Business Money Books

This book is a must for any person interested in buying a house and fixing it up. It has great tips for how to get a mortgage, what to look for in a fixer upper house, and how to sell your house afterwards.

Make Money With Fixer-Uppers and Renovations is a creative book. It criticizes the flipping books Buy It! Fix It! Sell It! Profit! and Flipping Properties by saying they limit your thinking by telling you that the only type of properties you can get are run-down, traditional junker properties. Eldred challenges that notion by saying that the right house can be a house that feels only like a house, and not a home. He differentiates between a house and a home by saying that a house can shelter you, but doesn't excite you or move you in any way. A home is just like it sounds: a place you call home. By fixing up properties so that they feel like a home, you stand to make more money than by just fixing it up.

The book contains some very good stories and information on fixing up properties, and the information Eldred gives is well worth the price. But the information lacks real meat on how to do any of the things he's suggesting. It's like any other $19.95 book on real estate investing: you get what you pay for, and sometimes his suggestions lack detail, or feel like "top of the waves" type of techniques. If there were an upsell, you might get some kind of procedure on exactly how to invoke your local ordinances, add to neighborhood convenience, or convince a reporter to play up the neighborhood's potential for turnaround.

He also winds up providing a formula for profit in the rehab business that walks and talks a lot like the Buy It! Fix It! Sell It! Profit! formula (a book he criticizes). Apparently the formula is sound, but he believes the buying price will rarely be 60 cents on the dollar. A fair belief, but you may be able to buy it at that price; I leave it up to the investor to make that choice. (In other words, read both books and make your own decision :) ).

Despite these limitations, you do get a lot of bang for your buck. I recommend it to real estate investors who would like to expand their thinking on potential fixer-uppers.

As a veteran rehabber, I do not expect much that's new from most "fixer" books. But this one pleasantly surprised me. It opened my eyes to the fact that I had not come close to maxing out profits from my properties. The chapter on marketing also weighs in as solid gold. I can see why my FSBO efforts have not paid off like I thought they would. Now I know how to really sell faster and at a higher price--without paying a commission! My guess is that whether your a newbie or pro, this book will definitely guide you to make more money( or collect more rents if you choose to hold--which I do not).

So, how does one make money as a mediator? To answer this question, Krivis has turned to consider the habits of 30 highly successful people, comprising a Who's Who of top mediators from Canada to New Zealand and across the United States, all of whom are liberally quoted in the book. Each of these people found a different path to mediation and different approaches to what success requires, yet there are also striking similarities. All the top mediators view mediation as a calling. While all love the practice of mediation, none are particularly drawn to the business of marketing, yet all realize its essential importance. Jeff Kichaven does 150 mediations a years yet finds that marketing time `far outstrips' mediating time: `You have to do it. Swim or die. Get used to it.' None achieved success immediately; most required several years of hard work to build a practice - `It takes a three-to-five year plan to make this work,' says Susan Hammer. `You need endurance,' advises Nina Meierding.

Everyone emphasizes the intensely personal nature of the business, making marketing far more a matter of making and maintaining personal contacts than print advertising. Michelle Obradovic finds it a `waste to time' to do generic mass-market advertising. `Target your specialty' insists Cliff Hendler. Yet all agree on the value, indeed the necessity, of a Web site - `They expect you to have a Web site' says Ralph Williams. `Our Web site has been very good for us,' adds Rick Russell.

The book outlines different fee structures and methods of billing, as well as different methods of using support staff. Most highly paid mediators expect payment upfront; `You get the people committed,' says Robert Creo, `and you don't spend time billing people or collecting money.' The issue of staffing is also addressed. Because `face time' is so critical, and because that includes both marketing and the mediation session, top mediators need a support staff. Only a few seem to use full-time staff; most seem to prefer `unbundled services,' that is to say, they rent space in a full-service suite which takes care of reception, additional conference rooms, mail sorting, and telephone answering. Then they use outside billing services for their bookkeeping. They organize themselves to outsource as much administration as possible. Some mediators use outside marketing services, placing advertisements in strategic magazines, but also rely heavily on obtaining speaking engagements to different groups. The clientele of top mediators is primarily, though by no means exclusively, the legal community, because, as bank robber Willie Sutton said with timeless simplicity: `That's where the money is.' However, the doyen of mediation marketing, Natalie Armstrong, finds a continuing trend towards `proactive mediation' by industries such as `hospitals, hospitality, construction, film studios,' even `linen supply companies.'

