5 comments about Hitting Your Stride: Your Work -- Your Way (Capital Career & Personal Development).

1. A great read. Finally, an honestly written commentary on the corporate world and sage advice for anyone looking to make a difference. This book asks the tough questions. The advice is insightful and relevant.



2. This book is not just pie in the sky theory and philosophy. It is full of ideas and simple practices to create your own successful career path and be happy at the same time. Ms. Russell shares inspiring quotes, real-world experiences and entertaining stories that make this book an easy read.



3. Inspiring and motivating. I purchased it as a gift but just had to read it first...well written and the author lives nearby.



4. I enjoyed reading this book! This is exactly what I needed to help me get back on track.
   
   This is definitely not a typical career book. Nan Russell is unique in the way she shares her experience, while offering her insights and tips. She is a very good writer and communicator.
   
   Check out her website and podcasts as well!
   
   
   
   



5. No-nonsense career advice, dispensed with anecdotes from the author's own life to make for friendly reading. Unlike preachy self-help books that end up sitting unread on the shelf, this book invites repeat visits and is set up so that you can dip into chapters in whichever order appeals to you.

4 comments about Effective Work Breakdown Structures (The Project Management Essential Ibrary Series) (The Project Management Essential Ibrary Series).

1. Of the three books that focus solely on work breakdown structures this is the most complete. The other two are "Nuts and Bolts Series 1--How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure" by Carl L. Pritchard, and "Project Management Institute Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures". The burning question is how do they compare and which is best. For a no-nonsense and pragmatic book the "Nuts and Bolts Series" book wins. It has the distinction of being the first book on the subject, and is one that I used as a reference for the past 4 years. If you are planning to certify as a PMP, your best bet is the PMI Practice Standard, because you're sure to encounter exam questions that are based on that book. However, if you want a comprehensive book that covers every facet of principles and practice, this is the book to get.

   What sets this one apart from the other two (all other factors being equal) is the clearer descriptions of the principles, and the checklists. I also like the way that the author goes deeper into details about how to align the WBS to various project types (product-, service- and results-oriented projects), and the more complete life cycle view that this book provides. As an aside, a results-oriented project, previously mentioned, is a project such as organizational change management, which doesn't produce a tangible deliverable in the same manner as, for example, a software development project does.

   To put into context the comparison among the three books, I favor this one because of personal preferences. Each merits, in my opinion, equal value, and any of the three will give you the knowledge necessary to develop a work breakdown structure.




2. A total of 100 pages, which would seem a bit pricey, but in the 100 pages Haugan does a very competent job of covering the subject.
   
   Most of the critical concepts in PM are really pretty basic, and most projects and PM texts fail on understanding and executing on those basic concepts. This book is very clear and succinct on the basics of WBS.
   
   I very much admire Haugan's approach. I expect my copy will be around for a long time, marked-up, with yellow sticky-notes protruding out.



3. I've just bought this book last month while implementing SAP Project system. It is very helpful for me to design suitable WBS in my company.



4. Clear, concise, and to the point.
   I would still like to study some effective examples of fully developed WBSs for commercial construction.

5 comments about What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management.

1. An outstanding book that tells the truth about why unconventional management is not only "cool" but it absolutely necessary in today's business world. The book challenges a lot of the management principles taught in most business school classes as well as the "that's the way things are done around here" mentality.
   
   An easy read and a great reference guide. My copy is on my desk at work as it provides a refreshing reminder now and then in the day to day of organizational management.
   
   Awesome book!



2. The book is maybe not as unconventional as the (American-style) title wants to make you think, but nevertheless good. It will give you some insight, but also some examples to use in your business life to convince people that the "silver bullets" dont work. Can be handy. Also, there's a lot fo organisational psychology language and ideas and it's worth the money. recommended.



3. All good information, and an interesting read. The concepts presented are not unlike many Marketing/Innovation books, but the author presents a good case. Every manager/exec should put these principles into practice...but they have probably already read a book that says the same thing!



4. Continuing a campaign to induce more common sense thinking into business management, Stanford Business School Professor and well-published author(12 books at last count) Jeffery Pfeffer utilizes materials from his Business 2.0 "The Human Factor" columns to tell us that common sense is not all that common. Or, at the very least to demonstrate that business leadership may not always consider the consequences of their actions and/or they hold inaccurate or incomplete views of human behavior. Touching on subjects from the problems with resume based hiring (looks backward, not forward), to budget based performance evaluations (ignores competitive standards), and strategy by PowerPoint (values planning over doing), Pfeffer presents arguments designed to make the reader think differently about many of the topics faced by businesses today.
   
