I'm about half way thru 13 Bankers. It's a pretty quick read (200 pgs) and thus far damn good summation of the financial crisis.

Mike31- "When Genius Failed" about LTCM is also a good read

My old office :)

The guy who taught me how to trade successfully is Robert Miner. He's written two books that take you through his approach: "Dynamic Trading" is a full monte textbook and "High-Probability Trading Strategies" is the Cliff's Notes version. Best of all is his six-CD "Dynamic Trading Multimedia E-Learning Workshop." You can get the details at www.dynamictraders.com

Anyone read "Art of the Trade" by Jason Alan Jankovsky? I got it on my tablet just to test my library's new ebook system via Kindle and OMG I'm sucked into this book

I have always looked at investments as things I believe in that are being run by smart business people who are making good decisions about their financial health.

Fortune 500 is awash in monkey-business finance, where stuff doesn't have to be on the books, and stocks are completely dependent on financial institutions which are conducting trades using over-leveraged money (money they can't back up). You have to be insane to be trading in US or European treasuries (or probably any sovereign debt). Corporate debt might be slightly better, but you have to ask why they are going in to debt...

Hedge funds are a complete mystery to me, which is why I can't in good conscience get in to that market, and I have a feeling are a contributor to the financial mess we find ourselves in. Maybe I am wrong, and somebody could enlighten me there.

Foreign currency would be interesting, if the global financial system weren't inextricably tied together. Gold, metal, tangible assets are probably the place to be, but gold is useless if you can't trade it for tender or goods.

Paying down debt is probably your best investment these days if you have it. Taking on new debt is insane - or at least it is until the banks let the air out of the baloon on home prices. If you don't have debt, then you probably should just be really angry while putting your money in your mattress and safe.. Its a scary place out there.

Nice post Tacotime12.


Not sure what it has to do with this thread, but nice post nonetheless. ;)

I've been reading Susskind's book "Confidence Men". Pretty interesting read, particularly the part about Volcker wanting to let the banks fail and pick up the pieces but was vetoed by O and his henchmen, particularly Geithner.

Another interesting point he makes is that Obama fired Rick Waggoner without ever even meeting him. It was a condition of the bailout. However he shielded all the bankers, never demanded a single replacement and even shielded them from criticism and has defended their criminal behavior.

Have no idea of the accuracy of the book but it's pretty entertaining and Geithner is surely the most corrupt little prick in DC.

"One Second After" by William R. Forstchen

This book takes a look at society after the US is hit with an EMP. The setting is Black Mountain, NC.

Have any of you TF faithful read this book?

How long have you lived in your house without the GRID?

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. I re-read it every year or so and still learn things from it. I'm trying to talk my wife's book club into reading it- now there's a group in desperate need of some economic education.

^I read 'One Second After' when it came out a few years back and still think about that scenario. Frightening.

Just finished "One Second After". Great read and sure makes you think. Kind of funny because last week I saw "The Road" on TV. Wonder if that's what it looks like?