Krivis divides his book into eight accessible chapters, including `Invisible Marketing,' `How Much Money Can You Earn,' and `Weathering the Ups and Downs of a Mediation Practice.' The final chapter is particularly interesting. It's called `Looking Ahead: The Future of Mediation and Your Future in Mediation.' Krivis quotes Jeff Abrams "I see a bright future for everyone,' yet notes some not-so-hopeful trends that the profession will have to deal with, including a trend towards institutionalization, the `stale' mediator, `instant mediators' which goes to the lack of, and resistance to, any kind of accreditation, and rising business costs. There are also many hopeful trends, including the undeniable fact, as veteran Chris Moore notes: `...mediation has grown dramatically over the last fifteen years.' Krivis also approves of the increase in mentoring, almost a revival of the old apprenticeship system, or as it is still called at the English bar, `pupillage.' And he sees an increase in mediator partnering across borders, that might prove a boon to mediators with language skills, and increasing use of mediation in the public policy and non-profit sectors, and a slow trend to view mediation not as the `alternative,' but as the first choice in dispute resolution.

While sprinkling the book with the views of numerous of his colleagues, the book in all its essentials belongs to Krivis himself. From his very personal introductory chapter, `How I Found my Dharma in Mediation,' to the invaluable final chapter `The Mediator's Field Guide to a Successful Practice,' the book is a detailed account of a busy, thoughtful mediator who has watched the profession grow up around him. This little review cannot hope to do justice to a 220-page book that is crammed with practical tips and the accumulated experience of so many successful mediators. It flows well and is an easy read.

I think the book was helpful, but not as practical as I had expected for somebody starting out. The passion all of the mediators have for the field is evident, but it would have been more helpful to have nuts and bolts tips included.

This is a fabulous book. Anyone can follow it if they are willing to put in a little time to take control of their finances. For someone who wants to learn how to budget but doesn't know where to start, this book is great!

Inexpensive Start up-
Up front... Starting this system will not commit you to buying checkbook booklets for the rest of your days. Simply put cut one of the three sample booklets out of the back of the book with a razor blade and hit the copy store. Copy what you need for the year and then file the original. (If cutting up books bugs you, buy a second copy used for under a few dollars.)

This system is basically the envelope system on paper. If paper bugeting scares you to death start with training wheels. Try the envelope system first. You can find info free about it on the web. Don't buy some expensive plan.

If keeping track of every breath you take is painful, then this will be rough for you in the beginning. Honestly facing where you are spending is the first step. Be sure to allow yourself a budgeted amount of money that you *do not have to account for. This will minimize the feeling of having your every breath counted. For me it is ussually 10 dollars. Your budget is likely very different than mine. But, it is awfully nice to not have to account for tic tacs. :o)

Give it a try!

Also try your money or your life.

This book is a great tool to learn how to be excellent with your money. I love how people (or a certain reviewer) think that budgeting is over-rated/evil. I doubt that you could find a successful business or a millionaire who doesn't budget everything. Many people have plenty of money and plenty of skill and wheel power to not spend more then you make, and still know how to come out ahead. But there is a reason that bankruptcies and debt problems have sky rocketed in the past ten years. Some people just don't know how to spend and save, or some people are like me; I had some bad things happen in life that caused me to be in a lot of debt not by my choosing. Because of this I could not afford an expensive financial planer to help me.

The budget product that "Rich on Any Income" talks about is $12 that is $1 a month; it is a little book, like a check balancing book. Yes this can be duplicated in any number of ways, from Excel to a .25 cent note pad. But the key is this book gives you the know how to get out of debt and stay out of debt!