   Although the title may contain a bit of marketing hype - the wisdom describe in some chapters is not all that unconventional; spend more on training, take chances and make mistakes, build trust in the workplace - it is wisdom worth considering, none-the-less. I particularly liked Chapter 11, on financial incentive schemes, where Professor Pfeffer references, "... the "extrinsic incentives bias," a belief that others are motivated primarily by money even if people know that they, themselves, are not." In this chapter he notes that this bias and the comparative ease of implementing reward and incentive schemes often make this the tool of choice when a business is faced with the need for performance improvement; even though, financial incentives often have undesired consequences and provide no competitive advantage as they are easily copied by competitors. These bits of wisdom, and others like it, make this easy read a recommended selection for managers and OD professionals alike. Dennis DeWilde, author of The Performance Connection.



5. Ok. I've seen the other review here on Amazon and must admit that I disagree. In fact, I think this book is dumb and was very disappointed. I picked the book up based on a magazine review. I didn't feel the anecdotal examples sited by the author truly supported his conclusions. I could easily come up with examples of my own that would refute his claims.
   
   My advice...find a different book, there's many to choose from.

1 comments about Professionalizing Business Analysis: Breaking the Cycle of Challenged Projects (Business Analysis Essential Library).

1. Business Analysis is an up and coming career opportunity. While Business Analysts work with Project Managers, they specialize in understanding the processes, their limitations and potential impact change will have on the processes (positive and negative). Kathleen's book is a great starting point to understand the Business Analyst role, responsilbity and value.

5 comments about Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures.

1. I love these procedure books and they are the most comprehensive on the web. To see nasty reviews from a reviewer that is ranked 1,065,501 on Amazon's reviewers list is atrocious. Take it from me, a seasoned policy and procedure writer, this book is truly a landmark for both beginners and seasoned writers like me. Think about it. The book is short and takes about 2 hours to read. Believe you me, you'll be glad you gleaned so much information in such a short time. You'll soon be on your way to writing clear and consise policies and procedures. I did.
   
   Ron Fisher



2. THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE ELECTRONIC EDITIONS OF "ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES" ... AND ... "7 STEPS TO BETTER WRITTEN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES".
   
   As a technical writer, I had mixed feelings about these books.
   
   On the one hand, I thought they did an excellent job of presenting a simple, structured approach for developing and maintaining policies and their associated procedures in a systematic and consistent way. I think people who are new or relatively new to the work of developing such documentation should find these books to be valuable aids.
   
   On the other hand, as someone who has been developing administrative and technical documentation for a number of years, I didn't find much here that was new to me. In many ways, I felt these books were an excellent presentation of "what I already know".
   
   I felt the strongest points of the books were:
   
   1) "The Writing Format" - The author makes it clear that the structure he uses for developing documents (which he calls "The Writing Format") is the core of his entire approach to developing policies and procedures. This simple, effective structure will be VERY helpful to those who've never had to develop standardized documentation before or for those who have yet to find a systematic approach for developing consistent documents.
   
   2) Policies and Procedures in Support of Business Goals - All too often, policies and procedures are developed without the required connection to the ideas and realities that define the businesses for which they are being developed. Mr. Page does an excellent job of making it clear what a big mistake this is and suggests some ways to avoid this pit fall.
   
   3) The Development Process - Many managers I've worked with over the years seem to think that good policies and procedures are something anyone can sit down and write in a few minutes. NOT true. Mr. Page does an excellent job of outlining the overall TEAM process by which good policies and procedures must be conceived, researched, drafted, reviewed, approved, published and continually revised and updated.
   
   All in all, I think Mr. Page's books make excellent documentation development reference guides. But, as someone who has been developing administrative and technical documentation for several years, there were a few things I found disappointing:
   
   1) Formatting - The visual formatting of Mr. Page's documents is VERY simple and, in my opinion, does not take very full advantage of the enhanced visual tools available in today's word processing programs. Designing documents that are visually simple to follow and help the user immediately recognize the logic of the document they are using is much easier with some of today's enhanced word processing capabilities. I would have enjoyed seeing examples of more sophisticated yet still straight foreward approaches to presenting information.
   
