5 comments about The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers.

1. The Breakthrough Company goes where Good to Great left off. Asking the question: How does a company become a Breakthrough Company. An excellent book for anyone to read who is trying to build a company which will turn into a mega corporation.



2. This book details a set of transitions in philosophy for companies as they move from being fast-growing startups to much larger companies ($100+ million revenue). Similar to Collins' Good to Great, this is a detailed analysis of a number of successful companies in that range, along with some deep studies of what worked for them. There are a bunch of great stories about what worked, as well as contrasts with specific comparison companies that it didn't work for. I recommend reading it, if only for the chapters on common blind spots of entrepreneurs and the tendency of companies to become risk-averse - and limiting their growth potential - once they become slightly profitable.
   
   The biggest thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that the survey left out many companies that were super-successful during that time period - including Oracle, Apple, and Microsoft. The reasoning was that they had become so big that the study wasn't really geared to deal with them. However, I'm suspicious as to whether that was the only reason, because several of the lessons learned in the study seem contradicted by those successes. For example, the "crown the company" lesson says that in order to grow the leader needs to put the good of the company ahead of the individual. Would you say that of Larry Elision, Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates? While none would bury the company, let's be clear - people in those organizations are looking to please the top man, not some corporate vision/guidelines/"spirit."



3. Breakthrough Companies is a great book that is the "Good to Great" book for small businesses.
   
   It talks about how small businesses became breakthrough companies by taking actions.
   
   I highly recommend this book
   
   Here are the major things Keith talks about in his book
   
   Crowning the company
   
   Build something bigger than themselves. A Breakthrough company worries first about the company before any one person.
   
   They use the following table to show the differences
   
   Upping the Ante
   
   Breakthrough companies are willing to place big bets on investments that can over time tip the odds in a company's favor.
   Like poker they need to focus on
   (i) Understanding the game
   (ii) Calculating the odds
   (iii) Understanding his competitors
   (iv) Understanding himself and his company
   
   Building Company Character
   
   Great quotes used in the book
   "A man's character is his fate" - Heraclitus
   " People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character" - Ralph Waldo Emerson
   
   A company's view of people is an unmistakable reflection of its organization character. If it sees people as selfish, lazy, and unmotivated - that's the kind of people it will attract. If it believes in the potential of people to do great things, and has competent leadership, its people will rise to the occasion.
   
   Breakthrough companies pride themselves on finding ways to cut costs in areas that don't matter much, but generously ladle resources into areas they know will give them an edge.
   
   Breakthrough companies are built on a bedrock of company character.
   
   Values refer to what people in a company purport to believe, while character refers to how people in an organization really operate
   
   All breakthrough companies followed the following characteristics
   (i) Give folks a fair deal
   (ii) Believe in people
   (iii) Be strategic miser
   (iv) Make your word count
   
   Navigating the business Bermuda triangle
   
   Small companies, by virtue of their size, often have three major advantages. As a company grows, it must transform the characteristics that gave it its small-company edge into sustaining advantages.
   
   By definition, small companies tend to be lean, nimble, and close to the customer. The question is how to sustain these advantages and build on them as they grow?
   
   Breakthrough companies eventually transition from "save the customer" organizational heroics to robust systems designed to constantly monitor and enhance the value they are providing their customers.
   
   Four key "compass headings" for navigating this transformation
   (i) Understand that to build in structural cost advantages, you often have to spend some money.
   (ii) Avoid premature diversification of product lines: Companies often move on to the next product before fully mastering the ones they've already got.
   (iii) When it's time to diversify products or markets, let your customers be your guide
   (iv) Nothing kills speed, hurts customer satisfaction, and erodes a cost advantage faster than unnecessary layers of management
   
   Erecting Scaffolding
   
   "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experiences of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams
   
   Too many growing companies continually try to reinvent the wheel instead of seeking out the very best wheel-makers.
   
   CEO's need to work hard to populate their board and leadership team with the smartest and toughest people they can find, people who will really help raise the bar on performance.
   
   Breakthrough companies are skilled at building scaffolding, networks of resources outside the firm that help propel the firm to the next level.
   
