Corporate-finance

This book is not only a great read, but a wonderful insight into Chinese thought.

This book should be required reading at all the military institutes AND for business executives.

According to the Preface, Mr. Borge writes to pique [the reader's] interest in Risk Management. The reader to whom the author is writing is a reader without experience in finance. Indeed, in his effort to avoid the depth or rigor of a risk management textbook, Mr. Borge eliminates much of what a finance professional might find interesting in a book about risk management. Business professionals with a background in finance may find themselves hungry for more substance than the book has to offer.

On the other hand, Mr. Borge successfully describes risk management in terms that individuals without experience in finance will understand. Throughout the book the author applies risk management principles to situations encountered in daily living. These simplified examples give the book a sort of 'Who Moved My Cheese' feel, reinforcing my experience that the book might appeal to non-financial types, while leaving financial-types wanting.

This book, without a doubt, offers a very clear explanation of the basic principles of risk management. The book concentrates on financial applications and even has a chapter in which he creates a CEO scenario for the reader where the ideas of risk are put into practice. Borge also shows how the same principles may be applied to personal life from the decison to marry to what type of home insurance tp purchase. Borge comes across as very affable and this helps to make the subject matter 'friendly' also. However, I doubt this book was ever intended for finance professionals - though it might be useful in introductory courses on risk management. I also think those looking for more philosophical approaches to the subject (for instance Peter L. Bernstein or Nassim N Taleb) of risk may be somewhat disappointed. At anay rate this book offers sensible advice that avoids easy solutions. In an ideal world this book would be outselling Who Moved My Cheese?

This book both addresses risk management from
a professional perspective, and from a personal
level. The examples are abundant, instructive
and highly entertaining!

You can't go wrong with this book.

This is a terrific story about the intersection of needs and desires between criminals, Louis Pasciuto et al, and their victims. It rings true in every aspect. And, this I say after spending a career in wall street as a stock broker, albeit one who worked for reputable brokerage houses. A part of my business career also put me in contact with people who used these kind of chop shops to promote stocks whose ascendance benefitted greatly those on the inside of the game. Yes, trashy behavior by trashy people, but one should not lose sight of those in government and other societal institutions who perpetrate even larger frauds on the public; the ponzi scheme aspects of the social security system come to mind along with the recent problems the catholic church has experienced with Gay priests. Add to this the recent problems of financial fraud in the Washington DC teachers union, committed against its dues paying members, along with the recent insider dealings of the Board members of United Labor Life Insurance company, a union owned entity, where insider actions led to a breach of their fiduciary duties, in a major way, and it becomes abundantly evident that corruption knows no one source.

In my travels I also learned that the SEC and other regulatory bodies, while having many dedicated and honest people, often let larger crimes go unmolested while restricting themselves to smaller fish that they "can fry" within their budgets. That is they often pursue the "honest guys" who make administrative mistakes while letting the larger frauds continue i.e. the egregious accounting scandal at WorldCom perpetrated by Bernie Ebbers and his minions. Where was the oversight?

A positive for "Born to Steal" is that it's darkly funny and easy to read, and will receive wider exposure by being made into a successful movie. In this vein the more investors can learn about stock fraud the better. I would council everyone to read Manuel Asensio's, "Sold Short: Uncovering Deception in the Markets."

Also, the tendency for readers and reviewers with a preconceived mindset to see "corporate greed" behind every illegal action speaks clearly to the anomaly of the human condition; that on the one hand most wish to see themselves as morally virtuous while retaining an unquestioned capacity for self deception. Furthermore, it could be averred that just about everyone has a price when it comes to their complicity in a deal where "something for nothing" seems in the offing. These subsets of the most human of conditions do not restrict themselves to corporations, big business or wall street. One who holds to that notion just hasn't availed themselves of the vast trove of historical data and anecdote which would expose this self-contradiction.

A good read for the summer!

I'm in the investment business but this book amazed even me. This is a story of a Staten Island teenager who signs on at a chop shop set up to bilk customers of their money. While poorly educated, Louis Pasciuto finds he has a knack for selling and can easily talk these people in to investing with him. But since this is a scam where the brokers make massive money and the customers lose, it's hardly investing at all.

Giving an uneducated 20-year-old massive money is dangerous. As he doesn't trust banks, he develops a better use of him money, spend it. Spend it on toys, women, trips, and drugs until eventually his monthly living expenses are so high he has money troubles that end with a mafia guy entering his life for a monthly taste. Now that's a whole other problem.

Louis Pasciuto's personal history is a perfect overlay for a demonstration of how the mafia infiltrated the investment business. Stories of mafia guys coming in and slapping their brokers around for money are unsettling at best. As always, this doesn't end happily.

I strongly recommend this book for an entertaining educational read of what can go wrong in the investment world. For further info on this subject, see the DVD, Boiler Room with Ben Affleck for another perspective of this 1990s phonemen. Although starting a little slow, once you are engaged in reading this book you cannot put it down.

Why? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T PUT IT DOWN!!!!! I took this book to the beach during the July 4th weekend and made the mistake of starting to read it in the afternoon. There I was as the sun was setting at 8, and I was still reading it. Everyone was gone and I was squinting as the sun went down. That's how electrifying this book is.