   2) Editing - Especially in "Establishing A System of Policies and Procedures", I was surprised by the number of editing errors I found. They were not the sort of errors that make the book ineffective, but they detracted from the professionalism of the presentation.
   
   
   
   I think for MOST people tasked with developing policies and procedures for a corporate or professional environment, these two books will be very good reference guides. But, if you've been developing successful documentation for a number of years and doing so with considerable skill and creativity, there may not be much new for you here.



3. This book is clear, concise and easy to follow, whether you are starting from nothing or you are bringing your current policies and procedures up to standard. This is a must read for the procedures analyst and for the CEO who believe in continual improvement.
   
   For optimal result buy the set of 4 books:
   1. Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures
   2. Achieving 100$ Compliance of Policies and Procedures
   3. 7 Steps to better Written Policies and Procedures
   4. Best Practices in Policies and Procedures
   
   You will not be disappointed. This set is well worth your time and money.



4. I just took a job as an operations analyst at a small startup company. Rather than handing me a policy and procedures manual, my boss asked me to write one instead! With only vague notions of what a policy and procedures manual looked like, I tried to get started but quickly realized that I was in over my head.
   
   So I bought Stephen Page's books on policies and procedures and found the help I needed. The most difficult part for me has not been writing down the procedures themselves (though that can be challenging). Instead, I realized that without a good format for writing a policy or procedure, the whole manual would be a jumbled mess of incoherent instructions. But after reading Stephen Page's books, I was able to use his format very effectively. The greatest strength of his format is that it is easy to use, and also easy to update as things change.
   
   So whether you are starting from scratch on a new manual or editing your compnay's existing manual, check out these books first. You will not regret it!



5. This books provides concrete guidance for creating a policies and procedures manual. After reading the EMyth Revisited (also an excellent book) I wanted a book that would provide such guidance and this book delivers. A couple of points. First, this book is an overview of the entire process. Some of author's other books in this series take chapters of this book and expand them to book length. I was particularly interested in guidance for writing a standard operating procedures manual, and the book "7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures" focuses solely on that topic. Second, despite my focus on the actual written policy/procedures manual, the entire book is excellent, raises points that may be easily overlooked, and I would highly recommend it.

5 comments about Wow The Dow!: The Complete Guide To Teaching Your Kids How To Invest In The Stock Market.

1. "Wow The Dow" is an easy to read book geared toward showing parents and children how incredibly easy it is to invest in the stock market. Not only will this book strengthen your parent child bond but you will be amazed at how easy it is to invest in the stock market. Inside there are easy to read graphs, games, puzzles and too many other neat little side bars to mention. The side bars themselves make great reading.

   The best part about this book is that it teaches adults and children that you don't have to be Bill Gates to be an investor. In fact, you can begin your investment portfolio with less money than you spend buying this book.

   Being a stock market novice myself, this book taught me how to identify companies, learn everything about the company and most important, how and where to buy their stock. It also stresses the importance of not using a full commission broker to do what you can easily do yourself for a fraction of the cost.

   After reading this book, I find myself very hesitant about unwise spending. I now have a little voice in my head that is saying, "If I invest that $1.05 that I spend at WaWa for coffee, every morning, and I use that money to buy one share of EMC every 6-9 months, and the stock does a two for one split every Spring, how much is that coffee really costing me? "

   I don't have any children, but I can only imagine where I would be today if my parents showed me how easy it is to start investing in the stock market when I was 10, 7 or even 4 years old. This book uses true life scenarios where one of the author's daughters invested two thousand dollars when she was a small child and now that money will more than cover her college education.

   Do yourself a favor and read this book. Although this book is very new, it won't be long before it's on every coffee table in America.




2. This is one of the easiest to read and understadn investment books I've ever found. Teaching children the value of long-term investment and money is a wonderful gift to give anyone. Adults will find the clear explanations, sound advice, and tips on getting started no matter how much you have to be valuable as well.

   This and Jason Kelly's "Neatest Little Guide..." series are my favorite introductory investment books.




3. I found this book to be extremely helpful in decoding a very intimidating topic. The forum in which the book was layed out made for an easy and exciting read. I finally feel comfortable and adept to invest, in addition to having various resources for doing research. I highly recommend this book and have bought several copies for friends and family with and without children.