   Breakthrough companies tap a broad spectrum of resource to improve their business including peer networks, boards and advisory boards, investors, customers, vendors and colleges and universities.
   
   Enlisting Insultants
   
   Insultants - careful never to insult anyone - skilled at getting the company to question key assumptions in a way that values everyone's perspective and that keeps the focus on what's best for the organization. Masters at getting their ideas heard, never resort to insulting someone.
   
   A person who consults from the inside - ask tough questions that cause the company to think critically about its fundamental assumptions
   
   When companies lose their way strategically, it is usually because of two management traps:
   (i) Myopia - a tendency to focus on the familiar and local at the expense of exploring new territory
   (ii) Inertia - a tendency to stay with proven markets and approaches at the expense of developing new capabilities
   
   Breakthrough companies work hard to create an environment where insultants flourish. Specifically they
   (i) Celebrate productive failure
   (ii) Involve people enough in the issues that they can make intelligent contributions
   (iii) Focus on defectors - both employees and customers
   (iv) Use humor to encourage frankness and trust
   
   Create opportunities and tools for people to ask questions and post beliefs.
   Indentify history of people other then leadership have indentified key opportunities and changes were made because of them
   
   Graduating from tough times U
   
   To achieve breakthrough performance requires a company to "push the envelope" - tough times are a natural by-product
   
   Challenges can bring out the best in the organization by
   (i) Forcing it to face facts
   (ii) Encouraging prioritization of competing good ideas
   (iii) Reminding the organization of the potential of people to pull together and overcome obstacles
   
   To successfully navigate tough times leaders need to
   (i) Use their scaffolding - get outside perspectives
   (ii) Be aware of complexity and find more then "one" solution
   (iii) Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more - openly
   (iv) If cuts are required make sure to correctly estimate so multiple rounds are not required
   
   Real challenge of leadership is teaching the organization to keep the pressure on, even when times are good
   
   Final thoughts
   
   "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change" - Charles Darwin
   
   The 3 places a leader can have the greatest impact on an organization are strategy, people, and execution
   
   Maybe the best way to "get the right people on the bus" is to create a bus worth riding on in the first place.
   
   Breakthrough companies are filled with great coaches - people skilled at helping people do their very best.
   
   It's not always finding the "right" people you have to also pay attention on developing the people you have. The most neglected skill in business today is coaching.
   
   Strategic planning needs to include more people then just the leadership team - include middle managers, up-and-comers, nay-sayers, and key salespeople.
   
   Strategy has to be translated into specific and measureable goals.
   
   Anyone in a leadership role should definitely read this book
   
   All content above is take from The Breakthrough Company Book
   
   Great job Keith and team!
   
   Jason



4. While my own book focuses on dramatically increasing your visibility, Keith's book targets dramatically increasing that... and everything else! Don't stay small when you don't have to: let the wisdom within Keith's pages show you how to grow and grow and grow.



5. While Collin's "Good to Great" is a great book "The Breakthrough Company" is much better and more practical for most business people. It deals with the practical success criteria for "start-up" and small to medium firms. I have read it twice and already given away about a dozen copies.

5 comments about The One Minute Salesperson.

1. Compared with the monstrous success of "One Minute Manager", this sales version is kind of disappointed. The book still keeps the simple style to present main stages of sales with diagrams and big bold words. In each stage, it also tries its best to describe the process flow with necessary details.
   
   However, I found it's kind of awkward to navigate in those diagrams for fast comprehension. Furthermore, the extended connection with goal setting, reward, and punishment weakens the emphasis of some key factors of sales: finding customer needs, telling a compelling story, and winning the trust.
   
   Maybe salesmanship is the kind of art which is too hard to teach in a short book (just like the leadership). At this scenario, I would rather to read the big and great book for best descriptions (even as big as Michael Porter's giant volumes for competitive advantage). Otherwise, I'll just save the money to treat my sales mentor a Latte in the Starbucks (after browsing this book at the book store).



2. I think this is a worthwhile book for someone who is beginning a sales career or has an antagonist attitude toward the profession, but wants to change that maybe because they are starting a business, doing consulting, etc. It is particularly good for people who don't feel comfortable with the whole idea of selling, but realize it's an important skill and is even required in daily life e.g. to sell an idea, convince a child to do something in their best interests, etc.
   
