1 comments about Rich Dad's - How To: Find Great Investments.

1. It is ok, but a real good deal when they give it to you for free by attending one of his many "free seminars". These "free seminars" are just a two hour sales presentation for one of his trainers to get you to pay for coaching, etc. The CD is ok, but not worth much. It is just another way for him to promote his stuff.

5 comments about Tomorrow's Gold: Asia's age of discovery.

1. Traditional wisdom about investing is full of conflicting messages. We all heard that past performance doesn't guarantee future results (means it's hard to say about future based on the past data). But at the same time, we are told that US stocks are expected to return about 8% annually based on the past performance (means it would be reasonable to expect 40%+ return over 5 years). And at the same time, in Q1'06 Dow is still lower then it was 5 years ago (hmm, if 5 years is not a long run, what is?). Each statement describes the US market, sounds simple and straightforward, but they are giving conflicting views, so this knowledge is not really helpful. Simple, but doesn't make sense.
   
   This book does make a lot of sense. It starts with a very impressive overview of the global history from the earliest known civilizations. Then it tells you about cycles in economic activity. The quality and quantity of the facts and references is amazing! Then authors gives you an overview of the current situation in macroeconomics and geopolitics. And then he is explaining his view of the future, both short and long term.
   
   It's is clearly not a "how to get rich quickly" book. The main focus is not what you should be doing but to explain you the big trends so you can make your own educated decisions.
   
   The book is written in 2002, but it will stay actual for years to come. Actually now in 2006 it's amazing to see how acurate Faber's forecasts were.
   
   The book is also pretty short and easy to read.
   
   Highly, highly recommended!



2. I purchased this book shortly after it was published in 2002. The author has been correct in his advice to date (Dec 2006) and I believe will be proven right for years to come. It is a rare opportunity to find a book that so clearly lays out the future and helps you make great investment ideas and actually has recent history to see if the author has provided good advice.



3. Faber, a pioneer in study global business cycles, successfully predicted many ups and downs of different markets in the world since the 80s. In this book written in 2002, he predicted the rising of China, and the booming of commodities due to the rising demand from China, India and other Asian countries. Years later, his prediction again has been proved to be correct. An insightful book about global investing.



4. Once you make it past a rather lame device at the beginning, the book really takes off. There are valid points in the beginning, so stick with it. Your reward will be a history lesson that could be repackaged and sold as current investment advice.



5. Students of financial history as well as those just trying to understand today's credit crisis will be well rewarded with the purchase of Tomorrow's Gold by Marc Faber. I first read this book in 2003 and decided to revisit it recently given the current state of the economy. I must say, the book is even more interesting the second time through as recent events have proven out many of Fabers predictions. Many of his warnings and observations seem to be taken from today's headlines, for example from his chapter on inflation- "...But easy monetary policies by Western central banks could lead at some point in the future to renewed severe inflationary pressures which, given the shaky state of the global economy, may not be countered by tightening monetary policies" (sound familiar..?). Faber, a proponent of the classical Austrian school, is right on the mark in his views and I recommend this book highly.

5 comments about Who Will Do What By When? How to Improve Performance, Accountability and Trust with Integrity.

1. This book allowed me to understand how damaging it is to not keep a promise. These things happen and when they do, the book clearly explains how to repair the damage. I was so impressed with this book that I have purchased copies for all of my employees and extras to give to special people as a gift. "Who Will Do What By When" is life changing. It very simply explains how to word requests such that everyone understands what they must do by when. This provides accountability. It is an exceptional book, easy to read and short.



2. Some books have a way of teaching important lessons in a pleasant and enjoyable manner, without judgment, while clarifying otherwise complex and disruptive issues, and this is one of those books!
   
   In clear and simple language, with well illustrated examples, the authors demonstrate how the little things we overlook each day, compound until one day things go wrong. If we are not aware of these little things, we probably won't even know what happened.
   
   By gently informing the reader of the subtle ways that we damage our lives, we feel like someone should have told us sooner!
   
   I highly recommend this book for your personal life. If you read it for your business, you will enhance your business relationships. Virtually everyone in a business is accountable, and therefore they can benefit from this book. If you make it available to your key employees and sales teams, who probably have to meet many expectations, they will see the benefits.
   
