Book Description

With their famous wit, seasoned advice, and impeccable business savvy, the bestselling financial duo shows baby boomers how to build wealth and security -- and how to afford anything they want when the work is done.

Whether retirement is on the distant horizon or right under your nose, The Motley Fool's Money After 40 is for anyone who wants a stable future free from financial anxiety. Baby boomers will learn how to fortify their portfolios to weather any economic climate and live the life they want regardless of the market's peaks and valleys.

Applying the principles of commonsense money management, David and Tom Gardner first explain how to predict what you will need and desire when you stop working. Do you want to volunteer in the community? Do you want the resources to turn a hobby into a small business? Do you want to build an addition to your house for grandchildren? In plain language, the Gardners guide you in creating realistic financial goals. From owning the right size home to affording sufficient health coverage, from sending your kids to college to taking that exotic vacation, The Motley Fool's Money After 40 explains how to:

• Organize your finances to preserve the funds you already have
• Master estate planning
• Create and protect wealth for your children and grandchildren
• Live a healthy, productive life free from anxiety and spiced with adventure

Using real-life examples and action plans that eliminate the drudgery of managing your income, David and Tom Gardner will help you understand exactly how to draw up financial plans sturdy enough to transport dreams. Designed to simultaneously educate, amuse, and enrich the reader, The Motley Fool's Money After 40 is a one-stop financial guidebook for gilding your golden years.

The good life is within your reach under the tutelage of the Fools. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Your additional feedback welcomed!
As with all of our books, we love to hear your comments, whether positive words or constructive criticism. We particularly benefit from the latter as we eventually take our books from hard-cover to paperback, so if you have any corrections or other suggestions, our organization would love to hear from you -- you can e-mail our Fool team at CS@Fool.com.

Tom and I put a lot of work into this book and have had many others breathe life into it, from great customer anecdotes and Motley Fool stories to numerous quotations from a variety of well-known business leaders and celebs via our NPR show. As with all Motley Fool books, it's our hope that we have educated, amused, and enriched you, and that you're inspired to make better financial decisions as a result. Foolish best! --DG

Self Promoting Charlatans in Jester Hats
Why anybody would buy an investment book from these hucksters is beyond me. Take a look at their book "Rule Makers, Rule Breakers", written during the bubble and still available via Amazon even though the Gardners no longer use those approaches to investing. The Gardners ran two real money portfolios based on those convoluted and untested theories that were quietly shut down after horrible performance in the post-bubble period from 2000-2002. Why wouldn't they ask their publisher to withdraw the book?

After their previous investing methods (Rule Maker, Rule Breaker, Foolish Four, etc.) were thoroughly discredited in the 2000-2002 bear market, the Gardners reemerged and started marketing investment newsletters based on a wide variety of new untested approaches. One of them, "Hidden Gems", specializes in recommending small, illiquid stocks which are sure to get a quick pop when the novice newsletter subscribers buy the recommendations. One of their books, "The Motley Fool Investment Guide" had bashed investment newsletters for calculating their performance by using purchase prices for stocks prior to when their recommendations were made public (i.e. the people that actually bought them would have paid more). Now that the Gardners are in the newsletter business, that's exactly what they do to inflate their own performance numbers. They're apparently incapable of shame.

How is it that these 2 guys who had the arrogance to start giving investment advice to the masses when they were barely out of college, have the time to host a weekly NPR radio show, write a never ending stream of books, write a syndicated newspaper column, run a business (The Motley Fool, with message boards, newsletters, etc.) AND research stocks?

Underneath the Gardners shtick (the "fools" versus the "wise, etc.) and the cutesy-poo writing are two guys that, like Wall Street and most of the mutual fund industry, will do anything for a buck. Don't fall for it.

If you're looking for a book on investing for retirement that is written by somebody competent and honest, I'd recommend John Bogle's book. Bogle, who ran Vanguard and brought low cost index funds to the masses, is a legend in the investment business and a true friend of small investors. You'll be better off getting investment advice from Bogle than a couple of fools.

A retirement book for the boomer generation
David and Tom Gardner walk the reader through retirement planning in their usual good-natured style. Everything is covered here for us age-phobic boomers-investments, insurance, housing, social security, health care, educating our kids and taking care of our aging parents. I particularly liked their suggestions about the need to downsize our oversized houses and to sell off our excess possessions on eBay (presumably to unsuspecting members of Generation X). A well-written and sensible book. Now all I need is enough common sense to follow their advice.

This book is great!
I've read several of The Motley Fool books and this one is great! ... Read more

Book Description

A fascinating look at why millions of consumers are "trading up" to premium goods, and how companies can profit from this phenomenon.

