Tag: finance

Climate change and business regulation

Climate change and business regulation

Posted on by Jack

I have written a bit about climate change and its many threats to our future (https://www.jackreidy.com/blog/tag/climate-change/) but have not written on it in a few years. Since last year was the hottest on record (https://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/2023-was-warmest-year-modern-temperature-record) it seems to be a good time to write more about the climate crisis.

There has been recent news on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voting to require companies to disclose their climate harming emissions (https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/06/sec-climate-disclosure-rule/ ) which contribute greatly to climate change (aka global warming).

Since overwhelming evidence indicates that climate change is a great threat to the financial prospects of companies, the economy as a whole, and human health, I hope this effort succeeds.

Tightwads and Spendthrifts by Scott Rick

Tightwads and Spendthrifts by Scott Rick

Posted on by Jack

Tightwads and Spendthrifts by Scott Rick is a very good book. Some people are extremely tight with money (tightwads) and others spend freely, sometimes excessively (spendthrifts). Others combine these traits in various ways.

I enjoyed Tightwads and Spendthrifts for many reasons. It is a science-based guide to understanding our sometimes complicated relationship with money. Scott Rick is a behavioral scientist and this might make some hesitate to give this book a try. But have no fear, the writing style is very informal and non-judgmental. Not the dry, complex style one might expect. I appreciated his explanation of his methods as well as the discussion of the work of others. I also enjoyed his discussions of the various approaches to understanding our financial decisions.
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The Fight to Regulate American Capitalism

The Fight to Regulate American Capitalism

Posted on by Jack

The book reviewed is Taming the Street: The Old Guard, the New Deal, and FDR’s Fight to Regulate American Capitalism by Diana B. Henriques.  It was a great history of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s struggle to level the playing field for ordinary Americans interested in investing and saving.

Diana B. Henriques is a financial journalist and well qualified to tell this story.  I’d like to thank both Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to read Taming the Street before publication.
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Lessons for Long Term Investors by Richard Rodman

Lessons for Long Term Investors by Richard Rodman

Posted on by Jack

I enjoyed the book but don’t think it is right for everyone.   I think the target audience is people already invest with investment advisor or considering doing that but the book also has important messages for the rest of us who prefer do-it-yourself investing.

The book is “Lessons for Long Term Investors” by Richard Rodman.  I found it to be a quick and easy read.  The author has his own website at https://richardrodman.com/ where you can learn about him, this book, and his earlier book.

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What I learned about investing from Darwin by Pulak Prasad

What I learned about investing from Darwin by Pulak Prasad

Posted on by Jack

I found this book fascinating. When I mentioned that, I was asked what I was reading. When I replied it was about ideas from evolutionary biology applied to investing, I was told I was probably one of 10 people who would find that interesting. I think it is more than that and I hope I am right.

The book is “What I learned about investing from Darwin” by Pulak Prasad and I  thank Netgalley (“https://www.netgalley.com/) for allowing me to read it before publication.  The book comes out on May 9.

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More Life Than Money

More Life Than Money

Posted on by Jack

A good book on making sure you don’t outlive your money and estate planning. I liked this book but had a few minor quibbles with it which I will mention at the end since I don’t think they influence the quality of advice at all. The full title is More Life Than Money: How Not to Outlive Your Savings .

Since this is a bit of a mix review, I’ll start with what I liked.
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I found a good book by accident

I found a good book by accident

Posted on by Jack

It was an accident and later I thought it was a mistake. This is how I remember it. I had finished the book that I was reading on my Kindle. Since it was a Netgalley book, I figured I should review it. But I did not feel like it. I’d just put it off for a few days and look for a new book.

Truth is that I enjoy reading books more than writing reviews. So the next book I picked was The Great Money Reset. Title sounded good but when I started reading it seemed to be about stuff I was not very interested in. I thought I should write to Netgalley that this book was not what I thought and I would neither finish it nor review it. It was probably my mistake in not reading the book description completely.
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Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement by Allen P. Harris

Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement by Allen P. Harris

Posted on by Jack

The full title is Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement: How to Increase Income, Avoid Taxes, and Keep More of What Is Yours by Allen P. Harris.

After the first few pages, I thought I would not like this book. Those pages seemed more about how the author’s company was helping the community and I suspected this would be more of an advertisement than a substantive book on retirement. I was wrong.
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Save money and build your wealth

Save money and build your wealth

Posted on by Jack

A finance book that does a great job for the young as well as the old. I am a bit on the older side of the age spectrum (RetiredGuy) and so I paid bit more attention to the Investing part. But there is also a good part on Saving for the younger adults.
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Jack Bogle saves investors trillions of dollars

Jack Bogle saves investors trillions of dollars

Posted on by Jack

Who would want to read this book?  Maybe you would if you are interested in Jack Bogle, Vanguard, investing, money, or any combination of those things.  Those listed are all related and this book is  great explanation of how.

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33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Financial Life

33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Financial Life

Posted on by Jack

Short and simple, it offers good financial advice. It is easy to make mistakes which will just ruin your financial life. The full title is 33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Financial Life.

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The New Great Depression by James Rickards

The New Great Depression by James Rickards

Posted on by Jack

I thought I would not like this book after I read a little bit.  But I was wrong and am glad I continued.  Despite our very different opinions about the handling of the Covid-19 crisis, I think this book teaches a valuable lesson.

The full title is The New Great Depression:  Winners and Losers in a Post-Pandemic World  by James Rickards.  The differing opinions do not matter here.  We agree as to the economic problem. I come at this from a public health background.  The author from the world of finance. 
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IRA and the New Death Tax

IRA and the New Death Tax

Posted on by Jack

I found the The IRA and Retirement Plan Owner’s Guide to Beating the New Death Tax by accident. I am retired and have some money saved in IRAs. I knew there were some changes around the IRA law but didn’t know the whole story. So I was hoping to find a new book explaining those changes in detail.

The full title is The IRA and Retirement Plan Owner’s Guide to Beating the New Death Tax: 6 Proven Strategies to Protect Your Family from The SECURE Act by James Lange.

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