Authors: John C. Bogle.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: Wiley
Publication Date: 2008-11-10


Reviews :

    For a critical element of American society, including many of its wealthiest and most powerful, there seems to be no limit today on what "enough" entails.

The excesses are most starkly visible in the continuing crisis in banking and investment, and even in the two enormous government-sponsored (but publicly owned) mortgage lenders, to say nothing of the billion-dollar-plus annual paychecks that top hedge-fund managers draw down and the excessive compensation paid to CEOs, regardless of  performance.

Throughout his legendary career, John Bogle—founder of the Vanguard mutual fund group, and creator of the first index mutual fund—has helped investors build wealth the right way and led a tireless campaign to restore common sense to the investment world. Along the way, he’s seen how destructive an obsession with financial success can be. Now, with Enough, he puts this dilemma in perspective.

Bogle offers his unparalleled insights on money, on the values we should emulate in our business and professional callings, and on what we should consider as the true treasures in our lives. By explaining what "enough" truly is, he demonstrates how close everyone can be to having it....

   
Amazon.com Exclusive: William J. Bernstein on Enough
William Bernstein, Ph.D., M.D. is the critically acclaimed author, financial theorist and historian whose books include A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World, The Birth of Plenty, The Four Pillars of Investing, and The Intelligent Asset Allocator. Bernstein is frequently quoted in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Money, and Forbes.

If you are wondering about the cause of the current market crisis, then you haven't been reading enough of Jack Bogle.

Because he certainly knows not only where, but why and how. For decades Jack has been communicating his disquiet in previous books, speeches, and public testimony. Years from now, when historians and investors dissect the economic and market meltdowns of 2008, they'll consult this slim, well-written volume.

In order to understand the intellectual and moral platform from which he surveys the economic wreckage, you need to know a little of his story. Bogle founded one of the world's great investment companies, the Vanguard Group. Most men in his situation would have levered such success into a multi-billion-dollar net worth; instead, he "mutualized" Vanguard, converting it, in effect, into a nonprofit organization whose only goal was to benefit its fund holders. From an ethical perspective, Vanguard is the only "investment company" worthy of that name. (As opposed to most financial firms, which are in fact "marketing companies" whose main purpose is to milk unwitting investors of fees and commissions.)

The answer to the conundrum of 2008 lies in the book’s title, "Enough," which is the punch line from a delightful Kurt Vonnegut/Joseph Heller story. Simply put, our nation has been suffering from decades of unchecked financial excess, for which we are now paying the piper: excess in investment company fees; excess in financial speculation masquerading as diversification and innovation; excess in the salaries of top executives; excess in salesmanship; and most importantly, excess in the role played by the financial industry in our national economy and national life.

Each of these excesses gets its own chapter, and each one is a tightly written gem. Chapters 2 and 3, which dissect out the frenzy of derivatives, structured vehicles, and layers of intermediation behind the recent collapse, alone justify the book's purchase price.

As Bogle states in the book's beginning, in the spring of 2007 the financial services sector--which, after all, produces nothing of substantive value--accounted for one-third of the earnings of the S&P 500. By the time you read this, this outsized influence will have shrunken drastically. Let Enough be your welcome to the brave new world; it will satisfy your curiosity, give you a sense of moral balance in this most materialistic of ages, and even plump up your investment portfolio.

--William J. Bernstein

---

Product Description

Enough. is a piece of work that simply has not been seen by the likes of Jack Bogle before. Sure, the world knows of his legendary financial mind. He is the Father of Index Investing. He is the founder of Vanguard. He is St. Jack. And now he wants to share his own journey, filled with famous characters and telling anecdotes, that aims to teach investors the importance of doing the right thing, how to be a strong leader in today's world, and what it means to have "enough."

“It's hard to imagine a better time to publish a book that advocates moderation, balance and integrity in the business world. In this wise meditation, Bogle, the folk-hero creator of the first index mutual fund and founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group, deplores ‘our worship of wealth and the growing corruption of our professional ethics but ultimately the subversion of our character and values.’ Directly in his sights: CEOs and hedge-fund managers who draw ‘obscene’ compensation. At this time of plunging portfolios, it is a relief to be told that ‘enough’ is within reach.” —TIME Magazine

“Why don’t people publish pamphlets any more. I’m not talking about the slim-jims handed out at trade shows, but rabble-rousing, world-changing works like Common Sense and The Communist Manifesto. John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard, follows in the footsteps of the great pamphleteers…‘Central to the effective functioning of capitalism,’ he writes, ‘was the fundamental principle of trusting and being trusted’—and that is disappearing. The problem now: No one is satisfied with having ‘enough’ money or enough success. … If pamphlets were still the rage, 48 pages distilled from the contents of this book could be something as powerful to our age as anything written by Thomas Paine or Marx and Engels. In our more bookish time, though, Bogle has fleshed his ideas out to an interesting, 266-page overview of his life and his views.”—Barron’s