4. This is the type of book I wish I had when I first became interested in investing. It is so elementary that I can actually understand what the stock market is all about, and how I personally can benefit from getting myself educated about investing. What's more my teenage daughter is learning about investing and investment clubs and students from her class are getting together weekly to talk about the stock market, using this book as a guide. This is a wonderful book to introduce kids and teenagers to investing.



5. I made a mistake when I read the reviews. I forgot to look at how old the reviews are before buying the book. They are all dated in 2000 or 2001. This book needs to be updated. It is interesting but note that the suggestions are over six years old. There are better ways now to buy and sell stocks. The authors suggest going through a certain company to buy stocks in your child's name. It is much easier just to buy them through an online broker and tell your child that those particular stocks are for them. (You can even create a separate account and tell your child that this account is their account.) Plus, there are now online brokers that will do trades for free (limited number per month). The book does have some helpful concepts on getting your child interested in stocks, but some are too time consuming. Today's Internet-savy child knows that she can easily get the charts and graphs for free from online brokers. She does not have to spend hours trying to create them herself. Instead, she should spend that time researching the companies. I'm half-way through the book. I'll come back and write more when I am finished. Oh, and I should note that the quality of the printing is not very good. It took my eyes a while to adjust to the small font. .... I never did finish the book. I found other instead.

5 comments about Federal Contracting Made Easy, 3rd Edition.

1. Scott Stanberry shows you just how easy it is to contract for the government. Some contractors take one look at the government spec's and throw up their hands. Government spec's aren't as hard as they look. This book will take you step by step through the process of bidding government contracts. Once you get use to the paper work, which this book shows you some of, you have it made. Read this book and go out and make your fortune in government contracting.
   
   Larry Hobson- government contractor for over 30 years



2. Very informative and a useful tool for anyone interested in selling to the federal government.



3. Currently a member of the Federal Acquisition workforce, I see this book covers the gamut, as we know it. Particularly impressive is its coverage of GSA. GSA is a prime Federal market research tool. This can give prospective contractors an idea of what government organizations regularly buy, and government contacts for soliciting business.
   
   As an insider, there does still exist widespread indirect nepotism; cronyism; military who roll into contracts, and other versions of same (so much so that various government bodies such as Government Accounting Office handle contests of unfair play), so the better you know the rules of the game, the better your chances of getting in and getting your fair play of public funds. Government is pro small business; however, you have to slog thru bureaucracy, and that means having the information to even get started and what to do. The driving force is supposed to be acquiring the "best value" for public funds for a requirement. This book can be a map to help you on your journey to propose how you can get the job done. If you know where you want to go, pick up this map, and get the edge to get there.



4. This book has really terrific info on all the red tape you'll have to cut to make it as a government contractor!



5. Having had several months of government contracting experience prior to reading, I found that this book covers its bases very well, explains all necessary concepts clearly (elaborating where necessary and with precise examples), and solidifies the structural framework of how contracting works. I would definitely not group this book with the "--- for Dummies" books, which are often vague and leave you lingering with questions. Written from the ground up; great as a fundamentals book for the seasoned contractor or as a starting block for those considering/beginning in the field. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

5 comments about Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact: A Social-Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social Problems.

1. As a student of public management and a former social entrepreneur, I am convinced that if more social sector managers understood and adopted the business planning process for social impact, their organizations or enterprises would experience new vitality. More generally, the use of business planning within the entire social sector would increase the quality of social impact investment and create new levels of sustainability.
   
   Too many non-profits and social entrepreneurs waste time, energy, and resources year-after-year cultivating resources to keep their social impact enterprises afloat. Too few social impact investors, donor-advised funds, and foundations are able to find social impact organizations that are succeeding in achieving impact, measuring their impact, and planning for long-term sustainability and growth-all at once.
   
   This clear and well-written guide challenges leaders of any social impact organization (whether for-profit, non-profit, or government) to use business plans to help identify opportunities, develop innovations, demonstrate accountability, and secure sustainable revenue sources. Wolk & Kreitz demonstrate the "promise of business planning" in four easy-to-follow steps:
   
   1. Planning to Plan
   2. Articulating A Social Impact Model
   3. Developing An Implementation Strategy
   4. Finalizing Your Business Plan & Putting It Into Action
   
   The book also includes appendices with a business plan outline, a glossary, and a sample Business Plan for Growth from an existing non-profit.
   