This is a great book for young people learning about money as well

Mhalky

This book is great! Being on such a tight budget ourselves, it has saved me many, many hours of frustration. It is like using the envelope system, but it is right in your checkbook and you know at a moment's notice where you are with your budget. I strongly suggest this to anyone who has to budget to live on their income.

I managed to survive on VERY little money in a time of need because of the principles I learned in this book. I highly recommend it to everyone. It truely teaches how to best use your money to get what you want out of life.

There are four types of real estate for tax purposes: For sale, For personal, For investment and For business. Find out how you can make money in real estate and reduce or eliminate the income tax from the sale. And it's all legal.

You'll find Chapter 19: 24 Steps to Successful Tax Free Investment to be helpful; it covers the benefits of using 401K, OPI, or IRA to avoid giving your real estate investment profit away.

The complete Tax Guide for Real Estate Investors provides a Step-by-Step guide to investing in real estate. Whether you are just starting out or are a long-term investor, this guide provides tips and secrets to help you make a profit.

Not fully through it yet. But it explains a lot. I'm wondering if our current market applies, but will continue to study and find out.

I was an actual Ted Warren subscriber while he was still alive and then subscribed to a service that purchased Ted's method from his wife as I recall and carried on. I was young and naive at the time. What was so seductive about this method is that Ted illustrated the book with arithmetic charts (as has been mentioned by other reviewers) that made the base fluctuations totally disappear. To put it another way, if a stock dropped from 50 down to 2 in an arithmetic chart and stayed between say 2 and 4 for a few years--the long flat base, the chart would basically show a flat line during those years with the appearance of no volatility whatsoever. In reality, if you purchased the stock at 4 (inside the base) and it dropped to 2, you lost 50% of your money or the exact equivalent of buying that stock at 50 and watching it drop to 25. A log chart would have unmasked this deception but Ted never allowed them.

In addition, when a stock appeared to be basing for several years and then dropped under even that base, the stock (and it's miserable performance) would disappear from his record entirely. Only stocks that were still basing and ones that were increasing in price were maintained on the list. This is the definition of survivor bias.

As far as I know, Ted did not die a wealthy man and leave his wife a huge estate. Quite the opposite I believe. This method (much to my disappointment at the time) did not and does not work.

* I'm not much of a fan in stock market but I believe the theory given inside this book is out of date.
* With the expensive price for this book, I think you should get a better book than this one.

wow some of the reviews are crazy. this book isn't about trendlines and triangles this book is about the psychology of the market and how to profit from it. no wonder some of you got nothing from it. this is the most enlightening book on stocks or futures i've ever read, the markets made sense after reading it.i've made plenty of money to pay for my copy thank you very much!

My only success in the stock market over the past 15 years has been as a result of following this man's method of reading stock chart activity. I loaned out my first copy of this book many years ago and never got it back. This is my second copy, and I will not loan it out!
It takes patience and a little faith in the methodology. Not for daytraders.

"Money & Power" is an interesting book about the men that made significant contributions to the history of business since St. Godric. However, the 20th century is not accurately represented in the book. Basically, "Money & Power" forgot the contribution that japanese entrepreneurs like Eiji Toyoda (and his famous Toyota Production System) made to the industrial manufacturing. The book also superficially reviewed the computer technology/telecommunication revolution that has been modyfing the business world since the 70's (although there is a chapter dedicated to Bill Gates). eCommerce is not even mentioned in the book.

Let me preface this by saying I liked the book. It was an easy read and a great 'capsulation' of each generation of Mega Millionaire. It was a great 'primer' for who was famously popular in each era.

On the other hand, it appeared to me that the vast majority of the men capsuled in this book did it through ruthless agression and the abscence of Anti Trust laws.

Granted, many men in this book were subject to Anti Trust laws AFTER they made their millions, and adhering to these laws only made them wealthier...but it takes money to make money and their seed were already sewn.

I walked away from this book wondering if you had to be an obsessive to the point of crude and potentially unlike-able to make that level of income.