   I have read some reviews of this book that sound harsh; I think that some of them may be overstated. While this book is short, simple and a quick read, it does a very good job of driving the basics home in a way that represents the sales profession well and honors an ethical approach to business. While the ideas themselves are simple, their application on a daily basis is not. If you read this book and embody the principles, it will make a big difference in your attitude toward sales as a profession, to your customers and to your personal income.
   
   I think almost everyone reading this has probably been on the receiving end of a bad or unscrupulous salesperson. They unfortunately are not rare and give the profession a bad name. Their tactics are coercive and manipulative. This is not the kind of sales that this book talks about.
   
   Personally, I think a good salesperson earns their money by helping a customer to understand their needs, asks powerful questions that bring out the implications of their customer's business situation and presents options that the customer will feel good about. They also build relationships based on trust, superior product knowledge and professionalism. They keep their commitments, follow through on promises and know the difference between persuasion and manipulation.
   
   This book is a book that uses story to demonstrate what makes a professional salesperson in the best sense of the word. In a nutshell, it's about mastering the basics and doing them from the heart, not with a desire to manipulate. I think this is a worthwhile message to get out there and it really does work, espeically in the long run.
   
   Golfers, bowlers and other athletes revisit the basics frequently, often practicing them on a daily basis. The same principle applies to sales and this book does a good job of driving home the importance of mastering fundamental sales skills.
   
   I agree with some reviews that this book is light on content. However, if a potential salesperson learns even one thing from this book that helps them to do their job better, they will easily pay for the cost of a new copy. If they form one good habit as a result of reading it, it will pay for itself many times over. With that said, why not buy it used if you are skeptical and worried that it will be a quick read? The words are the same and you might learn something. (I do agree that this book is overpriced, however.)
   
   Personally, I have read this book more than once and I have periodically reviewed the material throughout the years. I don't think it's as good as the "One Minute Manager," but it's good. It's difficult to be a GREAT salesperson. You need to study the principles, embody them and maintain your balance, integrity and ethical principles often in the face of tempting or difficult situations. Given this reality, I think a book like this that inspires is a worthwhile read. This is especially true in a profession where a lot of people slam doors in your face and you need to deal well with rejection every day.



3. I loved the one minute manager and I love the one minute sales Person. Sound principles in less than a minute. In the book he includes the most important thing that sales reps forget is to sell yourself first.



4. This book was suggested to me by my office manager and I was underwhelmed! The sing-songy writing and "story-telling" impressed me as juvenile and sophomoric. The "tips" were nothing more than the basics of common courtesy and commitment to customer service that anyone who has experienced a good degree of success in their profession would have already mastered or they would not be successful in the first place. Perhaps if you were clueless it might be helpful, but it left me cold.



5. I bought this book for one of my Call Center sales and service agents. His customer service skills were excellent but he was reluctant to "sell people on something they don't need or can't afford." If they didn't ask about a product, he didn't tell them about it. If he didn't increase his sales quickly, I would be forced to let him go. After reading this book, the employee realized that telling customers about the benefits of our products was merely an extension of good customer service. He said he learned to "visualize the sale" before he answered each call. Immediately his sales increased and he has been one of my most consistent performers in the three months since he read the book. He has increased his potential income from $26,000 to about $43,000 annually due to meeting pay-for-performance goals plus commission. Now my other employees want to read it too and I had to order 3 more copies for my 22 person team. A quick read even for those who don't normally think of themselves as book learners.

5 comments about Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing--in Only 15 Minutes a Week!.

1. Phil seems like a nice guy and I'm glad he is sharing his investment knowledge because it appears by all accounts rock solid. But this book could have easily been cut in half in terms of number of pages to reduce the number of times he repeats himself. It seems like he mentions the calculators on his website every other page. It's almost as if the book was written so that if you picked it up in the bookstore and opened it to any random section there would be a mention of his website or the term "Rule #1". In addition, he dangles the carrot in front of you forever before getting to the goods. Folks this gets VERY tiring when you just want to get to at least a morsel of pertinent information. This book would get only one star from me had the strategy laid out not been so enlightening. I am not an author and I have never written a negative book review before...



