No comments about Making Finance Work for Africa.

5 comments about Investing Without Fear: Protect Your Wealth in all Markets and Transform Crash Losses into Crash Profits.

1. This arrogant self-promoter acts like he's right and everyone else is wrong. He's be justified in acting that way if he were right. But he's wrong at least as often. He tries to scare people into buying his books, his newsletter, and (worst of all) his high-priced "trading services". He called for a real estate crash in 2003, a bond crash in 2004, and he's called for a stock crash every year for the past decade.



2. Go hide in a cave, put all your money in US government bills, bonds, and hord gold and wait for the financial nuclear winter to clear up. There..., now you don't need to buy this book.
   This book originally came out at about March 2003, at the end of the recent bear market, and was titled "Crash Profits..." at that time.
   The whole financial world did not end and the book was retitled to "Investing Without Fear...." so that more copies can be sold.
   Weiss is like a broken clock, always predicting that one thing or another is about to crash. He has been wrong so often. Even a broken clock is right twice in any given 24 hour period.



3. Given the way the economy is going, this book is a must read. There is a possibility that there will be a stock market crash in the near future: given the unfolding of the subprime mortgage crisis and untold numbers of foreclosures; banks that dabbled in hedge funds and subprime mortgages beginning to feel the pinch; the dollar spiralling downward; and the price of oil skyrocketing. Somewhere in all of this, one gets a distinct feeling of instability, and that is where Weiss's book comes in.
   
   His knowledge of the investing environment is refreshing and at the same time disturbing. He equips the average investor with knowledge that will help him/her in the coming difficult times. This is not a light read, yet the way he weaves story lines through the book, it places the reader comfortably into the investing environment. He gives worst-case scenarios and asks hard questions that makes the reader think. He also reveals astute insight and provides solutions to problems that help the reader feel equipped to tackle the upcoming turmoil in our economy.
   
   The most valuable parts of the book (I think) are
   where he mentions that he rates bank and brokerage firms and includes the websites. I felt as if I was reading the consumer report for banks! We actually visited a library and looked up Weiss's bank ratings books there. They rate banks on a quarterly basis, and include a thorough list of banks in every state, their rating and safety (some banks even get A+). We checked out the banks with the higher ratings in our state.
   
   This book provides peace of mind to the average investor trying to save and invest for the future when the economy looks dismally bleak.



4. This book is a must read for veteran or new investors. It tells a lot about the markets and how they operate. It warns about improper practices of some stock brokers. Included is advice on better stock trading.



5. This book has a great deal of valuable advice and Martin Weiss is an extremely reliable expert. HOWEVER -- This is the EXACT SAME book as his previously published "Crash Profits." They simply changed the title! I can find absolutely no updated or new information in this one. There is a mention of this on the back cover but you normally only get to see that until you've bought the book.
   
   I really hate when publisher's do this!

No comments about Lean for Service Organizations and Offices: A Holistic Approach for Achieving Operational Excellence and Improvements.

5 comments about How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business: With Companion CD-ROM.

1. Turning a favorite hobby or sideline into a fulltime profession is a goal sometimes contemplated but usually left undone, often from a lack of knowledge of how to make the attempt. John Peragine, Jr.'s book, How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business -- With Companion CD-ROM, guides the novice through the steps necessary to turn a keenness for fitness into a profession in the personal training field.
   
   The first two chapters provide the information, including a self-assessment and a discussion of the training required for the profession, that will help someone contemplating the investment make sure that they have or are willing to pursue the necessary success skills prior to seriously considering establishing a personal training business. As Peragine writes, "Where once, personal trainers only counted push-ups, sit-ups, and other repetitions, they have evolved into highly knowledgeable professionals in the areas of exercise, diet, strength training, and personal fitness. ...without a solid business sense, you will not survive very long."
   
   The balance of the book is devoted to the details of setting up and running the business. Peragine provides detailed advice to introduce the reader to the solid business sense needed by discussing topics that range from how and where to interview a prospective client to an introduction to Social Security and Medicare taxes with Internet links to appropriate the Internal Revenue Service information sites. He guides the reader through creation of a business plan, selection of the right type of business structure, management of employees, and much other paperwork and financial considerations.
   
   The book is as much a statement of Peragine's philosophy as it is a business primer. Peragine's writing is sometimes a little unpolished, but that lends genuineness and there is no problem following his message. This is a man writing about a field he knows with honesty and enthusiasm. Although the book is aimed at people interested in the personal training business, it has tips that might benefit anyone thinking about setting up any sort of personal service type of business.



2. With a comprehensive list of resources and suggestions, How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business by John Peragine Jr. holds up as a valuable resource for those interested in starting a personal training business, or for those already involved in personal training.
   