I would hate to give up the personality traits that I have grown to like (sense of humour, compassion, empathy) to be wealthy, and hate to think that these traits will deter me from becoming wealthy.

But my personal concerns aside, this was an enjoyable book with lots of easy-to-understand information.

Money & Power is a lively introductory look at how modern business grew and developed. This well-researched book outlines the history of industry, commerce and power. This summary of the History of Business portrays the figure of an Entrepreneur as a real Creator of the future. The greatest problem that business people faced in Christian Europe was that profit-making was considered sinful, because Jesus drove away money-changers from a temple (As you know, temples in the Middle East were used as banks before Christ, because it was the safest place to keep treasures.) And in Orthodox Russia the problem was absolutely the same, though Russian Orthodox monasteries were producing vodka and earning interest on borrowed money even in 14th century.

This book is organized around 12 chapters. Each chapter highlights one person or event in business history. The book presents an inside view of the step-by-step history of business and its development over the years as history of liberation from ideological dogmata, superstition and prejudice. The story begins from the 12th century monk St. Godric. A final chapter on Bill Gates and Microsoft heralds the current age, in which "the road to riches is open to everyone." And everybody, who wants, must be rich. Now it is available for everyone. It is obvious today that entrepreneur is the most creative person making the most creative work in the world.

Sure, I especially enjoyed the sections on JP Morgan and Bill Gates. The book was recently translated into Russian.

Recommend this book!

This volume, based on a PBS documentary, is as much about the unique characters who drove the evolution of business as it is about vast historic trends. Author Howard Means blends the color of a cinematic treatment with the rich context and detail of a comprehensive history. In so doing, he's accomplished the ultimate historian's goal: Presenting history in such a way that it is clearly relevant to modern-day life, and in this case, business. From biblical moneychangers to the miraculously large pool of Microsoft millionaires, Means traces the history of commerce from the perspective of power, asking who acquired it, how they amassed it, how they used it and what became of it? We [...] recommend his intense narrative to anyone in business, since business is about money, and money is, after all, power.

I found this a thoroughly enjoyable book. It is an easy read without being superficial. The writers focus mostly on American business--Morgan, Rockefeller, Ford and Gates--with emphasis on their money-making schemes & abilities. These are not "tell-all" biographical sketches. The writers never lose sight of their overall theme: money and power and how the two blend together. I would have liked more historical analysis (such is my bias). I found the chapter on Tulipmania fascinating (it is also the first time I have ever really understood Futures Trading). For anyone who finds economics and business an elusive mystery, this is an excellent starting point. (Also check out P.J. O'Rourke's Eat the Rich.)

Maui Millionaires challenged us to think big about our current businesses.
Going through the 12 characters of the Ideal Business Opportunity chapter helped us to determine what we are most passionate about and how to maximize our unique talents. The end result - we are both doing what we love to do and what we good at.. all while making money! Maui Millionaires has also opened our eyes and hearts to Giving Back. We were fortunate enough to join the Maui Team on numerous charity trips and it has completely changed our lives. Thank you Diane and David.

If you are a looking to expand your business and take it to the next level - this book was written just for you!

I have been struggling trying to figure out how to take my speaking and training business to the next level - plus free me from being the primary person from doing everything for it.

The book has truly been a godsend. It's as if the authors crawled into my head and saw every question I've had about this confusing and daunting process. The book provided me with an amazing guide and comprehensive resource to make this critical transition from a solo entrepreneur to a viable business - with having employees or a contracted team do the things I am not good at or don't like to do.

The authors use a three level system to describe the various stages business owners might find themselves in. And then provide great insights on how to progress to the next level.

In addition to business building advice, the authors also offer several financial tips for investing and wealth building.

Finally, they close it all with the importance of giving and being motivated not by money alone, but how your wealth can contribute to causes you are passionate about - even long after you are gone.

