Invest in Your-SELF: Six Secrets to a Rich Life: Marc Eisenson, Gerri Detweiler, Nancy Castleman

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Written by three veteran consumer experts who escaped the rat race, Invest in Yourself is a comprehensive guide for saving money and becoming a better person in the process. The book offers six secrets to the rich life–the first is to determine what you want in a career, write Marc Eisenson, Gerri Detweiler, and Nancy Castleman. “By carefully investing your time, energy, and maybe a little money, you can find out where you really want to go–and then do what you need to get there,” they write. “It’s one of your best investment opportunities, way better than anything you can get in the stock market.” The other five keys: invest in intangibles like family and friends; pay off debts and get into a 401(k); keep learning new skills; manage your own money and get an “ace in the hole”–a tiny business of your own. Invest in Yourself offers a myriad of tips for squeezing the most out of a dollar. It tells you how to negotiate to get the best price on just about anything, including motel rooms and used cars, and gives the lowdown on turning your kids into savers and investors, controlling college bills, cutting home buying costs, and planning for retirement. The book is also a good clearinghouse for Web sites, helpful phone numbers, and information about newsletters like Loose Change and The Cheapskate Monthly.

The authors know first hand how to live a simple life and reduce expenses. Eisenson and Castleman left behind the big city and started a pro-consumer newsletter in a rented dream home in the country. They very rarely go to stores, preferring yard sales and thrift shops; they grow much of their own food; and practically everything they buy is used. If it breaks, they fix it. Cowriter Gerri Detweiler chucked her executive post with a large credit-education organization and made it as a writer and consultant. If you’re thinking of making a similar move, this book might be a good investment. It’s also for anyone looking for some ways to stay on a tight budget or for people just joining the working world. –Dan Ring
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Eisenson, along with Nancy Castleman, promote debt-free living in the newsletter they publish, Pocket Change Investor. Gerri Detweiler is author of The Ultimate Credit Handbook (1993, 1997) and former executive director of the Bankcard Holders of America. Here the three cooperate to combine several different genres of self-help guidance. They make the case that money management is more than just earning, spending, and investing wisely; “it’s about how you choose to live your life” and “there’s no correct way to go.” Taking note that there are many possible variations on the family today, they still advise to “put your family first.” They also suggest that no matter where you work, always “be in business for yourself.” The trio offer an array of penny-pinching and penny-saving tips in order to “make the most of the money you bring home.” They recommend avoiding debt and eschewing credit whenever possible. Finally, the authors lay out the simple basics for setting a financial planning strategy. David Rouse
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Order Invest in Your-SELF: Six Secrets to a Rich Life: Marc Eisenson, Gerri Detweiler, Nancy Castleman form Amazon.

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
For twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, controlling one’s financial life is a challenge many times exacerbated by a lack of knowledge about how money works. Author Kobliner, herself under 30, has assembled an excellent collection of basic money management principles and has specially tailored this presentation to the particular interests of these age groups. She discusses investing in mutual funds, tax-deferred savings plans, staying away from ATMs, legal tax deductions, understanding the minimal return on bank passbook savings accounts, tearing up credit cards, 401k plans and IRAs, and other important topics. Kobliner, who narrates her own work, emphasizes the personal discipline required to implement these sound suggestions, an example of her keen insights with this targeted audience and her experience as a contributor to Money magazine. This neatly summarized material?short and sweet, just like this age group will want?nicely accompanies such well-known works as The Beardstown Ladies’ Common-Sense Investment Guide (Audio Reviews, LJ 4/15/96) and Dave Ramsey’s solid Financial Peace (Penguin Audiobooks, 1996). This will be a useful addition to all public libraries.?Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
As one grows older, it becomes increasingly apparent that the oft-repeated admonishment that it is never too early to start saving money is all too true. But the young are often disinclined to think about growing older, and they usually cannot “afford” to start setting money aside. Kobliner, herself a barely thirtysomething who writes for Money magazine, attempts to reach younger readers by speaking their language and tailoring fairly standard financial counsel to the needs and circumstances of those just starting out on their own. Included in her advice on budgeting, credit, banking, investing, retirement planning, home buying, insurance, and taxes are tips on car loans, credit cards, ATMs, bank accounts, mutual funds, retirement savings plans, apartment renting, and paying back student loans. David Rouse
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Order Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner form Amazon.

