Tag: Book Reviews

The Age of Anomaly: Interview with Andrei of One Minute Economics

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Today I have something a little different for you—an interview with economist Andrei Polgar of One Minute Economics. He’s just published a book called The Age of Anomaly.

He sent me a copy of the book to preview and I agreed to interview him for two reasons: 1. I was very impressed with the economic history contained in his book and 2. I think we don’t do enough preparation in the financial world for the Black Swan events that will inevitably come and can wreak havoc with our financial plans.

Now, if you’ve been reading this blog any length of time, you know I’m very even-keeled, and not prone to hysterics or emotional claims. But I’ve experienced enough in my life to be aware that things can happen out of left field that you’d never expect. My husband grew up in a dictatorship in Chile. Ordinary Chileans had no idea their land would be privatized and then General Agosto Pinochet would take over the country in a US-backed coup in 1973. My friend is Syrian-American. She could never have guessed that her entire family would flee her home country because of the bloody Civil War there.

Yes, I am American, and so I have that annoying American sensibility that nothing bad will ever happen to our country. And while we may never deal with civil war or dictatorship in our lifetimes, we may deal with brutal recessions or other unexpected economic events that can knock us off our financial footing. And so, this interview. I hope you enjoy, and take advantage: this week only Andrei’s book is $.99.

Hi Andrei! Can you tell me a little bit about your background?

I grew up in Eastern Europe, and currently live in Romania, in the second largest city there.

Even as a child I had these dreams of lemonade stands, things I saw in US movies and cartoons. I tend to like economics, being an entrepreneur, anything that has to do with financial stuff. I’ve always been pretty good with anything money-related. Continue reading “The Age of Anomaly: Interview with Andrei of One Minute Economics”

Book Review: The Truth About Your Future

I read a lot, but I generally pick up books from the library or from our Overdrive service–the online library my local library provides. This fits in well with our minimalist and frugal philosophies, both.

Our library is small. We live in a town of about 3,500 people, so the library doesn’t always carry the latest releases and it carries few personal finance tomes. Sometimes, though, I’m surprised by the books I find.

Two weeks ago, I happened upon The Truth About Your Future: The Money Guide You Need Now, Later, and Much Later, by Ric Edelman.

Truth About Your Future--www.thethreeyearexperiment.com

I’d never heard of Ric Edelman before, but he “has been ranked the nation’s #1 Independent Financial Advisor by Barron’s three times, named among the country’s Top 10 Wealth Advisors by Forbes and one of the “10 most influential figures” in the advisory field by RIABiz.” He also has a radio program that has been around for 25 years.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of his book, then. Well, truthfully, I expected more of the same financial information every other personal finance books has ever regenerated. But this book was different. Way different. Continue reading “Book Review: The Truth About Your Future”

At Home in the World

A few weeks ago, I found out I was picked to be part of the launch team for the new book from one of my favorite bloggers, Tsh Oxenreider. It’s called At Home in the World, and as thanks for helping spread the word about this book, we got to read advanced copies. Luckily, I received the manuscript on a Sunday, because I spent the entire day devouring it.

First, it combines my favorite two things in the world–family and travel. Second, it was written by the founder of The Art of Simple, a blog devoted to simple living and a thoughtful pursuit of happiness. Tsh is one of the people who inspired our three year plan to move internationally after we double our net worth and she seems to be grounded and unassuming as they come, but with a terrific sense of self. I love pretty much everything she writes or recommends. Continue reading “At Home in the World”