Middle-market consumers have more discretionary income than ever before and are willing to pay extra for "new luxury" goods and services-items that deliver higher quality, technical advantages, and superior performance to conventional products. Above all, consumers are looking for emotional engagement-they look to products to help them manage the stresses of everyday life, and to help them realize their aspirations. A new luxury good may be as simple as a shampoo ($9 from Aveda, versus $3 from Suave) that brings moments of comfort and sensual pleasure, or as complex as a car ($26,000 for a bottom-of-the-line Mercedes, versus $20,000 for a Pontiac) that delivers feelings of safety and excitement.

Clothing, cars, beer, coffee, kitchen appliances, lingerie, personal care, pet food, restaurants-in dozens of categories, new luxury goods occupy a sweet spot in the market, because they can sell in much higher unit volumes than "old luxury" goods, but command much higher profit margins than ordinary products. But new luxury leaders-such as Callaway Golf, Victoria's Secret, Panera Bread, Belvedere vodka, Whirlpool Duet, and Williams-Sonoma-create andmarket their goods very differently than do conventional companies. Trading Up explores what's driving this move to premium goods, tells the inside stories of many New Luxury companies and their leaders, and offers insights and methods that can help the reader take advantage of this remarkable phenomenon. The book is based on the authors' experience in helping clients create billions of dollars worth of New Luxury products as well as on exhaustive supporting research. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Nice Work!
Silverstein & Fiske do a great job of explaining the apparent dichotomy of BMW's in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Chapter 3 is a great primer for how to market New Luxury. I have read chapter 3 a few times and I keep getting more out of it. This book more clearly explains consumer marketing than the textbooks I read in business school. The book would have been more valuable if they considered how to apply this thinking in a "B to B" environment. Overall, an excellent read but don't take my word for it, visit the Boston Consulting Group web site and download Chapter 1 to get a taste. I bet you will come back here and buy it!

New Criteria for Self-Definition
Silverstein and Fiske brilliantly examine New Luxury": a rapidly developing socio-economic trend as America's middle-market consumers are trading up to "products and services which possess higher levels of quality, taste, and [key word] aspiration than [other] goods in the [same] category but are not so expensive as to be out of reach...[trading up to products and services which] sell at much higher prices than conventional goods and in much higher volumes than traditional luxury goods and, as a result, have soared into previously uncharted territory high above the familiar price-volume demand curve." The significance of this paradigm shift has profound implications for literally anyone who competes each day for consumers' attention, consideration, and (most important of all) business.

Think about it. How to explain the spectacular success of diverse companies such as Starbucks, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Lexus and BMW, Williams-Sonoma and Bed, Bath & Beyond, Restoration Hardware, Victoria's Secret, Prada, Coach, Panera Bread, and Callaway? Granted, most consumers cannot afford to purchase everything from companies such as these but an astonishing number of consumers are not only willing but eager to pay a premium for at least a few of the products offered.

Why? Silverstein and Fiske offer several reasons. New Luxury merchants never underestimate their customer; they shatter the price-volume demand curve; they create a ladder of genuine benefits (i.e. technical, functional, and emotional benefits); they escalate innovation, elevate quality, and deliver a flawless experience; they extend the price range and positioning of the brand; they customize the customer's value chain to deliver on the benefit ladder; they use influence marketing to "seed" success through brand apostles (i.e. "evangelism"); and finally, they continually attack the category like an outsider. What Silverstein and Fiske offer is this volume is a rigorous analysis of those companies which continue to be most successful in the New Luxury economy. They also explain in detail precisely HOW they achieve such success.

Excellent!
As the next generation in a family business rooted in luxury, I bought this book to expand my knowledge of the 'new luxury', middle-market consumer. The book was brilliantly written and well executed in terms of the combination of research, data, interviews and testimony complied. The authors made intelligent choices in the companies they profiled and the success tories they told were not only informative and helpful, but were inspiring. The language of the book was very straightforward and succinct. I have made this a mandatory read for anyone that works for me. I also bought and read Living It Up: America's Affair with Luxury by James B Twitchell which I also found to be an excellent read. I began my self-tutelage with Twitchell's book and in my having now read both, think I should have read this book first. This book laid a great foundation for what I met in Twitchell's book. My only complaint was that is was not longer, which is why I rated with 4 out of 5 stars, but I suspect that is just my brain being the sponge that it is and wanting more input.

Good proposition but.....
The trading up proposition is interesting, but the readers can grab the gist of the book by just reading chapter 1 which summarizes the entire book, and chapter 14 which covers the way forward. The other chapters are like exhibits to support the executive summary.

New Criteria for Self-Definition
Silverstein and Fiske brilliantly examine New Luxury": a rapidly developing socio-economic trend as America's middle-market consumers are trading up to "products and services which possess higher levels of quality, taste, and [key word] aspiration than [other] goods in the [same] category but are not so expensive as to be out of reach...[trading up to products and services which] sell at much higher prices than conventional goods and in much higher volumes than traditional luxury goods and, as a result, have soared into previously uncharted territory high above the familiar price-volume demand curve." The significance of this paradigm shift has profound implications for literally anyone who competes each day for consumers' attention, consideration, and (most important of all) business.