   J.D. Salem
   Tampa, FL



3. The Hanson's book is a great book for managers and team members. It focuses in on accountability, team playing and the importance of commitments. The book is a must read that applies to organizations big and small even to families. The authors offer many insights into interpersonal behavior and explain the need for clarity in communications as a way to help have expectations become realities. I would recommend this book to friends, family and colleagues.



4. Who Will Do What By When is a stellar little book with a BIG message we ALL need to hear and act on: Live in integrity and commitment and you'll achieve your every goal....it's that simple. Thank you Tom and Birgit for this easy but powerful read...a must for anyone who truly wants to go to the next level in life!



5. This book must be read by everyone! Tom & Birgit have creatively told a story that everyone will embrace and learn from. I thank them for defining the only way to live! Your life will change if you put these strategies into action!

5 comments about Living and Investing in Panama.

1. Good information which we had not seen elsewhere. Poorly edited by some non-English speaker and has lots of typos, sing-plural mistakes and is amateurishly done, spoiling it for the English reader. The print is excessively large, and the paper needlessly heavy making unhandy to carry. Evidently, the author made a poor choice for editor and for publisher. Quality does not warrent the price--it should not be more than $12.95 in the current market!



2. I've never seen a book with more typographical errors. It looks like no one proof read it, they just published the rough draft... Usually a few typos doesn't bother me but there are so many here, it is annoying and makes you feel like the author didn't put much effort into the work.
   
   Okay, aside from that, it does have some good info, and since it is basically the ONLY book on living in Panama, you will have to buy it. (There is another one but it has no reviews here, and I took a trip to 2 book stores and did not find it in either store.)
   
   He only gives you the lowdown on a couple of the most well-known areas to live in Panama, doesn't give any info on any "off the beaten path" places where one might (?) find cheaper real estate.
   
   Actually, he does not go very much into buying real estate at all. How about some names of attorneys to use, that people have used and recommended? How about some realtors (other than himself and a couple others)? How about more info on buying real estate which one would assume one would need to know if one is planning to "live and invest in Panama". How about the procedures for surveying and checking the land you are going to buy? How about other tips for checking and buying real estate? There are a lot of things that could have made this book better but it seems the author was just into making a fast buck, rushing out a book on Panama before someone else beat him to it.
   
   I found this book very disappointing. I think anyone could have written as good a book with just a few months of research. [...] Everyone says that Howard's book on neighboring Costa Rica is great. I haven't read it. But this one is far from "great".
   
   It should have been much better. Buy it only if another one isn't available by the time you read this. And really, if anyone is interested in writing one, this one won't be hard to beat, at all.



3. This book was very much like his other books about living in Nicaragua & Costa Rica. In fact I found many passages that appeared to be the same. However, it was very informative and has useful information about living & relocating to Panama.



4. Unfortunately, this is only one of two (the other / better being "Choose Panama by William Hutchings") books about retiring to Panama. Equally unfortunately, if you are serious about moving to Panama Mr. Howard's book has a lot of useful information and you are left with no choice but to buy it.
   
   That said, the book loses one star (and I'm being kind) for being so poorly edited. The author is a native english speaker, there is no excuse and it is simply disrespectful to your audience to have such a mountain of typographical errors. [...]
   
   That said, all [...] absurd editing aside, this book is a must buy if you are serious about moving to Panama. [...]



5. i got the feeling the author knew more about costa rica (where he lives?) than panama. not recommended...the info just wasn't very comprehensive.

5 comments about At the Heart of Leadership: How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence.

1. I've read many emotional intelligence books but this is the first I've read which integrates theory with real life experience. Congratulations to the author for writing a book that is practical, useful and "real".



2. I've been interested in emotional intelligence for almost a decade and read everything on the topic, and until now I've been unclear how to actually use this brilliant concept. I heard Freedman speak at a leadership summit and rushed to order the book - I found his presentation a unique mix of heart and science... the book is the same. There's a ton of hard data here, but it's presented in service to leading. So it's not abstract, it just walks you through how emotions can be used to make better decisions, to influence, and to engage people.
   
   On that note - the book is focused on leadership, there are many examples of business people and those in the military and government, but I suspect it equally well applies to leading one's own life. It's a very "human" book and I'm on fire to put these ideas into practice -- highly recommended.



3. Freedman has done a great job of separating the wheat from the chaff here. Written in an easy-to-grasp manner, this book is an excellent synthesis of the important ideas in the growing field of emotional intelligence. This important work combines relevant theory and research findings with practical applications.