Louis Pasciuto is a parochial school kid from Staten Island who has a slight character-development issue: He steals. He stole when he was a small child and as a teenager he found just the place to practice his craft. Wall Street beckoned, in the form of a well-groomed stock scammer named Roy Ageloff.

Such is the setup for one of the most readable stories that have come down the pike in a long time. Weiss's portrayal of the world of Wall Street and the Mafia is extraordinarily revealing. I heard this is going to be a movie and I can see why.

I don't want to give away any of the plot, as this is one of those books that you read with your hand on the page to keep from letting your eyes wandering down to see what is happening in the future. It was an education on the subject of Wall Street, and I came away from reading this book with a wealth of education that I hope will make me into a smarter investor.

One thing about this book that is surprising is how entertaining and funny it is. You wouldn't expect that from a book about Wall Street or the Mafia. But Weiss has extraordinary comic sense and he brings out the irony in some characters who are at once loathsome and fascinating. He also makes some sharp observations on the abysmal failure of Wall Street regulation and the moronic character of so much that has been written about the Mob.

Born to Steal is a winner in every respect.

What's so special about this book? The examples. They are gold. Kimberly is clearly experienced working with many entrepreneurs and has story after story to illustrate how entrepreneurs have creatively implemented a growth strategy and gotten results. Where other books give theory, Kimberly's book gives practical ideas that stimulated my thinking about new ways to grow my business. The book is easy to read and formatted in a way to quickly gain new ways to approach your business. She understands all the dilemmas in the entrepreneurial life and has strategy after strategy to solve the dilemmas. This is a must have book for every entrepreneur who is serious about being successful.

Kimberly Stansell's book is terrific! Unlike other small business books, she offers real information you can use immediately to better your business without spending a fortune. The book is written in a very easy to read format so you don't have to wade through hundreds of pages to find the good stuff. I found at least ten tips on my first read through that probably will pay for the cost of the book. As a small business consultant and writer I highly recommend this book! Carolyn Z. Lawrenc

Saw this from the LassoBucks.com site which is the biggest, or one of the biggest, online bartering sites for small-business. They are suggesting ways to really bootstrap your business with their site and with books like these!

I bought this book thinking I would save it to read during one of those rare times that I didn't have anything else to read. That time came sooner than expected, but as I started reading Bookstore, I found that I hadn't given it the credit it deserved. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the twenty year account of Jeannette Watson's bookstore ownership from the time it was just an idea until the day the doors closed forever.

Although, the lack of chapters or any sort of division in content was foreign to me, I loved the way it was put together with words that seemed to come from Jeannette Watson's personal journal (written by Lynne Tillman) as well as quotes from famous authors and regular customers.

By the time I got to the end of the book, I felt like I'd visited the store regularly even though I've never even been to New York City where the store was located. I could almost smell the atmosphere as it was described and as it was decided to close the store, I grieved right along with other customers who saw the closing of the store not only as a personal loss, but a loss for community as well.

Although, I don't condemn the bookstore chains in any way, it's very unfortunate that there isn't room for the independently owned bookstores to survive alongside them. I've always felt that to be true...but even more so after reading Lynne Tillman's Bookstore.

If you've ever dreamed of owning a bookstore, you will love this book as you live vicariously through Jeannette Watson's own dream come true!

At its most basic, Lynn Tillman's "Bookstore: The Life and Times of Jeanette Watson" is an oral history of the life cycle of one independent bookstore, in this case Books and Co. in New York. Spanning the mid-'70s to late '90s, the book is a collection of reminscences by booksellers, writers, and patrons of the bookstore intercut with the "memoir" of the store's owner, Jeannette Watson. (In a strange twist, the memoir is written by author Lynn Tillman from interviews held with Ms. Watson, which is a little jarring. Maybe Ms. Watson had an aversion to taking credit for a ghost writer.)

The book chronicles years that marked a decline in independent bookstores around the country. It is fanciful and nostalgic -- anyone who has ever worked in either publishing or a bookstore will appreciate its accuracy and the affectionate tone. It is also full of suggestions for lesser known literary reads; a nice tear out list of 50 of the store's lesser known finds is found at the book's end.

I enjoyed the book without loving it. I'm sure many book lovers will find it a worthy escape from the usual.

Lynne Tillman's 1999 book "BOOKSTORE" about the New York City independent bookstore Books & Co. and its founding owner Jeannette Watson is must reading for any booklover who can't resist the treasure hunt in whatever environment that presents itself, and for any bookseller who delights in the total preoccupation of books. Ms Tillman's book is an excellent biography of a successful, compassionate bookseller and an insightful history of the mid-to-late 20th century book business. It is both immensely enjoyable and, for me, a bit sad to read; my wife and I owned a smaller independent bookstore of a similar name Ñ Books & CO Ñ that specialized in quality pre-owned hardback books and, coincidentally, was closed in the same year (1997). We didn't know, then, about Jeannette Watson's Books & Co. and took our name from Marks & Co, the English bookstore featured in Helene Hanff's marvelous book "84 Charing Cross Road" and in the equally delightful film of the same title Ñ "Co" represented the English bookstore's silent partner Cohen; our "CO" represented nothing at first and, later on, stood for "Collectibles" when our business expanded to include antiques and collectibles as theme objects for our books. As Jeannette Watson attests, those were wonderful years for both bookstores and booklovers. We certainly enjoyed them.