages through pot after pot of Earl Grey.

Duval-Fromson's finest book is matched only, perchance, by E.A. Roy's work on Hungarian bearer bonds. I pray that it will come back in print.

Few financial journalists ask the tough questions as determinedly as the polymath Brett Duval-Fromson. This book is a freewheeling, far-ranging essay on how money works, how to play it -- and what it means.

Without lapsing into intrusiveness or self-involvement, Fromson practically makes high finance into an Aesop's fable in this incredibly accessible narrative. From his insight on the society of the Lydians to a quirky story about the Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy II, Fromson keeps the reader turning the pages -- and you just might learn something while you're at it!

At 35 and watching the world in financial crisis I decided to do something about my own financial budget. I needed help getting started and organized. I am just digging my way out of being in deep debt and I don't want to use credit cards any more. I want to be financially able to pay for stuff in cash by saving up for it. I went through high school and missed one very important thing and that was them teaching me life skills. I learned what I needed to to get into college but not how to budget my money. No more living from paycheck to paycheck. Thank you Cheryl Hosking for writing "Get to it! Organizational Solutions For Everyday Life... Budget Book." It has changed my financial future for the better. I recommend this book to everyone young and old to please buy this book and save your financial future. Get on track and you be in control of your money. Quit living from paycheck to paycheck and save for the fun things in life. God Bless.

At 38, I realized I had gone from my father handling my finances, to my husband handling them. I was too overwhelmed and scared to get any control for myself. Ms. Hosking's book helped make me comfortable with being in charge of my own finacial future. The "Get To It Budget Book" is easy to understand, and a great way to help you get ahead of debt. Thanks to it, I am thriving on a part time income! Highly recommended for anyone!

In terms of getting organized and taking control of your financial responsibilities, this is virtually certain to be the most important single book you will ever read. It will literally save you a fortune and zero out financial stress forever. The simple changes I have adopted because of this book have made a world of difference in my family finances.

I am not only making this my personal financial handbook, I am teaching my children Cheryl Hosking's system. She has done all the research and testing. You just have to adopt her system. It not only works like a charm, it is easy to stick with the program. The book includes the exact information, including the tracking forms I needed to get painlessly organized.

This book rates an A+++. It takes the pain out of a normally painful task. There is no fluff or hype here. The book is well designed, concise and eminently practical.

If you only buy one book this year, do yourself or someone you love a huge favor and make this the book. It's that good and it's that valuable.

I thought this would be mostly about financial aid too, but it wasn't. My mother gave me this book before I went off to college (Freshman at Jackson State University). My sister also read it before she went to school and it teaches you about how to manage your money in all financial areas including your credit cards. I recommend this book to all college students no matter what level your at. This can help you put your money matters in order.

This book really covers it all - from financial aid to money management to real student experiences with paying for college and budgeting their time and money - it was the most well-written and accessible money-related book i've ever read. As I prepare for my freshman year, I'm now much less stressed about how to handle all of the money issues that come with college. Buy this book!

I thought this book would be mostly about financial aid, but it has so much more information that it's probably the most helpful money management book I've ever read. With quotes, essays, and interviews from students and recent graduates, this book is a great resource to make the right financial aid decisions, but also for dealing with all money matters including credit cards, budgets, and handling the stress of the college bill! I definitely recommend this book to any year college student! (I'm a sophomore.)