2. This is by far one of the best books on personal finance I have read. It's written in a way that everyone can understand. At one point in the book, Phil makes a suggestion that people give this investment advice to their children at 15 years old and let them start to use the Rule #1 investment strategy; I completely agree. I think the principles are easy to understand and provide sound advice. This book teaches two fundamentals that are commonly lost on people when investing in the stock market: (1) Know the value of what you're buying, (2) If you become "financially literate", you will no longer need people to invest for you.
   
   I loved the book and I'm telling everyone about it!



3. For the first time, i feel like i have the tools to start looking at stocks, individually. I am already well invested in work retirement plans with mutual funds, and am, of course, unhappy wiht the results of the past 8 years. But, with these tools, my son and I are venturing into investing on our own as well. THanks Phil for demystifying the process.



4. I just finished reading this book.
   Everybody who does not have time to read and understand Warren Buffet's methodly for investing should read this once.
   I would call this as 101 in investing.
   I have several years of experience in trading.
   When I started reading this I marked the interesting lines/para.
   Finally I found out I had marked almost the whole book.
   He could have been a very good teacher.
   I am thinking of buying several books to give as gift to some of my friends and relatives.
   
   One little criticism in general:
   Either this book or random walk on wall street finally conclude saying trade. That is what most of us are doing. The biggest differnce is that; This book says that pick a fundamentaly great stock then trade it until .... you find out.
   
   How to pick a great stock? Buy and read it you will be happy you did it.
   
   Very good value per dollar.
   
   Thanks Phil Town.
   Rasappa Palaniappan.



5. I don't recommend this book at all. I have read many books on investing recently, and they all agreed on one point - don't invest in a company just because you like the product. Town's advice is the opposite - make a list of things you like, and choose companies that are involved in those things. He also is against Dollar-Cost-Averaging, which every other book I have read tells you of the value of that.
   
   He tells you that he took $1000 and turned that into $1,000,000 in only 5 years. But he doesn't explain how. That raises a red flag for me. He also promises you that you will do better than the best fund managers out there, and promises that you will beat the market. Statistically, only a very small amount of professionals beat the market. It is a absurd to presume that you would be able to out perform all the people who do this for a living (and most of the other books I've read specifically warn against such promises).
   
   He offers calculators on his website to figure out the value of a company. Personally I found them difficult to use (poor design).
   
   There seems to be a lot of overlap between this book and Pat Dorsey's The Five Rules for Successful Stock Investing. I would recommend that you read that book instead. Dorsey explains the concepts so much better than Town does, and you can easily import the calculations into excel for ease of use later.
   
   All in all, there's some good advice in the book, but he's put in a lot of lofty assumptions and exaggerations to advertise his book. Even the title is misleading. The title comes from one page in the book where he tells you that once you've done your initial research (hours and hours), then you might be able to get by on spending a quick 15 minutes a week keeping up on your stocks. But the title comes off as in the book is going to teach you how to invest by spending only 15 minutes a week.

5 comments about Power of Story: Rewrite Y Destiny in Business and in Life.

1. Jim Loehr's latest book is one of a handful of recent, great books dealing with the issue of how the stories we tell ourselves (and others) so shape our lives. Debbie Ford, Steve Chandler and Joe Caruso are authors whose writings on this subject I have highly recommended in previous reviews.
   
   All of these books are convincing as to how our stories shape our lives. All make clear that we can change our life by changing the stories we tell ourselves. Loehr's tops the others by laying out a series of very specific exercises to help readers rewrite their stories. Loehr's deep background as a trainer shines through in his thoughtful exercises.
   
   Now doing self-work is generally a much bigger challenge than merely reading about self-improvement. Loehr's exercises take time and thought....something for which the author (rightly) offers no apology. Few worthwhile things in life are gotten without effort.
   
   Not yet ready to buckle down to change your story and your life; then grab the audios by Ford or Canuso to get some added motivation. Then, use Loehr's process to change your story for the better.
   
   Outstanding book, full of extraordinary potential for those who follow Loehr's prescriptions.