   This is a must-have resource for social entrepreneurs, non-profit managers, or social impact investors seeking to reinvigorate their social impact organization or looking for new models for measuring impact and creating sustainable, scalable long-term growth.
   
   This is an indispensable resource that I highly recommend.



2. Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact sounded like a great "How-to Guide" for helping non-profits improve planning. It does have a fairly good overview of the planning process, and I gleaned a few good ideas for non-profits: business plans can be turned into fundraising tools, be sure to include root causes of the social problem and barriers to solving it in your needs analysis, and look at recent research on the social problem you're trying to solve to find indicators you can measure as these will also be helpful to you in determining the impact your program is having on its target audience.
   
   I was disappointed that this book introduces topics you'll need to discuss but didn't pose questions which would be effective during a planning session. Andrew Wolk's thinking may be "the gold standard in business planning for organizations addressing social problems," but Kelley Kreitz needs to help him expand their written offering. Perhaps with Wolk in your book club this would be an "essential tool" but it its current form, it reads more like an over-sized business card. They've written enough to convince me they'd be good consultants, but not enough for me to confidently figure out a plan on my own.
   
   For a "step-by-step guide" I found the second edition of this book: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook and (the surprisingly refined!) Strategic Planning For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) to be more practical.



3. This book is a great primer and invaluable tool in introducing the use of business planning for nonprofits. This type of thinking differs from traditional strategic planning and I hope to see more books emerge that are geared towards nonprofits using business practices. It's an easy-to-read manual that provides a clear process that lets even beginners successfully engage in a planning process. The book is definitely concise, but I think it's a really useful tool for any nonprofit's library (and DEFINITELY worth the $20 bucks)



4. This concise, handy guide to business planning for nonprofit managers fills a critical niche. While there are a number of widely-used guides to strategic communications planning for nonprofits, this book addresses a need for practical advice on strategic financial planning. The book offers field-tested advice on how public interest organizations can measurably increase their social impact through a more disciplined, entrepreneurial approach. The book summarizes the how's and why's of business planning and offers examples of business plans used by successful nonprofit organizations. Recommended for nonprofit managers, board members, and foundation program officers.



5. 
   This book was OK. But it had many problems as far as I was concerned. Business planning is a pretty straightforward activity in my humble opinion. And there really is just one way to do it efficiently and effectively. Unfortunately, the way to do it promoted in the instant book doesn't quite coincide with the way I have concretely planted in my mind. My way is as follows:
   
   Step 1. Have an idea for a new nonprofit organization
   Step 2. Investigate and research the leading nonprofits that offer what you want to form or something close or complimentary to what you want to create
   Step 3. Document your findings for each organization in a simple Financial & Operations Plan. See the following outline:
   
   OUTLINE OF A "FINANCIAL & OPERATIONS PLAN"
   1. Executive Summary
   2. Nonprofit Description
   3. Description of Products &/or Services
   4. Description of Management Team (inlcuding Board members)
   5. Operations Manual
   6. Industry Analysis
   7. Marketing Plan
   8. Fundraising Plan
   9. Sales Projections
   10. Donation Projections
   11. Financial Statements
   
   Step 4. Prepare a detailed Financial & Operations Plan for the nonprofit you want to start.
   >> Use as much of the content from the plans you wrote in Step 3 to fill in your plan.
   >> Pay particular attention to Section 4 (management team and board of directors). You are going to use your plan to attract both. And before your plan is done, you may have some of these people help you finish the plan.
   Step 5. Finalize your plan and put it into action
   
   The instant book being reviewed has 5 chapters. And I have articulated 5 steps herein above. The fifth step coincides with the fifth chapter in the book. So we agree on something. But that seems to be the only similarity. The Bonnie CLAC plan starting at page 69 of the book is supposed to be a roadmap to success for its nonprofit. But as I read it I didn't get the feeling that it was really FORCING the user to be successful. If it had been organized like the Financial & Operations Plan I outline herein above, then things would be different.
   
   The Executive Summary is supposed to summarize the plan, not the organization. All the sections in the plan should interrelate. But they should not overlap. I found the sections in the Bonnie CLAC plan to overlap. Not good.
   
   Business plans for a nonprofit are generally referred to as "Financial & Operations Plans." The authors left this fact out of the book. But I like to refer to them as business plans also because it is easier for me to type when writing. A business plan for a nonprofit can help the nonprofit get financing much as one does for a for-profit. However, instead of using the business plan to get funds from a bank or capital from investors, a nonprofit's business plan can be used to capture board of director members, their contributions, and contributions from their friends. It will also help get other donations because it will have a Section 8 (Fundraising Plan).
   