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
For twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, controlling one’s financial life is a challenge many times exacerbated by a lack of knowledge about how money works. Author Kobliner, herself under 30, has assembled an excellent collection of basic money management principles and has specially tailored this presentation to the particular interests of these age groups. She discusses investing in mutual funds, tax-deferred savings plans, staying away from ATMs, legal tax deductions, understanding the minimal return on bank passbook savings accounts, tearing up credit cards, 401k plans and IRAs, and other important topics. Kobliner, who narrates her own work, emphasizes the personal discipline required to implement these sound suggestions, an example of her keen insights with this targeted audience and her experience as a contributor to Money magazine. This neatly summarized material?short and sweet, just like this age group will want?nicely accompanies such well-known works as The Beardstown Ladies’ Common-Sense Investment Guide (Audio Reviews, LJ 4/15/96) and Dave Ramsey’s solid Financial Peace (Penguin Audiobooks, 1996). This will be a useful addition to all public libraries.?Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
As one grows older, it becomes increasingly apparent that the oft-repeated admonishment that it is never too early to start saving money is all too true. But the young are often disinclined to think about growing older, and they usually cannot “afford” to start setting money aside. Kobliner, herself a barely thirtysomething who writes for Money magazine, attempts to reach younger readers by speaking their language and tailoring fairly standard financial counsel to the needs and circumstances of those just starting out on their own. Included in her advice on budgeting, credit, banking, investing, retirement planning, home buying, insurance, and taxes are tips on car loans, credit cards, ATMs, bank accounts, mutual funds, retirement savings plans, apartment renting, and paying back student loans. David Rouse
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Order Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner form Amazon.

The Everything Personal Finance in Your 40s and 50s Book: A comprehensive strategy to ensure you can retire when you want and live well (Everything Series): Jennifer Lane, Bill Lane

• Filed under: Recommended

Every day, more than 10,000 people turn forty in the United States, moving toward retirement without traditional pension plans backing them up. Lacking the safety net that protected their parents and grandparents, they’re forced to take the initiative for their own financial security. They need a source of information that doesn’t scare them away with insider jargon and intimidating complications. This book will help those who have felt uninformed, intimidated, or excluded from the process, and will simplify difficult topics like budgeting, investing, paying for college while saving for retirement, and helping kids with debt. People will find the essential tools and resources they need to set a course toward retirement and security at this critical stage in life.

About the Author
Jennifer Lane, CFP (Boston, MA), is the founder and principal of Compass Planning Associates in Boston. She specializes in pragmatic solutions to the challenges of mid- and later-life financial planning, including clients who are in their 40s and 50s and approaching financial planning for the first time. She is the featured weekly personal finance expert on New England Cable News’ BusinessDay. She is a sought-after financial expert, and her advice has been featured on Fox 25 News and WGBH-TV, and in BW and USA Today.

Bill Lane (Boston, MA) is an author, editor, and financial journalist. He has covered the economy as a finance reporter in Phoenix and Boston, and he worked as managing editor of the Boston Business Journal.
Order The Everything Personal Finance in Your 40s and 50s Book: A comprehensive strategy to ensure you can retire when you want and live well (Everything Series): Jennifer Lane, Bill Lane form Amazon.

