The flaw of averages : why we underestimate risk in the face of uncertainty

by Sam L. Savage. “Statistical uncertainties are pervasive in decisions we make every day in business, government, and our personal lives. Sam Savage’s lively and engaging book gives any interested reader the insight and the tools to deal effectively with those uncertainties. I highly recommend The Flaw of Averages.”—William J. Perry, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense
“Enterprise analysis under uncertainty has long been an academic ideal. . . . In this profound and entertaining book, Professor Savage shows how to make all this practical, practicable, and comprehensible.”—­Harry Markowitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics (Check Catalog)

The legal guide for starting & running a small business

by Fred S. Steingold. Over 600,000 new businesses open each year, nearly all of which are small businesses. These small business owners are likely to confront a bewildering array of legal questions and problems; ignoring them can lead to disaster, but with lawyers typically charging $200-$300 an hour, hiring one to answer routine legal questions can be a fast track to the poorhouse, especially in today's economic climate. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business provides a wealth of practical and legal information on everything from choosing a business structure to insurance and tax rules and it even provides tips on creating a home-based business. Written in plain-English, it explains how to: raise start-up money and choose between a sole proprietorship, partnership or LLC; obtain licenses and permits; buy or sell a business or franchise; negotiate a favorable lease; insure the business; hire independent contractors safely; understand small business tax rules; adopt the best customer policies; cope with financial problems and resolve legal disputes Also included are helpful suggestions for further resources.The 11th edition is completely updated and revised to provide the latest regulations, tax numbers and business realities.

(Check Catalog)

Start-up nation : the story of Israel's economic miracle

by Dan Senor. Hampered by an Arab nation boycott that makes regional trade impossible and endowed with precious little by way of natural resources, Israel has beaten the odds to become a major player in the global business world, especially in the technology sector. With the highest number of startups per capita of any nation in the world and massive venture capital investment, Israel is one of the world's entrepreneurship hubs. Senor, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Singer (Confronting Jihad) track Israel's economic prowess using a number of factors, including the social networks and leadership training provided by Israel's mandatory military and reserve service, a culture of critique fostered by centuries of Jewish tradition and an open immigration policy for Jews that continually restocks Israel's population with motivated people from around the world-all of which foster a business climate in which risk is embraced and good ideas are given a chance to grow. The authors ground their analysis in case studies and interviews with some of Israel's most brilliant innovators to make this a rich and insightful read not just for business leaders and policy makers but for anyone curious about contemporary Israeli culture.

Superfreakonomics : global cooling, patriotic prostitutes, and why suicide bombers should buy life insurance

by Steven D. Levitt. Economist Levitt and journalist Dubner capitalize on their megaselling Freakonomics with another effort to make the dismal science go gonzo. Freaky topics include the oldest profession (hookers charge less nowadays because the sexual revolution has produced so much free competition), money-hungry monkeys (yep, that involves prostitution, too) and the dunderheadedness of Al Gore. There's not much substance to the authors' project of applying economics to all of life. Their method is to notice some contrarian statistic (adult seat belts are as effective as child-safety seats in preventing car-crash fatalities in children older than two), turn it into "economics" by tacking on a perfunctory cost-benefit analysis (seat belts are cheaper and more convenient) and append a libertarian sermonette (governments "tend to prefer the costly-and-cumbersome route"). The point of these lessons is to bolster the economist's view of people as rational actors, altruism as an illusion and government regulation as a folly of unintended consequences. The intellectual content is pretty thin, but it's spiked with the crowd-pleasing provocations-"`A pimp's services are considerably more valuable than a realtor's'" -that spell bestseller. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

First comes love, then comes money : a couple's guide to financial communication

by Scott Palmer. Happy Couples Know How to Talk About MoneyThe number one cause for divorce is financial infidelity. Now "The Money Couple" reveals the missing ingredient needed before any financial program or plan can work: healthy financial communication. This book tells you how to: Diagnose your level of financial infidelity Identify your individual Money Personality Master the Money Huddle and the Money Dump Achieve financial goals once and for all. (Check Catalog)

Jim Cramer's getting back to even

by Jim Cramer. James J. Cramer is the cofounder of thestreet.com, an on-line financial publication. After earning undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard, he joined Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he worked in the Private Client Services unit. In 1987 he founded Cramer, Berkowitz & Co., a private hedge fund he ran until 2000. He hosts a daily one-hour national radio show, "Real Money." He lives in Summit, New Jersey. (Check Catalog)