   And nonprofits can get lots of help writing a business plan by consulting the myriad of business plan books available. The difference between the two is for-profits focus on revenues generated from customers and nonprofits focus on donations and grant awards. Therefore, the nonprofit founder writing a business plan must also consult books on fundraising tactics and techniques. Why didn't the authors of this book cover in much detail fundraising tactics and techniques?
   
   This book had so much potential. There is a need for a business planning book aimed at nonprofits that explains the difference between a for-profit business plan and a nonprofit business plan. That book will basically re-write an existing business plan book from a nonprofit perspective. It will expand on the Marketing Plan section of the business plan so it will include the following: (1) marketing, (2) board development, (3) public relations, (4) government relations, (5) annual fundraising program, (6) special events fundraising, (6) other fundraising. But that book has not been written yet.
   
   What the instant book being reviewed is good for is samples. It provides an explanation of the business plan its authors like to write. And it provides a sample business plan (quite lengthy) starting at page 69. If you want to write a business plan for your nonprofit, then consider getting this book to get an idea of at least an existing plan. You can read it and determine for yourself whether it acts as a roadmap to success or not. And if it doesn't, then you can make notes to yourself where the shortfalls are and not make those same mistakes yourself. 3 stars!

5 comments about How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.

1. I highly recommend this book. I read it many years ago for the first time and it helped me a lot. Now I am reading it again!



2. Even if you think that you have made progress in overcoming worry as your life has progressed, this book will still help clear out some of the remaining pockets of worry in your life.
   
   My grandfather used this book in a Dale Carnegie course he took in the Fifties, and he gave it to me about 20 years ago. I read it at the time, and then looked at it only rarely after that.
   
   However, this is not a book that should be read once and then put on the shelf and forgotten. If you spend a few minutes daily reviewing concepts in the book, over time you will begin to apply the principles in the book at the outset of worry situations, and combat worry situations much more quickly and effectively than you did before. After a while, it almost seems as though you are learning how to play a type of chess against your worries...and winning more frequently.
   
   The book was written in the 1940s, but its examples and stories remain as relevant today as they were when the book was new.



3. In order to turn your life around and enjoy it you must stop stressing out. My parents had this book years ago in their book collection. I believe I read it years ago. With stress being the culprit that makes most of us unhappy these days I decided to get a copy of this book again. It's an excellent book on how to stop worrying and start enjoying your life again. The advise still stands today. It's a great book.
   It arrived in the time promised and was in fine condition.



4. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living focuses on the importance of ones attitude. It is as applicable today as when it was written. A good attitude is crucial in helping a person improve his or her life and relationships with others. Although we all know these principles, this book is a great reminder that by appreciating life we enjoy life.
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking



5. I'm not sure what influenced me to buy this book but I sure am glad I did. The author, Dale Carnegie, has been dead for over 50 years but the principles in this book are timeless.
   
   You dont have to sit and read the book from cover to cover either. To be blatently honest, its a great bathroom reader. Each chapter is independent enough so that you do not have to really read them in any order. Or if someone just happened to pick it up, they could read the first chapter and walk away with something and not have to read the rest.
   
   The principles that he covers in this book are ones that we knew were right in our minds already. The problem is, we dont incorporate them into our lives even though we know better. What this book really does is enables you to trust yourself on what you already know. I know this sounds odd, but no matter how well you know yourself and trust your own judgement, the things said in the book will still help you. Plus there are plenty of examples of how people have incorporated the doctrines into their lives and it made all the difference in the world to them.
   
   Final Note: The way things have been going for myself and pretty much every one that I know in life, times have gotten fairly tough. Everybody hates their job or doesnt have enough money to make ends meet. Its really easy to find yourself in a gloomy state of being. Anyone that comes to me and says their having problems dealing with this or that, i recommend they pick this book up. So far nobody has complained that it didnt help them.

5 comments about Learn to Earn: A Beginner's Guide to the Basics of Investing and Business.