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
For twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, controlling one’s financial life is a challenge many times exacerbated by a lack of knowledge about how money works. Author Kobliner, herself under 30, has assembled an excellent collection of basic money management principles and has specially tailored this presentation to the particular interests of these age groups. She discusses investing in mutual funds, tax-deferred savings plans, staying away from ATMs, legal tax deductions, understanding the minimal return on bank passbook savings accounts, tearing up credit cards, 401k plans and IRAs, and other important topics. Kobliner, who narrates her own work, emphasizes the personal discipline required to implement these sound suggestions, an example of her keen insights with this targeted audience and her experience as a contributor to Money magazine. This neatly summarized material?short and sweet, just like this age group will want?nicely accompanies such well-known works as The Beardstown Ladies’ Common-Sense Investment Guide (Audio Reviews, LJ 4/15/96) and Dave Ramsey’s solid Financial Peace (Penguin Audiobooks, 1996). This will be a useful addition to all public libraries.?Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
As one grows older, it becomes increasingly apparent that the oft-repeated admonishment that it is never too early to start saving money is all too true. But the young are often disinclined to think about growing older, and they usually cannot “afford” to start setting money aside. Kobliner, herself a barely thirtysomething who writes for Money magazine, attempts to reach younger readers by speaking their language and tailoring fairly standard financial counsel to the needs and circumstances of those just starting out on their own. Included in her advice on budgeting, credit, banking, investing, retirement planning, home buying, insurance, and taxes are tips on car loans, credit cards, ATMs, bank accounts, mutual funds, retirement savings plans, apartment renting, and paying back student loans. David Rouse
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Order Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner form Amazon.

You’ve Earned It, Don’t Lose It : Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make When You Retire: Suze Orman, Linda Mead

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Considering how hard people work for the majority of their lives with an eye towards retiring, it’s surprising to find that many give little thought to actually funding their retirement. In You’ve Earned It, Don’t Lose It: Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make When You Retire, financial advisor Suze Orman addresses this sad fact and “goes beyond the usual financial primer to describe how to safeguard your financial future.” A specialist in retirement issues and a Certified Financial Planner, Orman knows her stuff, and she shares it in a straightforward manner that’s especially helpful for those new to navigating the often-confusing course of retirement planning. Beginning with an overview of investment advice and what to look for in an investment counselor, Orman moves on to eight chapters filled with financial planning wisdom–offering focused discussions of trusts vs. wills, long-term care insurance, early retirement, durable power of attorney, estate taxes and probate costs, minimizing your expenses/maximizing your income, joint and survivor benefits, and a successful retirement. Also included are resource lists, handy quick tips, informative graphs, and personal accounts, making this an invaluable tool in planning for one of the most important turning points in your life.
–This text refers to the

Paperback
edition.

From Publishers Weekly
This hard-nosed, pull-no-punches money guide lays out what to do on the way to retirement in seven crucial financial transitions of a lifetime. The author explains, in understandable language, vital aspects, wrinkles and angles that many people will have never heard of. Citing harrowing situations that many have unexpectedly encountered upon early retirement?loss of a spouse, long-term illness, investment collapse or a poorly prepared estate plan?California-based certified financial planner Orman analyzes dismayingly complicated IRS tax rulings, decisions about trusts vs. wills, long-term health-care insurance policies, powers-of-attorney and the effects of unexpected death involving former spouses and their children. Particularly informative is a section on withholding costly life-support procedures in cases of hopeless injury or terminal illness. In closing, Orman tenders cheerful advice on making money?by saving it.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Developing Business Strategies: David A. Aaker