4. After reading the previous reviews, I felt pressured to come up with another adjective than practical to describe Freedman's book. However, it's the most fitting. I've read several books on the subject already and up until now, I was disappointed that nothing put EQ into a context in which I could apply it everday. This is not a collection of studies with page after page of theory. Instead, this book is chocked full of real-life, simple examples and applications that make EQ very real, especially in the workplace. The content is supported by a format that takes into account the reader experience and breaks the copy into digestable pieces separated by highly-relevant quotations and exhibits. This is a book that I can easily recommend to EQ novices who are looking for ways to affect change in their lives right away.



5. In a business environment where competitive advantage is getting harder and harder to come by, the efficiencies that you can gain through EQ are impressive. It's not just about the bottom line though, putting these tools to work will truly make your company a better place to work and live.
   
   The writing is crystal clear and free of unexplained jargon, all in all a very approachable book for anyone wanting to improve their organization, self or business.

No comments about Win-Win Selling: The Original 4-Step Counselor Approach For Building Long-Term Relationships With Buyers (Wilson Learning Library) (Wilson Learning Library) (Wilson Learning Library).

5 comments about The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing, Third Edition.

1. Most of the book is a great intro to money, stocks, bonds and mutual funds. But the last section, on Futures & Options, seems really rushed and lacks the clarity of the earlier sections (especially the material on options). For example, the authors do not define "calling" or "putting" options; and there is a blatant error on page 150 wherein a description of an option table is laughably out of sync with the table it is trying to describe.
   
   Overall, the book is very good -- just beware of the shortcomings of its last section.



2. I think this book did a great job in helping me understand the universe of money and investing beyong the scope of stock. I have been trading for 1 year and wanted to buy a small book that gave me a general education on the subject. Although much more can be written on each topic covered it is good for beginning to understand the whole picture.



3. A nice introduction to wall street if you were raised on Mars. For people who want to do investing for a living this is a waste of time



4. If you're a beginner, interested in investing, this is a very decent primer to start with. Buy it with Eric Tyson's Investing for Dummies, and you'll be fully set!



5. Although this isn't the largest book in the world, I really enjoyed reading it. I thought that I was pretty savvy as far as the way things worked, but this book definitely enlightened me. I also appreciated the pictures that made things clearer.

1 comments about How To Be A Dirt-Smart Buyer of Country Property.

1. Curtis Seltzer's book, How To Be a Dirt-Smart Buyer of Country Property, delivers. It shows readers how to protect themselves when buying country property.
   
   It's a comprehensive reference book with a long shelf life. While state and federal regulations will change, Seltzer's basic approach to researching the risks in property and determining its value will never be out of date.
   
   I never knew there was so much to know about farms, second homes and timber land--not to mention purchase-offer contracts, borrowing, lawyers, lenders, foresters, surveyors, contractors, inspectors, real estate brokers and sellers.
   
   This is a huge book, but Seltzer makes the reading easy. He includes lots of personal experience and anecdotes from his consulting practice. He's also a very funny guy.
   
   If you're looking for country property, buy this book first.

5 comments about Let's Connect: Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work.

1. Let's Connect is not a manual about LinkedIn and how to use it but a book about the principles behind using LinkedIn as a networking tool and the philosophy behind it. In it Ajay talks about how you can make the most of LinkedIn, the worlds largest network of professionals with over 17 million participants, for your professional career. Let's Connect is based on his research and interviews with participants on LinkedIn and is full of great quotes and real examples of effective use of the LinkedIn network.
   
   I signed up on LinkedIn in September last year and it has turned out to be a great move. I have learned a lot from Questions and Answers, got to know great people and got projects and business opportunities I would never have imagined. Part of it is thanks to Ajay Jain's white paper on how to use LinkedIn, which was the start of this book.
   
   This new book, Let's Connect, is full of great tips on how to make LinkedIn work for you. I realized there are still so many opportunities on LinkedIn that I haven't fully utilized yet. Business is all about communication between the right individuals and LinkedIn is the place to start that communication. As Ajay asks at the beginning of his book, "Do you want to be Linked In or Linked Out?" The choice is yours.
   
   It's a network of professionals on all levels, including executives from almost all the Fortune 500 companies, known authors and specialists. One of Ajay's examples of users of Answers is Barack Obama who posted the question: How can the next President better help small business and entrepreneurs thrive? A smart use of the LinkedIn network.
   