2. I have been aware for some time that the way we think about ourselves and the decisions that we make is based on a programming of our sub-conscience mind. This programming has been established from the time we were born through today by a filtering system that we have through our relationships with customs, culture, family, friends, peers, colleagues and education whether thru Academia or Hard Knocks.
   
   Dr. Loehr, in Part One, not only identifies these filters that make up what he and others have called `My Story', showing that if our story is not changed, we are destine to continue on with our life as it is. This "Slow Death", as he calls it, is made up of questions we ask ourselves:
   
   "How did it come to this?
   What am I doing?
   Where am I going?
   What do I want?
   Is my life working on any meaningful level? Why doesn't it work better?
   Am I right now dieing, slowly for something, I'm not willing to die for?
   WHY AM I WORKING SO HARD, MOVING SO FAST, FEELING SO LOUSY?"
   
   This is not just for the individuals themselves, it includes the business we own or work for, showing `Your Story' around; work, family, health, happiness and friends.
   
   After showing the process of identifying `Your Story' now, through writing it down, Dr. Loehr, in Part Two, presents `The Resources, Procedures and Practices' that enable one to write, indoctrinate and live `Your Best Life' possible.
   
   Jim Loehr's writing style is not only involving for the reader; the examples (Including his own.) are those that most everyone can relate to. It is an informative, magnetic, yet easy to read volume for self evaluation and improvement.
   
   This process is not without work and accountability, yet gives a person a whole new outlook on who they are and what they are here for, should they follow through.
   
   This book is not only for those who are oblivious to this phenomenon of how story controls our lives. I also recommend this information and instruction for others who are aware of it (Like Me.), to have a better understanding and procedure on `How To Make My Story Better'!
   
   Dr. D. P. Gatten [...]



3. This is a very thought provoking and life changing book. Jim Loehr first brings us face to face with the stories that we tell ourselves. Your first reaction is that you don't tell yourself stories. But you do. We all do. And often the stories we tell ourselves are crafted to fit our excuses for why we do or don't do things. As long as we are telling ourselves stories that are not based in reality, we will continue to live according to the story line we are telling ourself.
   
   The book is not just about stories, it is actually a step by step manual for finding out your old story, discovering where it is wrong and then developinig a new story based around your purpose in life.
   
   When most people list their priorities in life, they go something like this: God, family, work and other. But when they really examine their lives, they have made their career the most important thing in their lives. They devote most of their energy to their career and never have enough left for the other things in their lives. They tell themself one story but live another.
   
   There is another very important lesson in the book. We all think that time is our most important asset. As Jim points out, it is not time but the energy we bring to the time we devote to any activity. He gives countless examples of people spending time with family but not fully engaged. The energy is not there.
   
   If we are not physically fit, we do not have sufficient energy to accomplish the tasks we set out to do.
   
   This is not theory. Jim runs the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, FL and the book is filled with examples from the work he has done with thousands of people.
   
   The book is well written, easy to read and a real eye-opener.
   
   There is a step by step plan for the individual to come face to face with their old story, write their new one and change their lifestyle so that they bring their life into harmony.
   
   Well worth reading. You will never be living your ideal life until you get your life aligned with your story. This book tell you why and shows you how. The rest is up to you.



4. What stories do you tell yourself about your life? That you must spend every waking hour at the office? That you have no time for exercise? That self-fulfillment is an impossible dream? If this is your internal dialogue, then you should not be surprised if it is also your external reality. Acclaimed performance psychologist Jim Loehr spells out a program that will enable you to discard your old negative stories and develop new positive ones that will make your life better. He shows you how to turn these new stories into your new reality. Plus, he explains why physical energy is crucial in this changeover, and what you must do to stay constantly energized. getAbstract believes that anyone who is stuck in a rut will benefit from reading Loehr's inspirational book and putting his transformational principles to work.



5. The Power of Story gives you the opportunity to challenge your current story and decide how you will define your story from this point forward. If the traditional self-help books have not produced results, perhaps it is now time for you to consider digging deeper to create the story of your life. Well...are you ready to write the next chapter...your way?? If you are willing, you will be guided by author Jim Loehr who has worked with Olympic and Professional athletes and the Captains of industry.
   Why not take the next step...and see what happens!

5 comments about How Come That Idiot's Rich And I'm Not?.