1. This is book is a great primer on the basics of investing. The language does seem geared towards a younger audience, but the information presented is useful for new and would-be investors of all ages and is very easy to read (I finished it in 3 days). For me, the book was a good brush up on different investing options. Lynch weighs the pros and cons of different investments and strategies, but in the end stresses that the most earning potential at the end of the day is in stocks. The book also includes great tips and advice on how to choose strong companies with potential for growth. This book was definitely the gentle 'shove' I needed to start investing and building a strong portfolio.
   
   I think the book would be even better with a little updating- a bit of information or insight on the different online brokers would have been very helpful.



2. This is a great book to understand the basics of investments.
   Unlike a TV set where you could buy it and least care how it works as long as you know how to work on with the remote control. Stock investing is a different venture, the fundamentals of economics need to be there. One must know what does P/E mean, net cash flow, P/S ratio, forward eps estimate.
   Why the penultimate year before the elections for bull market. Without fundamentals its hard to succeed in investing. Good foundation of terminlogies along with discipline and evaluating one own traits in stock investment makes one confident and a sure winner in the long run. Wall street is the same has been 100 years back there has been bulls and bear session, usually bear sessions have outpaced the bull session. But if one has picked the right stock and waits through the bear session when the bull session is around he is likely to make the maximum return. If one makes 10% return on a year to year basis one is a successful investor. All the eye catchers in newspapers and magazines with >100% return are seldom reptative. If inflation is around 3% and one makes 7% profit per year, with compounding affects anyone can become a wealthy person in the long run. Ofcourse, the real joy is to do your own research and invest and trade wisely. And with time one only excels.



3. I studied economics in college, and thought this book was as good of a general economics book as any I've read. It's unlike the very few investing books I've ever read--the title is more descriptive, it is a learn to earn book. About why companies grow, how one can earn from their growth, historical trends affecting growth, and the actions of these on financial markets. One can go through an entire major in economics and not know much about financial markets, their contribution to business, and how people make them work. This book is a great overview of this process.



4. Those wishing to read more about Peter Lynch's investment philosophy are better-off reading one of his two other books, particularly "One up on Wall Street," which is his best book. In this third and most recent book, Peter Lynch laments the failure of our high schools to educate America's children on investing for their financial future. No more job security. No more company pension plans. Good-bye social security. How can we teach "home economics" in school, but not the basic investment skills needed to succeed financially? The stakes could never be higher.
   
   Besides homeownership, only stock investing for the long-term can secure our children's financial future. Lynch fervently believes in the power of stocks as a tool for both wealth-building and democratizing markets. He writes, "Being a shareholder is the greatest method ever invented to allow masses of people to participate in the growth and prosperity of a country" (19). It appears that 50 million Americans agree.
   
   The stock market has grown to over $7 trillion dollars comprised of over 13,000 publicly-traded companies. From the United Dutch East Indian Company to Berkshire Hathaway, Lynch tells us how we got there. Those interested in the development of financial markets may also benefit from reading Peter Bernstein's book, "Capital Ideas." I also recommend that people read Robert Kiyosaki's book, "If You Want to be Rich & Happy Don't go to School," for a more detailed exposition on our public schools failings, and what can be done to rectify the situation. After laying the groundwork, Lynch moves on to discuss the "Basics of Investing" where his position can be summarized:
   
   "Twenty years or longer is the right time frame...A market timer tries to predict the short-term zigs and zags in stock prices, hoping to get out with a quick profit. Few people can make money at this, and nobody has come up with a fool proof method" (115).
   
   Agree or disagree with him, Lynch clearly prefers long-term investing to trading. Thankfully, not every stock takes 10-years to show a profit. Johnson & Johnson stock treated investors to a respectable "one-bagger" in just 18-months! More realistically, expect a longer lag-time for stock prices to catch-up to earnings. On average, the market price of a typical NYSE listed company can swing a total of 57% from it's 52-week high and low. For example, if Bank of America currently sells for $50 per/share, then it would not be surprising to have it trade between $36 and $64 during the year. Fortunately, this short-term noise dissipates over time. And while you can invest "play money" in internet stock market games, there is no substitute for having some "skin in the game."
   
   Those interested in treading slowly may want to visit the National Association of Investors Corp website at www.better-investing.org. Lynch focuses his final two chapters on profiling several companies, and the "heroes" driving their success. Besides these anecdotal stories, the book concludes with two appendices on "Stock Picking Tools" and "Reading the Numbers," which appear to have been hastily put together.



5. Its a great book for beginners, but not for those who already have a basic knowledge of investing and business