Think about it. How to explain the spectacular success of diverse companies such as Starbucks, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Lexus and BMW, Williams-Sonoma and Bed, Bath & Beyond, Restoration Hardware, Victoria's Secret, Prada, Coach, Panera Bread, and Callaway? Granted, most consumers cannot afford to purchase everything from companies such as these but an astonishing number of consumers are not only willing but eager to pay a premium for at least a few of the products offered.

Why? Silverstein and Fiske offer several reasons. New Luxury merchants never underestimate their customer; they shatter the price-volume demand curve; they create a ladder of genuine benefits (i.e. technical, functional, and emotional benefits); they escalate innovation, elevate quality, and deliver a flawless experience; they extend the price range and positioning of the brand; they customize the customer's value chain to deliver on the benefit ladder; they use influence marketing to "seed" success through brand apostles (i.e. "evangelism"); and finally, they continually attack the category like an outsider. What Silverstein and Fiske offer is this volume is a rigorous analysis of those companies which continue to be most successful in the New Luxury economy. They also explain in detail precisely HOW they achieve such success. ... Read more

Book Description

In writing this textbook, Mankiw has tried to put himself in the position of someone seeing economics for the first time. The authorÆs conversational writing style is superb for presenting the politics and science of economic theories to tomorrowÆs decision-makers. Because Mankiw wrote it for the students, the book stands out among all other principle texts by intriguing students to apply an economic way of thinking in their daily lives. Receiving such praise as "perhaps the best ever" textbook in economic principles, itÆs no wonder MankiwÆs prize project has quickly become one of the most successful books ever to be published in the college marketplace. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Great text with excellent use of graphs/diagrams
Macroeconomics (as well as most other fields of economics, for that matter) is a subject which involves many graphs and diagrams. Mankiw's book was used in my intermediate course on macroeconomics and I was very satisfied with it. Its graphs are well laid out and contain lists of steps in the margins explaining how they were obtained. It is also easy to read. The examples provided are relevant and interesting, and the style is conducive to learning macroeconomics.

Extremely Well Done
This book makes Economics extremely accessible -it was the first textbook I've ever encountered that was actually a "good read." Anyone taking an Intro Macroeconomics class should have a copy of this book (even if the course textbook is different). Extremely well written and clear.

Excellent Text for the Intro. Level
The text is excellent and is suitable for any type of introductary Ecnonomics class. It can be used in a tough course or an easy course, as it provides a great level of organization so that the instructor may choose the material at his discretion depending on his course lay out.

BEST MACROECONOMICS TEXTBOOK AVAILABLE
Among all the textbooks I have seen in economics, I have found Mankiw's to be the best. It is clear and concise, addressing all the important intermediate issues in macroeconomics. The description of concepts is simple, and the book benefits from a three pronged approach to teaching - graphical, mathematical, and anecdotal. The student is free to choose whichever one he feels most comfortable learning from.

The best intermediate macro book
As an instructor of introductory macroeconomics, I often rue the fact that we do not utilize this textbook. I borrow material from it INCESSANTLY and without shame.

It presents the "Keynesian" viewpoint on macroeconomics in an extraordinarily clear and interesting fashion. Frankly, I consider the introductory (read literally - first semester macro books) texts to be a waste of time. There is absolutely no reason this textbook should not be used for a first semester macroeconomics course (assuming one has already taken an introductory microeconomics course).

Suggested plan of study for those interested in a fairly serious study of macroeconomics (without an INSANE amount of mathematical preparation): this book and Barro's book with the same title. Barro's book presents the real business cycle theory approach in a clear manner (though the book is somewhat dull in comparison)...then decide for yourself which 'camp' is making the most sense. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An Excellent Economics Text By A Political Hack...
A very interesting look at the economic thought of
one of the most important players in the Bush White House.

Oddly, much of Bush's economic policy, including his emphasize
on tax cuts for the wealthy, is sharply at odds with Mankiw's
basic philosophy...

Just a tad too easy
Mankiw's intermediate text is less rigorous than his introductory text. While I really enjoy mankiw's writing style and use of practical examples to explain abstract ideas, the book is simply too easy and will not suffice for students looking to prepare themselves for graduate level economics courses.

Highly recommended
A clear and altogether pleasant presentation; excellent layout and typography. A quick check indicated it was perhaps a bit less thorough than Olivier Blanchard (Mankiw doesn't mention the problems with non-performing loans in the Japanese banking system; Blanchard does), but one has to draw the line somewhere, and there is something to be said for allowing the instructor a bit more flexibility to introduce examples. Quite interesting--I hesitate to label a textbook exciting, but it would be an undersatement to say that Mankiw's text is neither soporific nor unduly convoluted; it inspires further inquiry. If you are required to use another text in a course, so be it; if reading for your own education, Mankiw is excellent. One might be sorely tempted to purchase it as a supplement to other less clear texts.