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Unless you know where your company is going, chances are it won’t get very far in today’s global marketplace. That’s why every business needs the strong vision and keen sense of direction that come from the development, evaluation, and implementation of business strategiesand why every business owner or manager should have Developing Business Strategies, David A. Aaker’s classic and comprehensive guide to strategic planning, now in its fifth edition. Using vivid case studies, Developing Business Strategies helps you to move beyond reactive problem solving toward the development and realization of sound strategic objectives for your company. Providing both the framework and the tools necessary to make strategy development and strategy review efforts effective, this book shows you how to: Conduct a structured external and internal analysis of a business with confidence Develop sustainable competitive advantages by creating assets, competencies, and strategies Make strategic investment decisions to generate growth Organize to support strategies Compete strategically in hostile, growth, and global contexts. As compact and easy to use as ever, this new Fifth Edition offers new or revised sections on current topics such as strategic uncertainty, buyer hot buttons, shifting customer priorities, strategy as options, paradigm shifts, organizational stubbornness, and brand equity. You’ll also find up-to-date research and fresh examples on economic value analysis, competitor image, total quality management, reengineering, the virtual corporation, and moreplus a set of useful sample planning forms to help guide you through the strategy development process. Whether you’re a business owner, manager, or planning executive, the key to your company’s success is in Developing Business Strategies. Praise for the Fourth Edition of Developing Business Strategies “A delight to readsound strategic advice that is also very well illustrated with helpful, practical examples. The book helped our management team to thoroughly understand our business environment and chart new growth directions.” Daniel G. Simpson Director of Strategy and Planning The Clorox Company. “An excellent work. Unlike other books that are either too theoretical or are merely recompilations of existing planning principles, this book finds fruitful ground with fundamental planning principles, credible examples, and superb references, all enhanced by a flowing narrative.” P. Timothy Carroll Manager, Strategy and Innovation Xerox Corporation. “Unquestionably the most comprehensive treatment available on the subject. I found the book unique in its capacity to benefit executives, planning staff, and students of strategy alike.” Robert L. Joss. Managing Director and CEO Westpac Banking Corporation. “An exceptional tool for the challenges facing today’s corporate planner. It should be read by every manager involved in planning and strategy.” Robert L. Lindberg Vice President and Treasurer Transamerica Corporation. “David Aaker provides a clearly written how-to guide to help managers identify, select, and implement strategies. He does this without pedantry, encouraging flexibility and creativity in approaching decisions.” Sandra L. Kurtzig Founder and former CEO The ASK Companies.

From the Inside Flap
This powerful, revised edition of David Aaker’s enduring classic helps managers institute long-term business. Presenting a new chapter on strategic positioning, which places a face to the business strategy for customers and for employees, Aaker shows how it can play a powerful role in crystallizing and clarifying strategy, driving strategic initiatives, guiding communication strategy, and supporting the organizational structure.

This book provides a framework for looking outside the business to sense changes, trends, threats, and opportunities, and to analyze these conditions to develop strategic options. A set of agendas helps start the process, which is supported by a summary flow diagram and planning forms. Plus, new and updated sections on topics such as knowledge management, downstream business models, brand extensions, illusionary synergy, global leadership, creative thinking, and more round out the book.

Crucial to the success of any long-term strategy is the development of sustainable competitive advantages built from organizational assets and competencies. Aaker presents methods and concepts for identifying these advantages and making them the centerpiece of successful methods of branding, advertising, distribution, manufacturing, and finance.

This book also helps organizations select investment levels and chart growth directions for existing business areas as well as alternative growth directions, including market penetration, product expansion, market expansion, diversification, and more. Using methods such as strategic uncertainties, portfolio models, and scenario analysis, managers will learn to evaluate numerous investment alternatives.

Aaker explains how an organization’s structure, systems, people, and culture contribute to the successful implementation of a strategy. He also describes how to implement a dynamic strategy that responds to changing conditions, how to use alliances to gain strategic advantage, and how to implement strategies when markets are hostile or declining or when competition is global in scope.

Completely revised with new examples from business-to-business to the Internet-related arena, Developing Business Strategies, Sixth Edition is a virtually inexhaustible resource for managers at all levels, as well as small business owners and managers.
–This text refers to the

Hardcover
edition.

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Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders: Kathy Bloomgarden

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

TRUST: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders taps into a powerful current in American business – the importance of trust in a business’s corporate strategy. In today’s environment, leaders who add the most value to their companies tend to make decisions based not on short-term financial goals, but on strongly-held values. They develop a reservoir of trustamong their key stakeholders and use it to speak frankly as challenges arise. These leaders are inspired by an adherence to principles that form, for each of them, a platform of rock-solid values they will not violate.

TRUST brings into vivid focus the characteristics that make today’s leaders successful, and the principles and techniques they use to earn the confidence of employees, colleagues, customers and the public. Using dozens of interviews with top business leaders, as well as real-life anecdotes and situations, CEO and business adviser Kathy Bloomgarden offers practical recommendations that can be applied by anyone, whether a corporate CEO, an executive of a not-for-profit organization, a politician, a division president, or even an ambitious young person at the beginning of his or her career.