1. This is a really great book. It arrived on time and the way the distributor described it. Thank you.



2. Goodness gracious - I'm sitting down to write a glowing review of Robert Shemin's new book and I see so many negative reviews that I almost got discouraged.
   
   Check your negativity at the door, people. Does Robert's book include "old" information - absolutely. More often than not we need to be "reminded", not taught. The question isn't whether you've "heard" this stuff before; it's whether you're living it in your life.
   
   I LOVED this book and I thought its lessons about UNLEARNING the lessons that you've internalized and leveraging other people's ideas, experience, and money are RIGHT ON!
   
   Do yourself a favor - ignore the critics and buy the book - you'll be glad you did!
   
   Frazier O'Leary
   Wholesale Coordinator
   Express Homebuyers LLC
   [...]



3. This book was very enlightening to the extent that it opened my eyes to the way I think about my future. Rather than looking at my path in a negative manner, I was able to close out other people's opinions, and most of all, my own negative outlook of my own path to success. I really enjoyed this book because it was straight to the point, and easy to relate to. Robert Shemin rocked in this book. Thank you.



4. There is not that much of good stuff in this book, but it provides some useful tidbits here and there. I would even venture to say that out of 1000 serious followers there may be 1 moderate success.
   
   However, this book is simply overflowing with tons of meaningless banter that conveys no information at all.



5. Blablabla!!!
   The title of this book should be: How come THAT idiot didn' t buy this book and I DID?

5 comments about The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.

1. I can't recommend this book to anyone.
   I was completely disappointed with it.
   After "The 7 Habits" and "First Things First" this was a real let down.
   I feel the publishers probably goaded the author to finish this and put it out so they could make money on his reputation.



2. You may think that the 8th Habit is simply a marketing ploy to wring more money out of a society desparate for someone to show them the way.
   
   That is what I thought when I first heard of the 8th Habit. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was more than that.
   
   The 8th Habit is a philosophical mindset focusing externally on service and how one can serve ones own inner needs by serving the needs of others.
   
   It is a message thousands of years old, whoever desires to lead should be the one of who serves the most. It is a message many modern companies with their focus on profits would do well to heed, especially in an economic downturn.
   
   The story is full of anectdotes of men and women with humble beginnings who became great by putting the needs of others before their own.
   
   A considerable amount of time is spent on the stories of Anwar Sadat and Gandhi, men who paid the ultimate sacrifice, with their lives.
   
   Not the easiest of reads, and if possible, listening to the audio edition can make things easier.
   
   Recommended.
   
   Cheers!



3. This audio book was great. I needed to read this book for work and since I'm pressed with time I thought getting it on CD would be great. I would play it in the car while I'm driving to work. I would also listen and read along with it before I go to sleep. I would definitely by another audio CD again.



4. Good summary of the book. Return to the road after years of read the first Covey book.



5. I am only rating this book 1 because there is no zero rating.
   
   I have read and enjoyed the 7 habits and First Things First; however this book one ways or another is repeat of same concepts and materials in the 7 Habits book.
   
   Way too long, badly written and too many irrelevant details. In brief I think it's a new many making attempt by S. Covey.

5 comments about Rich Dad's Prophecy: Why the Biggest Stock Market Crash in History is Still Coming...and How You Can Prepare Yourself and Profit From It!.

1. There is nothing to see (read) here. You know now what you will get from this book. Spend your money elsewhere on Amazon.



2. Kiyosaki does a great job explaining the decline to come. Par for the course, the author is less than clear with his advice. If you have not read "The Second Great Depression" or other books like it I do highly recommend this volume. However, your money may be better spent on a more technical manual on how to profit during a declining market.



3. Robert Kiyosaki is a motivational speaker that also happens to sell books. If you are looking for a "How To", then you're in the wrong place. The Rich Dad, Poor Dad author seems to always strive to make you think about your financial future, and Rich Dad's Prophecy is no different.
   
   Using scare tactics to elicit a response from you, this book strives to tell you that the stock market is a bad place to invest your money, and presents reasons for this opinion. However, looking historically, this has not been the case. One of Kiyosaki's main points is that the market will crash because all of the baby boomers will be drawing out their money at a rate that the stock market won't be able to handle.
   