Great Book!
Mankiw really gives an in-depth explanation of Macroeconomics in an easy to understand way. I've taken this course at Fordham University and we used this book. This book is everything a beginner needs to know in complex economic policy. ... Read more

Book Description

Is the United States "the land of equal opportunity" or is the playing field tilted in favor of those whose parents are wealthy, well educated, and white? If family background is important in getting ahead, why? And if the processes that transmit economic status from parent to child are unfair, could public policy address the problem? Unequal Chances provides new answers to these questions by leading economists, sociologists, biologists, behavioral geneticists, and philosophers.

New estimates show that intergenerational inequality in the United States is far greater than was previously thought. Moreover, while the inheritance of wealth and the better schooling typically enjoyed by the children of the well-to-do contribute to this process, these two standard explanations fail to explain the extent of intergenerational status transmission. The genetic inheritance of IQ is even less important. Instead, parent-offspring similarities in personality and behavior may play an important role. Race contributes to the process, and the intergenerational mobility patterns of African Americans and European Americans differ substantially.

Following the editors' introduction are chapters by Greg Duncan, Ariel Kalil, Susan E. Mayer, Robin Tepper, and Monique R. Payne; Bhashkar Mazumder; David J. Harding, Christopher Jencks, Leonard M. Lopoo, and Susan E. Mayer; Anders Björklund, Markus Jäntti, and Gary Solon; Tom Hertz; John C. Loehlin; Melissa Osborne Groves; Marcus W. Feldman, Shuzhuo Li, Nan Li, Shripad Tuljapurkar, and Xiaoyi Jin; and Adam Swift.

Book Description

McConnell-Brue’s Principles of Macroeconomics, 15 is the best-selling textbook and has been teaching students in a clear, unbiased way for 40 years. The 14th edition grew market share because of its clear and careful treatment of principles of macroeconomics concepts, its balanced coverage, and its patient explanations.More students have learned their principles of Macroeconomics from McConnell-Brue than any other text-12 million of them.The 15th edition is a substantial revision that delivers a tighter, modern, Internet-savvy book. ... Read more

Book Description

This textbook takes the reader from the level of microeconomics principles through to modern asset pricing theory. Yvan Lengwiler elegantly links together issues that have in the past been the territory of general economic theorists on the one hand, and financial economists on the other.

In a sequence of carefully explained steps, the reader learns how the first welfare theorem is used in asset pricing theory. The book then moves on to explore Radner economies and von Neumann-Morgenstern decision theory, and this section culminates in Wilson's mutuality principle and the consumption-based CAPM. This is then put into a dynamic setting, and term structure models are introduced. The empirical shortcomings of the standard asset pricing models are extensively discussed, as is research from the last twenty years aimed at bringing theory in line with reality. The reader is brought up to date on the latest areas of concern, such as habit formation, the consequences of heterogeneity, demographic effects, changing tax regimes, market frictions, and the implications of prospect theory for asset pricing.

Aimed at masters or Ph.D. students specializing in financial economics, the book can also be used as a supplementary text for students of macroeconomics at this advanced level and will be of interest to finance professionals with a background in economics and mathematics. It includes problems (with solutions), and an accompanying website provides supporting material for lecturers.

... Read more

Book Description

Dornbusch, Fischer, and Startz' Macroeconomics has been a leading intermediate macroeconomic theory text since its introduction in 1978.This revision retains most of the text's traditional features, including a middle-of-the-road approach and very current research, while updating and simplifying the exposition. The text is now even easier to teach from. The only prerequisite continues to be principles of economics. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good Explanation of Macroeconomics
My major is in international business and this was my second course in macro. I found this to be a solid book in explaning the concepts.
My favourite part of the book was where they develop a model of the macro economy of a country - and explanin how the monetary and fiscal policy can alter how the economy moves. In light of the recent dip in the economy this was very useful in understanding why the Fed behaves the way it does.
Highly recommended for macro economics!

macroeconomics made simple
this is the best textbook available--its easy to understand, lively and well written

You Can Do This
If the 8th edition is anywhere near as clear and accessible as the 2nd, then this is THE book to learn macro from. Dornbusch et. al. have done a masterful job of laying out intermediate macro theory in clear and concise prose. It's the kind of book that makes you want to know more.

Keep it. You'll refer to it every once in while. I still do after 20 years. Lots of good econ guys at MIT (big surprise there, right?).