   More than motivational business fluff, Peragine leads the reader to internally examine his or her suitability to a career in personal training. He addresses the qualifications for successfully running a business, delineating positives and negatives. He tackles issues such as writing and implementing a business plan with step by step instructions and suggestions, the different licensing avenues available, how to advertise, how to set up a website, and how to talk to clients.
   
   For the experienced trainer, Peragine explains how to establish a solid business, and evaluate business performance with questionnaires, forms, and lists that provide continuous support. An excellent resource for any business owner involved in personal services, Peragine's guide satisfies an important need regarding business aspects of personal training. If you are considering a career in personal training, are already engaged in personal training, or are considering any personal services business, Peragine's guide is invaluable.



3. Do you know the value of personal fitness? Do you want to help others improve their lives? How would you like to work at a gym, in a club, from your home, or even on a cruise ship for $30 to $100 an hour? How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business is a must-read for those serious about becoming part of one of the fastest growing careers in the health and fitness industry. John Peragine, Jr. collaborated with successful trainers to bring us specific, practical advice not taught in business school.
   
   In a down to earth style John covers the pros and cons of owning a business, including possible legal problems. He gives detailed advice on certification, business plans, and marketing. He even tells how to measure success outside of making money.
   
   John gives us the four facets of success -- look, knowledge, drive, and business savvy -- and offers self diagnostic tools to identify strengths and improve weaknesses. He addresses common mistakes and offers insider tips that give an edge over the competition.
   
   How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business includes case studies, information about taxes and insurance, useful web links, and a CD-ROM containing all of the business forms found in the book.



4. Starting a business can be an exercise in paperwork and regulations. When the business revolves around physical training, there are other considerations, such as client health, certification requirements and many more. Making sense of all of these aspects can be maddening, but John Peragine's excellent guide to starting a personal training business, How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business, goes a long way toward making the process palatable and simpler to follow. In fact, Peragine's book is so detailed and logical, it can be read by aspiring business entrepreneurs in nearly any field.
   
   Peragine begins with a basic breakdown of what the personal trainer field requires, in terms of background, personality and knowledge base. He goes on to an exhaustive yet easy-to-follow series of steps for planning out how to go about creating a business plan, followed by detailed examinations of different approaches to incorporation (sole proprietorships, LLCs, etc.), basic business practices, various legal and financial forms and so on. After laying down a solid foundation, he follows up with several case studies of practicing personal trainers, including contact information, who are putting their knowledge to use in the field now. Best of all, this prodigiously informative guide is written in a clear and sensible fashion; Peragine's writing style is informative but informal, and takes every chance to explain difficult or novel concepts in layman's terms.
   
   The only caveat that stops this book from achieving a perfect rating is that the manuscript needs another trip to the copy editor's desk. There were numerous examples of misspellings (the word "particular" is a frequent victim here) and grammatical misconstructions that a basic spell checker should have caught, in addition to several spacing errors and a section in one of the appendices where material is duplicated verbatim from a previous page. However, if one can overlook the occasional errors in the copy, Peragine's detailed guide to starting a personal trainer business has a wealth of good sense and assistance to offer to any entrepreneur.



5. For anyone who has ever dreamed of self-employment in the fitness arena, this book is for you.
   
   In an easy-to-read format, How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business guides the reader through a process of self reflection to determine if you have what it takes to realize the dream of operating a personal training business. The book not only speaks to what skills are required from a fitness perspective, it also offers a look at the type of business savvy required to drive such a business.
   
   In a detailed layout, well-planned chapters educate the reader as to what types of business models can be considered when opening a personal training business. It also offers the reader guidance in developing a strategic business plan and marketing plan - both necessary for any successful business.
   
   If I were considering self-employment in the field of fitness, this is certainly one book I would rely on every step of the way, from initial planning and business basics to overcoming hurdles and evaluating success.

No comments about The Seven Failings of Really Useless Leaders.

5 comments about Streetsmart Guide to Valuing A Stock: The Savvy Investor's Key to Beating the Market.

1. This book offers an economically sound approach to stock valuation. The associated free website is also very useful.



2. 
   
   If one is patient with this book, one will reap many rewards.
   
   DCF explained from start to finish.



3. The first half of this book did an admirable job of introducing the reader to various stock valuation terminology & methodology.
   
   Unfortunately, the second half of the book focused almost solely on explaining, applying, and encouraging the purchase of their stock valuation software. Without this software, the second half of the book is somewhate limited in its value and use.
   
   The book's not a total loss, thanks to the first half, but is probably a better exercise in "book valuation". This one's valuation falls somewhere short of its purchase price. If it were a stock and I were to apply the owners valuation principles, it might be best to pass on buying it...
   
   Hope this helps! Cheers!