There are several great books for those looking to make the leap from a solo practitioner to building a viable business including: Beyond Booked Solid; Ready, Fire, Aim; The Home Office from Hell Cure; E-Myth Mastery; 4-Hour Workweek; Six Disciplines for Excellence; and The Ultimate Sales Machine. But the Maui Millionaires for Business resonated the most with me and provided the most comprehensive and detailed plan.

I now have two books and have yet to receive the audio disc which I originally paid for .I DON'T WANT THE BOOK! I ORDERED THE AUDIO ONLY!
Darl Shipley

I bought this volume 3 of the WALL STREET MONEY MACHINE Series right before the Clinton Bear Market hit and glad I did. Author Wade Cook shows us how to make money in any market and how to tell when a Bear MARKET IS STARTING. Thanks to the advice of this book, I was out of high beta stocks and rotated into low beta stocks. I was able to still make 20% monthly returns while everybodyelse was screaming bear market and the markets lost an estimated $2-3 trillion.

You can make money in any market if you know how. This book shows you the how to.

I needed a book to try to understand how to do well on a bear market, a book that could try to answer questions like: "when you go short, how long should you wait until you buy back your stocks?" or "Is it enough to invert the technical analysis you've been using all the way up on a bull market?"

This book did not give me those answers or any other, it has a few interesting points here and there on what was happening when the 1927 bear market and the 1987 crash happened, except for that, the whole book is comprised of someone trying to sell you other books (of the same author) seminars, workshops and so on (again, Wade's seminars, workshops...).

It seems that the author did not have enough to fill out the pages to make a book and because of that he put interviews on it. Believe me if you want good interviews, buy all of the Market Wizard series, you will get numerous insights there, I'm sure.

The book comes with an audio CD, no kidding, I throw it away as soon as I listened to it (I've kept the book with me, by the way). This CD teaches you nothing, it's all about selling their products (numerous products).

Finally, if you want a book on self-promotion, spend your money here, if you want something to tell how to make money on bear markets, maybe you'd better save your money looking for that kind of information somewhere else.

I bought the original version of this book, Bear Market Baloney back in '97 amidst the "Irrational Exuberance" mantra by Greenspan.This book saved and made me tens of thousands of dollars both during the "Bull MARKET" from '97 to 2000 and during that last Bear Market which lasted over three years and was the worst bear market in 60 years.I wholeheartily recommend Wall Street Money Machine Vol 3 along with 2 Down Years and Up We Go and Mr. Cook's newest book, "Red Light Green Light to learn how to work the ups and downs of the market.Remember, timing is everything.

To the individual naysaying this book. Obviously by your comments, you never even read it. Mr. Cook does not say there will not or would not be a bear market, he offers advice how to trade successfully during a bear market.

Had you taken the time to read it you would have known that and made money during that last bear market. Too bad--YOUR LOSS!

The book is well written and is very inspiring, offering success stories and valuable tips. And although it is somewhat outdated in terms of computer application, advertising methods, etc. , it still has great timelss tips on how to orginize your small business, deal with clients, which tools to use and how to reach the right mindset.

I have used this book alot in my own business and found it most useful. I would recommend it to someone with a homebased sewing or craft business

I highly recommend this book ~ it's an easy read and jam packed with fantastic ideas for those wanting to start a home sewing business. I was a little leery when I received the book as it's rather small, but I was way off base. There are great tips on getting organized, pricing, and so much more. I think it's a book I'll refer to again and again. Two thumbs up ~ thanks Kathleen for writing such an informative book!

This book is easy to read, and gives a lot of good information. It has helped me to be more organized as I work on starting my business, and gives a breakdown of pricing, and even making a workspace. Its handy, and will be a good book to refer to often.

The book was inspiring with tons of ideas. Sewing from home really can be done successfully.

On a personal level I found Kathleen Spike too anal retentive for my tastes. How many people really enjoy being forced to take their shoes off when they enter someone's home? I actually do take my shoes off as soon as I come home but that's for comfort not because I'm paranoid that I may track stains on the carpet. Kathleen said she also inspects her client's shoes before she allows them to walk across the carpet for a fitting. Just relax Kathleen!!