Check out Paul Krugman's popular work too, particularly the highly readable "The Return of Depression Economics," his analysis of the 1997 Asian Flu that started in Thailand. Good background for Act II of Monetary Crises and Emerging Markets starring Treasury Secretary O'Neill and George Bush, now playing in Argentina, Turkey, SE Asia, and geopolitical spheres of influence worldwide. ... Read more

Book Description

This easy to read, accessible, macro-first principles book engages readers with familiar real-world examples and applications that bring economics to life. Its 29 chapters focus on those topics that are at the heart of economics, making the volume concise, yet complete. The authors follow an Explore & Apply theme to demonstrate how economics are a part of everyday life and how it can be a useful tool in making personal decisions and evaluating policy decisions.Notable coverage includes the Aggregate Demand/Aggregate Supply model, a single, self-contained chapter on the Keynesian Cross, and early emphasis of Short Run.For a working knowledge of macroeconomics. ... Read more

Book Description

Consumers shop to satisfy emotional needs and desires-if a company is selling to emotion, then it's in the business of luxury.

What motivates consumers to buy?Is it pleasure?Education?Entertainment?Status?Or just an impulse?Knowing why consumers buy what they do is the secret to predicting how they will behave in the ever-changing marketplace.In most cases, much of what people buy are items they really don't need.

Focusing on the "whys" of spending, Danziger has meticulously profiled customers in more than 30 categories of discretionary spending through research based on surveys, interviews, and focus groups from a variety of people who make discretionary purchases.She provides readers with a vision of the future, giving them the foresight to anticipate the needs and desires of their customers.

This groundbreaking guide will help marketers of all products understand the underlying motivators consumers use to both make their purchases and become satisfied, loyal customers.In Why People Buy Things They Don't Need, Danziger examines:
* The 14 justifiers that give consumers "permission"to buy.
* Trends impacting why people purchase what they do.
* How to sell even more to these customers.
* The future of discretionary spending. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Have you ever asked yourself why did I buy this item?
Why People Buy Things They Don't Need is the title of a book authored by marketing consultant Pamela N. Danziger.

Have you ever pondered this question? Perhaps you have asked yourself "why on earth did I ever buy this item?" Danziger is a specialist in advising companies how to capture a bigger slice of the consumer market. Over a span of twenty years she has thoroughly researched the fundamental motives that induce people to buy and the results of her findings and insights are shared with us in her handbook. From the very first chapter the author's main contention is that people "do need" and as she states, "that is the simple answer to a profoundly challenging question." There is a desire to satisfy a need and it is this need that we must understand in order to be able to market our products effectively. In other words, understanding the emotional satisfaction of the purchase is of vital importance.

The first section of the book deals with what we need and emphasis is placed on the act of consuming rather than the item being consumed. Emotion and desire become essential, as consumers need a reason to purchase. Various examples are provided in order to show how sales can be improved, if the seller only knew what we needed. The author recounts her own story when she was required to replace her dishwasher. The salesperson showed her various brands and ultimately she purchased the machine. However, as she points out, had the salesperson tried to probe further he would have discovered that all of her kitchen appliances were over ten years old. As we all are aware, ten years is the time when kitchen appliances begin to show their wear and tear. The element of justification would then have presented itself, as the purchaser would have permission to update and it would not have taken too much to induce her to purchase a stove and a fridge.

The author presents us with a detailed analysis of this justification or permission to purchase by exposing to the reader fourteen "justifiers" that creates this motivation.
These fourteen are based on quality of life, pleasure, beautifying the home, education, relaxation, entertainment, planned purchase, emotional satisfaction, replacing existing item, stress relief, hobby, gift to yourself, impulse purchasing, and status. As the Danziger maintains, "it is the justifiers that give consumers the illusion that they are acting rationally in purchasing, but in reality, they remain driven by personal desires and emotions."

The second section of the book describes what is being purchased and the final section endeavours to show us where we are headed or what are the consumer trends.

The book is undoubtedly an interesting addition to the growing collection of published materials pertaining to the subject matter.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com

For everyone who has ever had a product to sell...
Pam Danziger has a clear understanding of the realities of today's marketplace and the trends for the future. She explains clearly and succinctly just how businesses can reap their share of the nearly 42% of spending Americans devote to discretionary items, backing it up with statistics and quotes from highly reliable sources. Examples throughout the book include the good, the bad and the ugly in manufacturing and retailing today. Far from merely promoting a simplistic "feel good" mentality, Danziger conveys an understanding of the various types of buyers, the justification they need to make their purchases, and how suppliers can deliver that message. Her observations speak volumes: "The consumer's feelings often may have more to do with the act of purchasing than with the object." This is a must-have marketing reference to read and re-read and then implement to reach your maximum sales potential.

still shopping
I could have written this book in six words......."Because it makes you feel good!"

50% Too Long
The book could have given you the message in half the pages. I found about ten pages of really good information but a lot of fluff as well.

