Part I of “Why Do We Have Money?” started with the question but went in another direction.  In order to figure out why we have money the author (that’s me) first explored a time when money wasn’t needed.  As efficiency and commerce entered into the game a barter society was created.  Through many generations the [...]

I submitted this question to my parents after watching an episode of Star Trek as a lad.  The sci-fi show exists in the 24th century where after a massive war in the 21st century the human race finally came together after meeting their first aliens.  The culture of their 24th century does not have money. [...]

I hope you enjoyed my book reviews. From the looks of things over the last week, you didn’t. No matter. I don’t do many book reviews. Of the 3 books I read this past week, only one is relevant to our subject matter, a review will probably show up sometime in the fall. Yes I’m [...]

As promised, and I know you’ve been ancy all week, here is a short list of books I want to read.  You won’t really find personal finance books on Weakonomics simply because there is too much redundancy.  If you don’t understand the basics of investing by now its because you haven’t tried to learn.  Read [...]

There are two sayings in the investment community that came to mind while reading this book: 1)  With all the analysts out there valuing securities and discovering market inefficiencies for 24 hours a day its impossible for you to beat them and thus beat the market. They are right. 2)  If someone found a way [...]

This is a book older than I am.  Originally published in 1973 by a Princeton economist, it has been revised more than a dozen times.  I first heard of it from a finance professor in my undergrad days and immediately read it.   Burton Malkiel, the author, more or less states its impossible for the [...]

Another book with a really long title: The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy .  That sure is a lot to live up to, and this book doesn’t quite get there.  Its less of a short biography of each man and more a history [...]

I’ll start off by saying that Freakonomics and Weakonomics sound very similar.  Having first read this book a year or so ago I fell in love with the term.  Weakonomics, as a word, was inspired by Freakonomics; but the the two words have nothing in common. The full title for the book is Freakonomics: A [...]