4. "The Streetsmart Guide to Valuing a Stock," written by three credentialled Penn State University finance professors, prompted this reader to expect the "latest and greatest" thinking on stock valuation. If the prospective reader has similar expectations, he or she should look elsewhere. This reader found the book disappointing in many ways. For openers, it was crafted to target the least discriminating of students leaving the rest of us to wade through endless repetitions of simple ideas and to struggle with more complicated ideas via ambiguous word descriptions where a simple equation would suffice. More importantly though, the authors' discounted cash flow valuation theory (as opposed to more traditional discounted earnings theories) appears to be the wrong approach. Whereas stock investors have an exclusive claim on earnings, they must stand in line behind creditors with their claims on cash flow. Also while the appropriate discount factor in most evaluation theories has to do with the rate of return on the investor's alternative investment options, in the authors' theory it is the corporation's weighted average cost of capital - a very different and seemingly irrelevant concept.
   
   Warren Buffet may be the only one to correctly value stocks, but he's not talking. Until he does the prospective valuer might find Mary Buffett's renditions ("Buffettology" and "The New Buffettology") to be more useful and understandable alternatives to the "Streetsmart Guide to Valuing a Stock."



5. Using discounted cash flow (DCF) to estimate the intrinsic value of a stock is not for those looking for those looking for easy rules of thumb; it requires work. This book, together with the related website, does a good job of showing how, in language that doesn't require you to be an MBA. Recommended.

No comments about Practical Project Risk Management: The ATOM Methodology.

5 comments about System Buster: The Mystery of the Circle Revealed.

1. I am grateful that Mr. Beyer has allowed us "all" into his "world".......the world of "hard core" business. Before reading and applying "System Buster" into my business, I would have to say that chaos was the word for the day......as we began to apply the principles inside the "System Buster", we immediately saw a difference, the biggest of which was the recognition of how we lived from one "crisis" to the next. Everything has to have process.......trackable process. I could write for hours as a grateful business owner.....grateful that Mr. Beyer has shared his "found" insight with those of us who will be forever changed! Thank you Thank you Thank you!



2. This book helped me see the wisdom of systems for our business and ministry. Proverbs 8:12 says "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions." Philip's book helped me to find and improve upon the systems we use at The Gideons International. He invented a system to improve any system.



3. This is absolute drivel. The book should qualify for the Guinness Book of records for the use of the word 'system'. Redundant to the max. Do not waste your money!



4. Way too much fluff in the beginning. Primarily a marketing tool for his software system, though they system seems pretty cool i think i would recommend Getting Things Done by David Allen(though I have not finished reading GtD yet).



5. I read this book and then required all six of my managers to do the same. This is a practical manual that eschews management buzzwords and trendy academic approaches to managing your business. The author had a mess and he tells you how he cleaned it up. While our business long ago had implemented many of his ideas, this book cleared up one recalcitrant problem we have faced in implementing solutions--that alone was worth the price of admission.

No comments about The Handbook of Inflation Hedging Investments.

5 comments about Guaranteed Income for Life: How Variable Annuities can Cut Your Taxes, Pay You Every Year of Your Life, and Bring You Financial Peace of Mind.

1. An excellent primer on annuities. Any investor should read this book before considering purchasing an annuity. As a financial advisor I found his explanations simple yet definitive. Written in manner that any investor will be able to benefit from Michael's sound advice. While I believe that in general annuities are the most oversold product in financial circles (not becuse they are great product but because sellers earn huge commissions), Michael clearly demonstrates that annuities are appropriate in certain situations and tells you how to avoid the annuities that were designed to be sold not bought. He shows you what to type of product to look for when annuities are appropriate. Highly recommended.



2. I am a novice investor and had no idea what an annuity was. Lane's book gave me the basics of what stocks and bonds were all the way through how to buy and annuity and use it to create a income to last my lifetime. I highly recommend this book.



3. I've read many different points of view about the value of VAs -- this book explains them clearly. Lane's book shows how tax deferral wroks. He takes you step-by-step so you can see how all the parts relate and why. Read chapters 5 "Suitable Uses of VAs" and ch 18 "Analyzing the Payout" and you will know more than most advisors. Great book congrads.



4. Having been in this business for 5 years it's nice to find a refreshing look at the real uses of variable annuities and when they make the most sense. Michael is very enlightening in his approach to when a variable annuity makes sense and for whom. He also is very concise in his description of all the factors which contribute to determining the above. In an industry which is muddled with both the pros and cons of variable annuities this book is a straight shot to doing what is in the best interest of the client.



5. With all the controversies of variable annuities today, Michael does an excellent job of showing the appropriateness of the annuity. The book was written at the basic level for the investor, capturing an informative overview of the many different investment options such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds and how the annuity fits into the investor's overall investment strategy. I would highly recommend this book to all investors!