The hidden depths of the credit-card happy human psyche
Why People Buy Things They Don't Need by marketing expert Pamela N. Danziger offers truly fascinating insights into the psychology of impulse purchases and rampant consumerism, as well as why people are so quick to buy new stuff they don't use, especially before the old stuff is worn out! Motives such as "improving the quality of life", stress relief, compulsive shopping, and a great deal more are scrutinized in depth. Why People Buy Things They Don't Need is very strongly recommended as a solid and informative treatise delving into the conflicts and the hidden depths of the credit-card happy human psyche -- and how to use it to advantage in the marketplace of goods and services. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A masterpiece
This book is a masterpiece. In practice, it deserves to become the "Holy Bible" of Microeconometrics applied to (but not only to) Development Economics. It is beautifully written by an amazingly knowledgeble economist, who has actually worked for years (and still does) on most of the issues this book deals with. It is no easy reading, and it would be worth spending a day for every single page, but it's excellent even if you don't want to go through the details, and you just need an intuition about the issues covered. The first chapter introduces the reader to many important aspects of the contruction and use of household surveys. The second chapter masterfully reviews many concepts of applied econometrics. Chapter 3 is about poverty and inequality measurement. Chapter 4 is about "Nutrition, children, and intrahousehold allocation", Chapter 5 deals with prices and tax reforms, and Chapter 6 with saving and consumption smoothing. The book also contains many useful Stata codes the author wrote and used for his many papers. Again, this is not a trivial reading, but if you are interested in applied economics you will find reading this book extremely rewarding, and often almost entertaining, because Deaton is one of the very few economists around able to write about technical stuff in a brilliant and intuitive way.

Misadventure
It is a great book, and I would have not canceled the order if you would have shipped as your website said it would.

A masterpiece
This book is a masterpiece. In practice, it deserves to become the "Holy Bible" of Microeconometrics applied to (but not only to) Development Economics. It is beautifully written by an amazingly knowledgeble economist, who has actually worked for years (and still does) on most of the issues this book deals with. It is no easy reading, and it would be worth spending a day for every single page, but it's excellent even if you don't want to go through the details, and you just need an intuition about the issues covered. The first chapter introduces the reader to many important aspects of the contruction and use of household surveys. The second chapter masterfully reviews many concepts of applied econometrics. Chapter 3 is about poverty and inequality measurement. Chapter 4 is about "Nutrition, children, and intrahousehold allocation", Chapter 5 deals with prices and tax reforms, and Chapter 6 with saving and consumption smoothing. The book also contains many useful Stata codes the author wrote and used for his many papers. Again, this is not a trivial reading, but if you are interested in applied economics you will find reading this book extremely rewarding, and often almost entertaining, because Deaton is one of the very few economists around able to write about technical stuff in a brilliant and intuitive way.

Deaton is the man !
This is an excelent manual for anyone interested in studying consumption or welfare in developing countries. Profesor Deaton is certainly one of the experts in the field. His book is well written and flows easily from theory to practice. Really enjoy it ! ... Read more

Book Description

The fast and user-friendly way to better prepare for *AP economics exams for college credit, this useful book is comprised of test preparation materials for both the AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics tests. CliffsAP Economics Micro & Macro helps all levels of test-takers achieve more successful results on the micro or macro AP economics test, or both tests.

*Advanced Placement Program and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product. ... Read more

Book Description

Employment. . .Inflation. . .Consumer Spending. Each month, financial markets react to these and other important figures. The data, tables, charts, and graphs in this authoritative book explain how each indicator is determined, and how readers can effectively use this information. New sections include employment and labor figures, new GDP measures, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very careful and detailed book
This book is great. It tells you exactly what the various economic series are, and how they are constructed - down to the fine gory details. I suspect this is the best such reference book available. If the author could produce an updated 3rd edition I would buy it immediately.

Essential for market analysts and conscientious researchers!
The Handbook of Key Economic Indicators clearly stands head and shoulders above competing texts in its depth. The first thing I like about this book is that it provides detailed information on important data series and is an invaluable resource to those tracking the nearly daily release of non-financial data. In addition to providing the necessary methodological background for each indicator, the work explains how to interpret each indicator and specifically suggests what to look for when analyzing data reports. I also found that the explanations of the numerous potential sources of monthly volatility are extremely useful- the explanations are clear indications of the author's extensive experience with the data. I was glad to see the Handbook isn't just a rehash of the first edition--it is very current and includes important new sections on the 1996 Boskin Report, the 1998 revisions to CPI (including the impact on inflation growth rates), and the switch in real GDP to a chained dollar basis and how one works with the new data. What I like about this book is that it not only covers the basics in news release interpretation that market analysts want but also that it is an excellent reference for researchers who need a thorough understanding of the major non-financial economic indicators. What sets this work apart is that it has the depth and coverage of methodologies and special topics that similar texts do not have. For the analyst or researcher working with these complicated and often misunderstood data series, I would highly recommend this book!

