Strong Towns


Book Description

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.




A Mind for Sales


Book Description

For salespeople feeling stressed and disappointed that their customers don’t want to hear from them, this guide is the key to developing the mindset and habits required to reach a new level of sales success. The world of sales can be tough, so it’s easy to get discouraged when the rejections start piling up and your customers stop answering the phone. This allows the wrong thought patterns to start developing, soon you aren’t making quotas and then you begin looking at job listings waiting for your next downfall. Sales expert Mark Hunter can relate as his start to sales was discouraging. The lessons he’s learned throughout his career are revealed in A Mind for Sales. He discovered that sales can be incredibly rewarding, such as customers calling you for advice, thanking you for improving their business, and referring you to colleagues. The difference is simply developing mindset and momentum habits. In A Mind for Sales, you’ll learn how to: Feel energized by renewed purpose and success in your sales role by following the success cycle approach. Receive practical strategies on how to change your mindset and succeed in sales. Learn the daily habits needed to maximize productivity and make hitting the ground running strategy #1. Gain real-world insights from Hunter’s vast experience as a successful sales professional and sales coach. Let this book inspire and prepare you to form the new habits you need to succeed and to realize the incredible rewards that a successful life in sales makes possible.




Egonomics


Book Description

Backed by five years of research, David Marcum and Steven Smith's egonomicsinforms readers that the key to great leadership is understanding exactly what ego is - and what it should not be. With the aid of real-life examples and persuasive writing, egonomics argues that while most people believe ego is negative, it is actually a healthy, necessary element to management effectiveness and business leadership. Marcum and Smith illustrate that the distinction between a good and a great leader is how humility affects their ambition, and egonomics is full of ideas that help both upper and middle management keep their egos in balance. With a compelling combination of business and psychology expertise, these two specialists explain how (a) being too competitive can make you less competitive, (b) seeking respect and recognition dilutes effectiveness and (c) humility, curiosity and veracity are the essential components to outstanding leadership. Full of the best advice from the experts in the field, egonomics is poised to be the blockbuster business bestseller of the season.







The Public Wealth of Nations


Book Description

We have spent the last three decades engaged in a pointless and irrelevant debate about the relative merits of privatization or nationalization. We have been arguing about the wrong thing while sitting on a goldmine of assets. Don’t worry about who owns those assets, worry about whether they are managed effectively. Why does this matter? Because despite the Thatcher/ Reagan economic revolution, the largest pool of wealth in the world – a global total that is much larger than the world’s total pensions savings, and ten times the total of all the sovereign wealth funds on the planet – is still comprised of commercial assets that are held in public ownership. If professionally managed, they could generate an annual yield of 2.7 trillion dollars, more than current global spending on infrastructure: transport, power, water, and communications. Based on both economic research and hands-on experience from many countries, the authors argue that publicly owned commercial assets need to be taken out of the direct and distorting control of politicians and placed under professional management in a ‘National Wealth Fund’ or its local government equivalent. Such a move would trigger much-needed structural reforms in national economies, thus resurrect strained government finances, bolster ailing economic growth, and improve the fabric of democratic institutions. This radical, reforming book was named one of the "Books of the Year".by both the FT and The Economist.




The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty


Book Description

Here at last are the hard-to-find answers to the dizzying array of financial questions plaguing those who are age fifty and older. The financial world is more complex than ever, and people are struggling to make sense of it all. If you’re like most people moving into the phase of life where protecting—as well as growing-- assets is paramount, you’re faced with a number of financial puzzles. Maybe you’re struggling to get your kids through college without drawing down your life’s savings. Perhaps you sense your nest egg is at risk and want to move into safer investments. Maybe you’re contemplating downsizing to a smaller home, but aren’t sure of the financial implications. Possibly, medical expenses have become a bigger drain than you expected and you need help assessing options. Perhaps you’ll shortly be eligible for social security but want to optimize when and how to take it. Whatever your specific financial issue, one thing is certain—your range of choices is vast. As the financial world becomes increasingly complex, what you need is deeply researched advice from professionals whose credentials are impeccable and who prize clarity and straightforwardness over financial mumbo-jumbo. Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and the Schwab team have been helping clients tackle their toughest money issues for decades. Through Carrie’s popular “Ask Carrie” columns, her leadership of the Charles Schwab Foundation, and her work across party lines through two White House administrations and with the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, she has become one of America’s most trusted sources for financial advice. Here, Carrie will not only answer all the questions that keep you up at night, she’ll provide answers to many questions you haven’t considered but should.




Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?


Book Description

As Susan Hirshman sees it, the rules of successful dieting are the same rules that apply to successful money management. In this upbeat and informative guide she offers women a 3-phase personalized plan that follows common dieting programs to help them understand their finances. The structure of the book is consistent with that of a typical diet book - it includes an evaluation phase, an induction phase, and a maintenance regimen. Susan offers specific advice on topics that matter most to women including how to develop realistic and attainable goals, how to make smart financial decisions, how to determine the best way to invest based on a reader's 'investment personality', and how and when to get professional help from a financial advisor all while relating it back to a theme that practically every woman has experienced at least once in her life – dieting!. Susan's program completely removes the intimidation factor that often accompanies the words ‘personal finance' and 'investing' and provides women with all the information they need to take control of their financial situations once and for all.




Just Keep Buying


Book Description

Everyone faces big questions when it comes to money: questions about saving, investing, and whether you’re getting it right with your finances. Unfortunately, many of the answers provided by the financial industry have been based on belief and conjecture rather than data and evidence—until now. In Just Keep Buying, hugely popular finance blogger Nick Maggiulli crunches the numbers to answer the biggest questions in personal finance and investing, while providing you with proven ways to build your wealth right away. You will learn why you need to save less than you think; why saving up cash to buy market dips isn’t a good idea; how to survive (and thrive) during a market crash; and much more. By following the strategies revealed here, you can act smarter and live richer each and every day. It’s time to take the next step in your wealth-building journey. It’s time to Just Keep Buying.




The Diaries of Abi Rhode


Book Description

Ever since her teen years, Abi Rhode found that keeping a diary was a way for her to vent and tell her story. Pages took on a life of their own, storing the secrets of her soul in addition to the real life drama that played out in her home and life. A narrative of love and pain, her journals go all the way from her early years through to her divorce from her high school sweetheart. As an adult, secrets of horrific abuse, both physical and emotional, play out on the pages of her diary. She voices her heartbreaking fear for the lives of her children, but despite difficulties, Abi still dreams and hopes for a normal life with wide-eyed, childlike enthusiasm. Her journey alternates from hope and sunlight to darkness and despair. Read her words. Laugh with her and cry with her, but above all grow with her and learn to overcome whatever is thrown your way. Into Darkness is the first book of the four-part “Heartfelt Series” from S. L. LeClair. In this case, fiction is based on real life as LeClair uses Abi’s diaries to chronicle domestic violence, mental illness, and redemption.




Your Money or Your Life


Book Description

A fully revised edition of one of the most influential books ever written on personal finance with more than a million copies sold “The best book on money. Period.” –Grant Sabatier, founder of “Millennial Money,” on CNBC Make It "This is a wonderful book. It can really change your life." -Oprah For more than twenty-five years, Your Money or Your Life has been considered the go-to book for taking back your life by changing your relationship with money. Hundreds of thousands of people have followed this nine-step program, learning to live more deliberately and meaningfully with Vicki Robin’s guidance. This fully revised and updated edition with a foreword by "the Frugal Guru" (New Yorker) Mr. Money Mustache is the ultimate makeover of this bestselling classic, ensuring that its time-tested wisdom applies to people of all ages and covers modern topics like investing in index funds, managing revenue streams like side hustles and freelancing, tracking your finances online, and having difficult conversations about money. Whether you’re just beginning your financial life or heading towards retirement, this book will show you how to: • Get out of debt and develop savings • Save money through mindfulness and good habits, rather than strict budgeting • Declutter your life and live well for less • Invest your savings and begin creating wealth • Save the planet while saving money • …and so much more! "The seminal guide to the new morality of personal money management." -Los Angeles Times