7 book reviewed



[Reviewed by Robert Jones 4-13]

BOOMERANG BY MICHAEL LEWIS, 2011:
This is a very entertaining book and summarizes causes and effects of the global financial crisis in key places such as Germany, Greece, Iceland and Ireland.  Unfortunately, I am only giving two stars to this book because I believe the causes and effects of the global financial crisis are much more complex (and probably more mundane) than the brief albeit funny summaries in this book. 

[Reviewed by Robert Jones 8-04]

CAPITAL BY CHARLES D. ELLIS, 2004: 
At times I thought that I would not stave off slumber long enough to complete this book. To save you the grueling process of reading it, I found a couple of interesting tidbits that will follow. The book is about the amazing success story of the Capital Group, one of the largest mutual fund firms in the U.S. Some of the interesting parts of their corporate culture that I am unsure are directly related to their success but that I wish to share anyway, are: i) they try as much as possible to stay out of the media and press ii) they avoid creating new funds when particular markets are hot (e.g., emerging markets, internet stocks, etc.) and instead wait until euphoria has died down before launching; they believe that this helps reduce investor defections when such funds ultimately disappoint iii) they avoid the ""star"" system of fund management by employing a multiple counselor system whereby analysts have research and portfolio responsibility for their market sectors as opposed to many fund firms that have a CIO responsible for all portfolio decisions.

[Review by Robert Jones 12-14]

THE FAMILY OFFICE BOOK BY RICHARD WILSON, 2012:
An extremely basic book for the absolute beginner in the family office sector. Not much 'hard' material. Nonetheless it is a good primer for someone who wants to understand the basics, and Mr. Wilson's Family Offices Group (www.familyofficesgroup.com) offers training, newsletters, and other materials for those wanting to learn more.

[Review by Robert Jones 8-02]

FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS BY NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB, 2001:
A successful derivatives trader who was elected to the “Derivatives Strategy Hall of Fame”, Taleb debunks most trading strategies, including his own, as bets with completely random outcomes. Much of the book covers philosophy and will appeal to those who enjoy philosophical debate. At a more practical level, Taleb reinforces some of the ideas presented in Market Wizards such as the importance of stop losses and the importance of changing one’s opinion on a particular strategy if it proves incorrect or ineffective.

[Review by Robert Jones 7-14]

THE FRACKERS BY GREGORY ZUCKERMAN, 2013:
Interesting summary of the trials and tribulations of key players in the early stages of U.S. oil and gas fracking, including their perseverance, rise to glory and riches and in some cases, their downfall.