A comprehensive, insightful look at key economic indicators
R. Mark Rogers has written a comprehensive, thorough overview of the key U.S. economic indicators. His book would be particularly useful for analysts new to the business, or to seasoned analysts who need to know more about the nitty gritty behind the numbers. Rogers' handbook is filled with more technical information that some people will ever need, and some will find the level of detail intimidating and somewhat cumbersome. However, the compilation of all this information in one source is extremely valuable, and is particularly useful for those who want a deeper understanding of what the economic data say. The level of technical sophistication is what sets this book apart from others. For those who want to understand more about U.S. economic data than the sound bytes on the news or the quotes in the paper provide, this is the book to read.

Comprehensive, very technical, but NOT user friendly.
This work is highly technical. It provides the genesis and sources for all the leading U.S. economic indicators. A dweeb's delight - however it lacks meaningful illustrations. A few charts were provided, but - like the dismal science, the actual text, tables, and raw data are dull, drab, and unimaginative. For my money, a far more "user-friendly" overview is necessary. This book needs some meaningful graphs, colorful illustrations, and an anectode or two. It could have been made far simpler, and easier to understand. As is, the book has only limited value - especially to the investing public. It's a shame the author went to all that work compiling a bunch of data, but, like most dweeb economists, he doesn't effectively communicate. ... Read more

Book Description

Doing for the airline industry what Den of Thieves did for Wall Street, this book exposes the machinations of the men's club that runs the world's major air carriers. At once a de facto primer in modern business practices and a riveting history of the world's largest industry, Hard Landing presents an unforgettable portrait of the jet age itself. Photos. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Great but not an orderly comprehensive work
This is one of the best books to read among all the 'tell-all' novels about airlines and their managers. Unfortunately, Petzinger zig zags around characters and events that become confusing and annoying. Many of the significant facts are lost as a result and the reader must go back to truly understand particular concepts and processes of airline management.

Another problem is that the author does a tremendous job explaining the history and ramifications of what the airlines and their managers did, but only takes one small chapter at the end to explain the future of the airline industry and its new leaders.

For the size and comprehensiveness of the book, a few more pages devoted to his best estimates for the future would have only made it perfect.

Mr. Petzinger handles a complex subject very, very well.
As an airline professional with one of the carriers covered extensively in the book, I was skeptical as to whether any author could present a clear picture of the industry's inner workings. "Complex" is somehow an inadequate word when applied to the airline industry, especially since Deregulation. Mr. Petzinger, however, has succeeded not only in telling the story; he has done so in an entertaining style which makes for a fascinating and highly informative trip through all of the turmoil wrought by deregulation. The reader comes away with an understanding of the cause and effect of every relevant force affecting the airline business over the last few decades. This, combined with a comprehensive overview of the industry's formative years, makes this book a treasure. The book would be a 10 except for a couple of minor research errors. The content, however, is outstanding and compels me to use an overused cliche: this really is a must-read for everyone in the industry and anyone with even a passing interest in the airline business.

Perhaps even more relevant today
Petzinger's examination of the airline industry is must reading for anyone with an interest in that industry, and probably should be required reading for airline executives. The book essentially recounts the history of the airlines, but it also very much focuses a magnifying glass on many of the players in this industry.

But its more than a textbook history, it provides intimate details on the men who run the airlines and provides a great contrast of the various individuals' management styles.

I was enthralled by the history of Texas International and Eastern Airlines, in particular, and the recounting of the fall of Frank Lorenzo, a man so reviled that the mechanics union was willing to kill the airline just to defeat him.

While the book has been criticized by some for a perceived focus on airlines based in Texas, the fact of the matter is that even today three of the biggest players in the industry are based in Texas: American, Continental, and Southwest. And since they are three of the current survivors, and still three of the major players, the recounting of their histories is probably even more relevant.

The only suggestion I might have is that Petzinger update his book in light of airline history since his book was published.

I wish I hadn't read this book...
because I would love to go through the experience of reading it for the first time again.
I work in the Airline Industry in Australia in an operational role that has aspects of Industrial Relations associated with it. To read a book that relates so many interesting and insightful stories into the trials and tribulations of De-reg in the US and the power plays between the various airlines and the Unions was nothing but fascinating.
Well researched, well written and very enjoyable. I recomend it to anyone employed or aspiring to airline management

Stranger -- and better -- than fiction
This book was thoroughly engrossing, and the executives profiled are like actors in a Greek drama. The only downside to the book is that it stops in 1996, and so much has happened since then. But Hard Landing provides all the behind-the-scenes information that helps you understand the airline industry today -- the innovations such as reservations systems, frequent-flyer programs, discount pricing and hub-and-spoke route maps, which we all take for granted today. In his postscript, Petzinger notes that the industry was relatively stable when he concluded the book, but that he awaited its next crisis to see how its leaders respond. Well, I think it's safe to say we're there now. The Greek drama continues. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a survey of exchange-rate economics. Using the latest econometric techniques, it covers the main theories that explain the determination of exchange rates and utilizes recent empirical data on exchange rate behavior. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Outstanding!
This is a well-written and comprehensive survey of the modern international finance literature. I recommend this book to PH.D students who looking for a dissertation topic. Researchers should also have a copy of this book for reference. ... Read more