   The most valuable chapter, and by far the largest, is chapter 5 "Ten ways to get LinkedIn to work for you". There Ajay covers these ten topics:
   
   i Your Ever Expanding Rolodex
   ii LinkedIn Answers: A Global Focus Group
   iii Networking Plus
   iv Branding and Marketing Yourself
   v Hiring People
   vi Finding a Job You Love
   vii Finding Vendors and Service Providers
   viii Running Background Checks
   ix Entrepreneurs: Get Opinions and Investors
   x Selling & Brand Building
   
   I would have liked to see more on using LinkedIn for personal branding, but then again, personal branding is one of my special interests. Other chapters where eye opening for me about subjects I had not given much thought before.
   
   If you are serious about advancing your professional career and making the most of your personal brand and your network, LinkedIn is a must and Ajay's book "Let's Connect" is your guide, whether you're new to LinkedIn or not.
   
   Hjörtur



2. Many people get an invitation from a friend or colleague to join LinkedIn. They accept, sign up, get a couple of other links and then wonder, "now what?" So they sit with a LinkedIn account and do nothing further with it.
   
   Others may put a little more effort in it; they invite their friends and colleagues, check the size of their network regularly and feel happy they're making progress. And yet, they're still not using LinkedIn to its full potential.
   
   If you're one of those people who has an account but doesn't quite know what to do with it, then Ajay Jain's book is for you. Not a how to use LinkedIn manual, Let's Connect: Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work is a guide to using LinkedIn strategically.
   
   Jain's book is a nice mix of practical strategies and quotes from LinkedIn users illustrating how they've used the methods Jain is writing about. These mini case studies add real authority to Jain's book and are interesting reading.
   
   For example, Jain writes about strategies for using the Answers section of LinkedIn to your benefit. You can pose questions to conduct market research or to get ideas to solve a business problem.
   
   You can also use Answers as a subtle form of marketing; by asking questions related to your field of business you put your name - and perhaps your website - in front of potential customers who may visit your site or start a conversation. Or they may invite you to become a connection.
   
   Let's Connect includes some ways for using LinkedIn that I hadn't considered. If you are hiring an employee, looking them up on LinkedIn can potentially find you information that you couldn't get elsewhere. While candidates tailor their resumes to the position they're applying for, they may have a more complete resume on LinkedIn.
   
   Furthermore, if they are connected to someone you know personally, you may get more information about this person than by contacting their past employers. You also know that any recommendations are real and haven't been altered by the candidate.
   
   Jain also provides some information about LinkedIn that is not widely available. For example, you have a lifetime supply of 3,000 invitations. When you've used them up, that's it. Forever.
   
   This is one piece of information I've never seen publicized on the site. As a result of reading Jain's book, I'm a little more choosy about who I send invites to. In fact, for people who are not currently a member of LinkedIn, I'm considering sending them invites by regular e-mail so that I don't waste an invitation on someone who may not be interested in joining LinkedIn at all.
   
   Overall, I enjoyed reading Let's Connect. I'm planning on using some of Jain's strategies to build my own network and my own business. If you're a member of LinkedIn - or thinking of it - and aren't sure how to use the site effectively, Jain's book is a worthwhile purchase.
   
   Andrea J. Stenberg
   [...]



3. Ajay Jain's book, Let's Connect, is a worthwhile introduction to LinkedIn, the professional networking site for business people and professionals. Many LinkedIn users have contributed their ideas and perspectives to Let's Connect.
   
   Jain explains that LinkedIn is more than a bigger rolodex. He goes on to discuss the importance of quality versus quantity of network. He explains many advantages of connecting online with other professionals, yet cautions users to be careful with whom they are connecting. You'll learn how to avoid pitfalls and what you should expect from the site and your participation. The LinkedIn site continues to grow and change, but this book will give you an idea of how to use it to become a valued member of a global business community.
   
   This book is aimed at those considering LinkedIn. But it's also useful for people who have not yet discovered the opportunities to demonstrate their responsiveness, generosity, and expertise by using the question and answer (Q & A) features.
   
   As for this reviewer, LinkedIn has resulted in new and now ongoing client relationships. If you want to know what it is, why you should use it, and get suggestions from users who are making it work for them, then get this book.



4. I enjoyed this book as someone who is specifically interested in Online Social Networking properties. The Author is definitely an expert in using LinkedIn and provided numerous facts about the service that the average person would not know. I did not know that there is a limit to the number of invitations that a user can send out (3,000). There were too many quotes from people that I had never heard of to suit my taste but that would not prevent a new user from gaining a lot of value from this book.