   Kiyosaki's point could be a valid one, but there is too much wealth in the world (that is not controlled by the United States' small group of retiring workers) for this speculation to be factual. Read Kiyosaki's book for the motivation it will provide if you need it. Don't read Kiyosaki's book if you're looking for ideas on how to invest your money (unless you're thinking of building a motivational book series with your "Pay Yourself First" funds).
   http://rhapsodiesofross.blogspot.com/2008/06/rich-dad-richer-dad.html



4. The premise of the phrophecy is that the baby boomers will pretty much take their money out of the stock market suddenly and cause it to crash. I suspect the market is far more vast than considered and the baby boomers' 401ks combined represents only a few drops in the bucket. If the market crashes, it won't be because of this prophecy's premise.



5. In his latest book "Prophecy", Robert T. Kiyosaki predicts a major stock market crash in the near future. This, he says, is a result of the baby boomers (mostly) saving for their retirement via stock investments and given that a large number of them will retire from 2016 onwards their investments will have to be cashed in as it will be needed and as a result the market will fall if not crash. Apart from that, RK says, that most baby boomers may not actually see their money ever again as more often than not most of it is invested in their own companies, i.e., the ones they work for, and if their employer goes down the drain so will their funds saved for retirement. Kiyosaki uses the demise of Enron as an example to demonstrate this.
   Granted, there is nothing really new about all this. If you have spent any time working in the financial field you would know about this - although over the years I felt that people tend to stick their heads in the sand and hope that this will not happen or somehow go away
   
   Apart from complaining about the existing system and the financial illiteracy of the vast majority of the market participants (and that would appear to be the main problem), Kiyosaki in Part II of the book sets out a game plan on how to build your own financial ark.
   
   What I like about Kiyosaki's book is that he is pointing his finger straight at what could potentially happen and he does it in rather convincing style. There is indeed a good deal of information here that Kiyosaki has mentioned in his previous books, but I am not terribly upset about this as it serves to reinforce the message. Besides, if you haven't read any of the previous Kioysaki books, you would be stuck in the middle of nowhere if Kiyosaki left out the previously published information.

5 comments about Reminiscences of a Stock Operator - Abridged Audio.

1. A Wall Street Classic and it does not disappoint. Published in 1923 the book continues to be one of the most heavily references books on trading and speculation. You'll learn about the early days and the history of the markets, some basic trading strategies, and most importantly: the human psychology of ups and downs of trading and how Larry Livingston (pseudonym for Jesse Livermore) dealt with it all.
   
   I'm not a trader, nor am I aspiring to become one, but this was a fascinating read and I'll recommend it to everyone without hesitation.



2. This book really brings to life an era of finance that is long gone. And the lessons of the book are still very relevant today. It is part biography and part tutorial for aspiring traders. Everyone should be required to read this book before being allowed to play the markets. If even half of the people on Wall Street had read this, the USA would be in much better shape today financially. It is a very engaging and entertaining read.



3. This vintage tomb from a bygone era ... is simply one of the best financial texts you could ever hope to lay your hands on. One of the strongest realizations that emerge from the author's engaging style of writing, is that the lessons learned a century ago, are as relevant and useful today as they were back then. The examples and analysis peppered throughout this book, are some of the most insightful examples available to the average reader. There are no mathematical formulas or detailed charts (one of this book's strong points) yet there is plenty of meat on the bone here, for anyone that is searching for clear and practical advice on successfully navigating the rough waters of the financial markets. Many lessons learned and dissected in clear detail. Highly recommended reading.



4. Never before had I so much fun reading and learning about the psychology of buying and shorting stocks. This is an extraordinarily written piece of work that eases into explanations of the power of the subconscious as well as the power of emotions on the conscious decisions made during those uncertain moments of trading. Great book!



5. 
   
   over 85 years old and still going strong, read it and find out why

1 comments about Rich Dad's Advisors: The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing: How to Identify the Hottest Markets and Secure the Best Deals (Rich Dad's Advisors).

1. This is a detailed and brilliantly written piece of work that is going to help me move up to the next level and make millions! Thanks!

5 comments about Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! (Rich Dad's).