About the Author
Kathy Bloomgarden is Co-CEO of Ruder Finn, Inc., one of the world’s largest and most successful global public relations agencies. As a recognized communications advisor and confidante to some of today’s most influential corporate leaders, Dr. Bloomgarden shapes communications programs that help executive teams effectively establish trust with their employees, their customers, the business community and society at large.



Dr. Bloomgarden is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, Women’s Leadership Board of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the board of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. She frequently represents the communications industry perspective at world events such as the World Economic Forum Annual Conference in Davos and Fortune Magazine’s CEO Summits, Most Powerful Women Summit and Aspen Institute Brainstorm Events. She graduated with a B.A. from Brown University, and has an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in Political Science, as well as a certificate from the East Asian Institute. She is fluent in French, and has a working knowledge of Chinese, Italian, German and Russian.



Dr. Bloomgarden is married, with three children.

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CEO Capital: A Guide to Building CEO Reputation and Company Success: Leslie Gaines-Ross

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Review
“This is an excellent book of dos and don ts for CEOs, potential CEOs and especially for the PR people who must help them get their message out to their various publics.” (Public Relations Quarterly, Summer 2003)

“This is an excellent book of dos and don’ts for CEOs, potential CEOs and especially for the PR people who must help them get their message out to their various publics.” (Public Relations Quarterly, Summer 2003)

A manifesto supported by compelling original research and informed by intelligent, sympathetic analysis. — The Holmes Report, February 10, 2003

Gaines-Ross has…built a formidable case that…CEOs need to invest in their own reputations… — The Holmes Report, February 10, 2003

It is also a rare book about public relations that preaches not to the choir but to the choirmasters. — The Holmes Report, February 10, 2003

The reputations of CEOs and the companies they lead are deeply and inextricably linked. The manner in which the media, investors, analysts, employees, and even the general public perceive a chief executive has tremendous influence over the company’s prosperity, standing, and destiny.

In CEO Capital, Dr. Gaines-Ross describes in practical terms the strategies to follow–and the obstacles to avoid–so that CEOs can enhance the reputation of their company during the five stages of their tenure.

CEO Capital is the only book that provides these guidelines and isolates best practices for CEOs as they navigate their way through their first 100 days to their last 100 hours.

About the author: Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross is chief knowledge and research officer at Burson-Marsteller, a leading global communications consultancy with more than 1,600 employees worldwide. Previously, she served as Fortune’s communications and marketing director.

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Sun Tzu and the Art of Business: Six Strategic Principles for Managers: Mark R. McNeilly

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Review
If you have begun using Mark McNeilly’s Sun Tzu and the Art of Business to improve your operations, you’re undoubtedly a leader. If you plan to read the book in the near future, you’re certainly a comer. — Strategy & Leadership Journal

If you’ve ever felt that business is like war, a new business book based on the teachings of an ancient Chinese warrior has much to offer. — Entrepreneur Magazine

This book is fun and serious… this is a fast and interesting read. I recommend it to anyone interested in strategy. — Academy of Management Executive

Review

“K-Mart, AT&T, Xerox, and General Motors would have saved themselves billions of dollars if their past CEO’s had read this book.”–Philip Kotler, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
“This practical introduction to Sun Tzu’s ideas will help U.S. business leaders to quickly overcome their international rivals’ incredible head start in exploiting Sun Tzu’s wisdom…. Mr. McNeilly deserves the thanks of American business. His new book is the best of the four American attempts at the difficult feat of converting Sun Tzu’s seminal Ping Fa–or The Art of War, as it’s called in the West–into a usable guide for strategic managers.”–David I. Goldenberg Strategy and Leadership
“Finally someone wrote a book on The Art of War that makes sense.”–Bryan Bloom, Chief Operating Officer, The C/W Company
“This book is fun and serious…a fast and interesting read. I recommend it to anyone interested in strategy.”–Academy of Management Executives
“If you’ve ever felt that business is like war, a new business book based on the teachings of an ancient Chinese warrior has much to offer.”–Entrepreneur Magazine

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