5. The book's subtitle "Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work" shows exactly what it is all about.
   
   The 200-page book is better than a regular manual on how to use technical features of LinkedIn, the most successful professional networking site nowadays. (Such manuals can get outdated even before their publication date I believe, as the technology is being developed very fast)
   
   The author put together LinkedIn members' best experiences and collective wisdom in the chapter "Ten Ways to Get LinkedIn to Work for You" as follows:
   
   -Your Ever Expanding Rolodex
   
   -LinkedIn Answers: a Global Focus Group
   
   -Networking Plus
   
   -Branding and Marketing Yourself
   
   -Hiring People
   
   -Finding a Job You Love
   
   -Finding Vendors and Service Providers
   
   -Running Background Check
   
   -Entrepreneurs: Get Opinions and Investors
   
   -Selling and Brand Building
   
   The LinkedIn professionals cited throughout the book range from the experienced and famous to new members.
   
   It reflects the fact that the book is helpful for everyone, as really LinkedIn is, in developing one's career, getting contracts and professional contacts.
   
   "Do you want to be Linked In or Linked Out? The choice is yours", as the author suggests in his introductory chapter.
   
   O.K.

3 comments about Consulting with Nonprofits : A Practitioner's Guide.

1. Not only is Lukas's book easy to read and engaging, it has gotten me very excited about my career. Lukas draws not only on her own wealth of experience, but also on the experience of countless other consultants. This adds a depth to the book that I never expected. Instead of reading about one person's style of consulting, I am privy to expertise and stories from the trenches of the pioneers in the field. The worksheets, examples, appendices and bibliography will serve me well in my career. I anticipate that this book will be a constant resource for me - it will look dog-eared and well-used in no time at all!



2. This is a very practical guide for consulting work. There are some usual forms that are free to be used by individuals but unfortunately there was no accompanying CD so they need to be copied or re-typed.



3. 
   I loved this book. It was written for consultants who provide (or will provide) various kinds of help to nonprofits. More specifically, the help provided falls into two broad categories: help for nonprofit programs, and help with organizational issues like management structure, finances, fundraising, etc. And the help one can get from reading this book will definitely help strengthen the quality of their consulting to nonprofits.
   
   The book was split into just four chapters. I would have liked it better if it had been split into the following nine chapters (each of which received a summary in the book):
   
   1. Consulting roles, dynamics, and ethics
   2. Consultation and the nonprofit sector
   3. Contracting
   4. Gathering and analyzing data
   5. Planning the work
   6. Implementing and monitoring
   7. Sustaining change and evaluating impact
   8. Terminating the consulting project
   9. Managing your consulting practice
   
   For two years I worked as a consultant to nonprofits. I worked for a firm that provided capital campaign direction to nonprofits involved in multi-million dollar capital campaigns. So much of what I lived and experienced during those two years I found written about in the pages of this book. I found the blurbs interspersed througout the book covering quotes from 30+ consultants from across the US made the book special. Without them I think the book might have gotten a 3-star rating from me.
   
   Since the 1970's the hiring of consultants by nonprofits has become part of doing business in the US. And this book does a wonderful job answering what the most common kinds of consulting are. I can say that when I made the move to nonprofit consulting for two years I was not prepared for the culture shock. For-profit consulting is all about getting the job done quickly and competently. Little sugar coating of the services is required. But in nonprofit consulting people skills exuded by the consultant are so critical and important. And this book explains the difference in the consulting styles. The writing of this book was necessary because of the people skill factor in nonprofit consulting.
   
   Dealing with a nonprofit executive director is not equivalent to dealing with a for-profit CEO. In the nonprofit sector the real power is usually held by the nonprofit Board. A savvy consultant will always keep this in mind. And after reading this book they won't forget it. Deal with the Board! And at page 29, Diane Brown is quoted as saying that if she bid on a whole project with a nonprofit that she usually took a bath. Why a bath? I say because she was dealing with a nonprofit. You have to approach nonprofits differently as a consultant than you would a for-profit.
   
   I would have liked the book better if the title of the book had been "Consulting to Nonprofits." Consulting "with" a nonprofit makes me think of someone going to a nonprofit for advice. And the instant book is about consultants providing advice to nonprofits. 5 stars!