1. Must read if you are interested in investing in any area. Stocks, RE, Futures, whatever. Very informative in the normal Rich Dad way. I think this is third in the series and one of the most important!



2. Excellent book for starters on the way to financial freedom or people who would prefer to be inspired by common sense approach intellect that provides a base to slingshot their financial freedom and start getting out of the rat race



3. Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!
   
   Robert Kiyosaki has openned my eyes: after being 15 year working for several companies as Corporate Treasurer, Senior Operations Controller and responsible for starting-up several buisness units for my employer, I finally was inspired by Kiyosaki's Guide to investing and how you can create your own money, creating assets without buying them, going through a transformation process "trash to cash".
   
   I look at Financial Statements from a different perspective, not as a means of informing someone else of the company's performance, but as someone who would be an inside investor.
   
   This book is really great!!



4. I really liked this book. If you liked Rich Dad, Poor Dad, then you should get this book. It is very informative and interesting.



5. I like Robert Kiyosaki's idea of an eight-part model for a business. He calls it the BI Triangle, which says that a business is a system of systems. The BI Triangle is a big leap forward for all aspiring entrepreneurs. It establishes finite boundaries on what it takes to run a successful business. As far as I know, no other writer has been able to express these boundaries so succinctly.
   
   The BI Triangle's power comes from its unprecedented combination of comprehensiveness, finiteness and simplicity. Before Mr. Kiyosaki, nearly all business books were written by two categories of writers:
   
   1)Overly-specialized, non-comprehensive-thinking employee-or-consultant-gurus who couldn't see the forest for the trees, or
   2)Overly-generalized, non-educator-entrepreneurs who could see the forest but couldn't describe it in a way that was understandable to others.
   
   Seldom (if ever) is a business book written by an entrepreneur who also happens to be an educator. As a result, the business sections of most bookstores are vast collections of specialized "marketing" books written by self-proclaimed marketing gurus, "strategy" books by strategy gurus, "sales" books by sales gurus, and so on. None of these overly-specialized authors have been able put the entire concept of business together into a universal, comprehensive and succinct package - none except Robert Kiyosaki.
   
   This lack of succinct comprehensiveness within the business world is the main reason why entrepreneurship has been so scary for so many. This must have been how the mariners of Europe felt before the voyages of Columbus. Starting a new business, just like sailing off into the sunset, used to seem like a never-ending dangerous quest into an unknown (and unknowable) abyss. That's why most mariners used to stay within sight of the shore. To them, the risk of sailing into the sunset was infinite because the scope of possible outcomes was also infinite. This isn't surprising since many of them thought the earth was an infinitely-extended flat plane.
   
   But something amazing happened when Columbus returned from his adventures. He proved to his fellow mariners that the earth was finite, not infinite - he showed them that the earth was actually a sphere, and not an infinitely extended plane. The others quickly understood the meaning. That is, a spherical earth meant that it was now impossible to sail off into oblivion. In one swift stroke, this knowledge massively reduced the risk (and the fears) of sailing into the sunset. What was unknown and unknowable became knowable and most importantly, doable.
   
   Robert Kiyosaki is the Columbus of the business world. He has shown that a business, like the earth, is also a finite entity. Just as there are definite boundaries to the earth itself, there are also definite boundaries to a business. This is a monumental finding - don't be fooled by its simplicity.
   But there is an important difference between the boundaries of the earth and the boundaries of a business: the former is mainly physical, and the latter is mainly metaphysical. In other words, the boundaries of the earth can be apprehended by the senses; the boundaries of a business can only be apprehended by the mind.
   
   The key to understanding Mr. Kiyosaki's ideas is the ability to see with the mind's eye. The business world of the Information Age is a collection of inherently invisible, inaudible and weightless principles. To apprehend them we must learn how to transcend the obvious physical inputs from our senses. For example, it's "obvious" that the sun "moves" across the sky. It's "obvious" that the earth is flat. But is that really happening? The mind's eye reveals a different reality. If you want to succeed in business, then learn to embrace the version of reality from the mind's eye, not from the senses. Robert Kiyosaki's books are an excellent place to start.
   
   If you really want to understand the way Kiyosaki thinks, then I suggest you read Buckminster Fuller's books as well.