Book Description

Written by two highly respected economists and educators, the book uses the “Stories, Graphs, and Equations” approach to make economic concepts accessible and relevant to readers with various learning styles. It is known for its unified and logical structure, lively writing style, and clear explanations.Chapter topics include the scope and method of economics; the economic problem: scarcity and choice; demand, supply, and market equilibrium; household behavior and consumer choice; short- and long-run costs and output decisions; input demand; general equilibrium and the efficiency of perfect competition; monopoly and antitrust policy; monopolistic competition and oligopoly; income distribution and poverty; international trade, comparative advantage, and protectionism; and economic growth in developing and transitional economies.For individuals who want to better understand the fundamentals of microeconomics. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Principles Of Microeconomics
This book helps me alot in my jop and in my life.

About the mathematics used in the book
Mathematics is used broadly in the book but limited to simple algebra, i.e., no calculus is used. So the level thus is appropriate for an introductory economics class.

Reading level of the book
The text is of medium reading level, although sometimes the extensive introduction to terms is unavoidable in introductory texts. That is to say, we can find pages with five or six terms crowded together, but that's what happens to almost every introductory textbook and generally expected when you touch a new subject at the first time.

General Orientation of the book
The general orientation of the book is theory with applications, and the authors seem to emphasize the real-world application a lot.

More international materials
As the economy goes global, we'd tell our students more about what's going on around the world. In the last part, International Economics, the authors not only address the traditional topics in international trade but cover the economic growth in developing nations, transition economics, and alternative economic systems as well.

But for some unknown reason, under the topic of "a new world trade agreement: GATT and the final act", the authors failed to mention the WTO which came into existence on 1 January 1995 as a fruit of Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94). ... Read more

Book Description

What do we want our students to be able to do upon completing an introductory course in macroeconomics--shift curves on diagrams or interpret media commentary on the economy? This book, an effort to lead students in the latter direction, offers a clear exposition of introductory macroeconomic theory along with more than 600 one- or two-sentence "news clips" that serve as illustrations and exercises. The author calls this approach "media economics" to distinguish it from the encyclopedic character of traditional texts.

The book provides a guide to what the author calls the "really important" ideas of macroeconomics, with a strong connection to the real world. Thus many instructors will find the book suitable for use in courses enrolling business students. The method of presentation allows room for topics that are crucial for the interpretation of news commentary, but given inadequate coverage in traditional macroeconomics texts. Examples include the many roles of nominal versus real interest rates, and international phenomena such as purchasing power parity.

Despite its nontechnical presentation, the material in the book is quite challenging for students; to answer questions based on the news clips, students must truly understand the economic concepts and apply problem-solving skills rather than rote learning. This text, unlike other economic texts, provides the student with a practical yet sophisticated grasp of the macroeconomic principles necessary to interpret media commentary. The second edition has been revised and updated throughout. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Thorough & sound guide for Macroeconomics
I have looked through a wide variety of books on Macroeconomics and only this one has really satisfied me. It covers all the topics well; clearly, but not in a simplistic manner. And when you have finished studying a chapter and done some of the exercises at the end, you will understand the principles very well. The use of media exercises not only is more applicable to every day life, but also helps to stick the concepts into your brain so they are more easily retained.

With all this said, the book is quite approachable. It is written for the everyday student to understand concepts that are critcial in your everyday life; from investing to decifering the political conversations about the economy/deficit/balance of trade.

I highly recommend this book.

Peter Kennedy's book is terrific
I found this text particulary inspiring the first semester I used it in my introductory macroeconomic class. The manner in which the material is presented makes the text a useful reference guide for business professionals who need to great refresher text to bring them up to date on the basic workings of the economy. Most of my students liked the book.

A REALLY useful macro text
I have been teaching first to fourth year university macroeconomics since 1988. This is the first principles text I have been inspired by. The content of most traditional texts in macroeconomics is dictated by the needs of majoring students. Also, most authors of economics texts seem to feel the need to write an encyclopaedia. For those teachers of macroeconomics principles courses who want their students to learn something that will be of lasting value in their lives, give serious attention to Peter Kennedy's text. A look at its contents will tell you that it does cover all the usual topics. It is the style of the book which distinguishes it from the competition. Its chapters are brief and to the point. Its emphasis is on understanding the essentials that will allow its readers to understand what is daily going on around them in the economy. It is NOT in any way "low level". It will challenge the most able and interest them in continuing to study the subject, yet it will also reach the majority of its audience and help them to understand some of the basics of macroeconomic analysis. Now, Professor Kennedy, do the same for teachers of microeconomics! ... Read more