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by Nathan R. Furr (Get the Book)
Furr and Dyer (coauthor of The Innovator's DNA), both professors at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business, offer tips on getting a business to behave like a "lean start-up" by taking ideas to the market without going through the arduous and old-fashioned process of writing a business plan. The book lists the steps that smart start-ups (or established organizations looking to try something new) should follow: come up with an insight, understand the customer's problem, quickly develop "an awesome solution" to that problem, and create a business model, and finally generate revenue and scale your idea. The authors underscore that innovative companies understand the importance of transparency and are unafraid to seek input from outsiders. The strength of the book lies in its many examples and case studies, which range from two young Harvard Business School students founding a company for short-term rentals of high-end dresses to Budget Traveler magazine crowdsourcing editorial content from readers. Fuhr and Dyer present their ideas with clarity and enthusiasm, and include helpful diagrams and charts. Readers looking for a single volume on nimble innovation will find this guide indispensable. --Publishers Weekly
by John C. Bogle (Get the Book)
John C. Bogle shares his extensive insights on investing in mutual funds Since the first edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds was published in 1999, much has changed, and no one is more aware of this than mutual fund pioneer John Bogle. Now, in this completely updated Second Edition, Bogle returns to take another critical look at the mutual fund industry and help investors navigate their way through the staggering array of investment alternatives that are available to them. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this reliable resource examines the fundamentals of mutual fund investing in today's turbulent market environment and offers timeless advice in building an investment portfolio. Along the way, Bogle shows you how simplicity and common sense invariably trump costly complexity, and how a low cost, broadly diversified portfolio is virtually assured of outperforming the vast majority of Wall Street professionals over the long-term. (Summary)
by Nick Gogerty (Get the Book)
Hedge fund strategist Gogerty explains how investors, whom he terms allocators, can learn to discern economic value and allocate resources to activities that will enhance the overall human condition. The author uses biological metaphors as underpinnings in his discussions. Hence, his use of the term Inos as units of information expressed as organizational capabilities is analogous to biological genes. Similarly, in Gogerty's worldview, organizations equate to biological organisms and clusters are spaces where firms compete just as organisms vie for dominance in ecological niches. His method involves discovering firms that have built and maintained competitively advantaged economic moats that permit them to grow the value of their businesses over time despite economic perils such as inflation and deflation. While the author doesn't provide a list of such firms, he does include numerous instructive diagrams and examples of value investing. His heavy reliance on biological illustrations could muddy the waters for readers with only a slight natural science interest. VERDICT Students of business and serious investors will likely find Gogerty's ideas more useful than general readers. In any case, his arguments will stretch the reader's investment intellect. --Library Journal
by Jennifer Merritt (Get the Book)
Did you read about the janitor who donated $1 million dollars to his local library? Do you ever watch in amazement as your well-off boss haggles over the price of a tuna fish sandwich? Is it possible to find an advisor to help you invest your money--without losing it all to a Bernie Madoff-like con man? In the same spirit of Reader's Digest magazine's popular 13 Things They Won't Tell You series, the editors at America's Most Trusted Magazine have developed the ultimate roadmap for making the most of your money and avoiding the wallet-sucking scams that are keeping you off Easy Street. We talked to everyday and not-so-everyday rich folks, and to the experts who helped make them rich, to learn their secrets on what to save for, how much to save--and where to stash cash so that it grows (hint: not that bank savings account). (Summary)