 “’What have I created?’ [Bogle] asks in mock horror in his new book…his cry reflects a deeper personal dilemma, one that jags like a scar through this thoughtful meditation on the excess and greed that created the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. … I applaud his enthusiasm and don’t doubt his wisdom and sincerity. ‘Enough’ – with the period – is a worthy addition to the canon, a variation of his familiar sermon on thrift, simplicity, and the superiority of low-cost index funds.”—James Pressley, Bloomberg News

“Bogle is a rarity - a true captain of industry who speaks about complex economic issues in a language comprehensible to the layperson.” —Michael Smerconish, The Philadelphia Enquirer

“Enough shines a light on Bogle's sense of despair over the state of the financial industry, and perhaps industry in general. … From CEOs who implode their companies and float away on golden parachutes, to financial companies who create instruments so complex they themselves have trouble understanding them, to mutual fund companies that market rosy returns while sugarcoating their fees, Bogle sees a lack of integrity and a willingness to play fast and loose with ethical rules in order to make a buck. (Or, maybe more accurate, 150 billion bucks.)” —Justin McHenry, BlogCritics Magazine

“Jack Bogle’s passionate cry of Enough. contains a thought-provoking litany of life lessons regarding our individual roles in commerce and society. Employing a seamless mix of personal anecdotes, hard evidence, and all-too-often-underrated subjective admonitions, Bogle challenges each of us to aspire to become better members of our families, our professions, and our communities. Rarely do so few pages provoke so much thought. Read this book.” —David F. Swensen, Chief Investment Officer, Yale University

"Enough. gives new meaning to the words 'commitment,' 'accountability,' and 'stewardship.' Bogle writes with clarity and passion, and his standards make him a role model for all of us. Enough. is must-reading for millions of U.S. investors disenchanted by today's culture of greed, accounting distortions, corporate malfeasance, and oversight failure." —Arthur Levitt, Former Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

"What went wrong? What can, and should, go right? The great Jack Bogle has the answers. Enough. will leave you hungry for more." —James Grant, editor of Grant's Interest Rate Observer

"Jack Bogle's wonderful, thoughtful, helpful, and fun-filled little book inspired me to create my own title: Never Enough of Jack Bogle!" —Peter L. Bernstein, author of Capital Ideas Evolving and Against the Gods

"In Enough., Jack Bogle, 'the conscience of Wall Street,' distills his half-century of observations on the capital markets, and on life in general, into a few hundred entertaining pages—required reading for those concerned about their own future, their family's future, and the nation's future." —William J. Bernstein, author, A Splendid Exchange and The Four Pillars of Investing

“This is an impressive message from a distinguished businessman. It will challenge all decision makers to consider the sufficiency and direction of their lives and work. What do we mean by Enough? Enough of what? Enough for what purpose? Feast here and reflect.” —Robert F. Bruner, Dean and Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration, Darden Graduate School of Business

“From one ‘battler’ to another: Thank you for putting in one little book the premise for an active, long life. A primer for those who will abjure complacency and just wanting more, who’d rather focus on the joy of trying to move some ball downfield.” —Ira Millstein, Senior Partner, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP

“The balances one must create in investing, in running a business, and in life more generally are simply and clearly stated in Jack’s most recent book, Enough. Unfortunately there are not enough Jack Bogles around in today’s world of instant gratification. Enough. should be must reading for business students and corporate board members.” —David L. Sokol, Chairman, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company...

Authors: Spencer Johnson.
Hardcover, 96 pages
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: 1998-09-08


Reviews :

    From one of the world's most recognized experts on management comes a charming parable filled with insights designed to help readers manage change quickly and prevail in changing times....

    Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Who Moved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature of cheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are "littlepeople," mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It's not just sustenance to them; it's their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they've found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out.

Dr. Johnson, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and many other books, presents this parable to business, church groups, schools, military organizations--anyplace where you find people who may fear or resist change. And although more analytical and skeptical readers may find the tale a little too simplistic, its beauty is that it sums up all natural history in just 94 pages: Things change. They always have changed and always will change. And while there's no single way to deal with change, the consequence of pretending change won't happen is always the same: The cheese runs out. --Lou Schuler...

Authors: Charlene Li. Josh Bernoff.
Hardcover, 224 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Publication Date: 2008-04-21
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Corporate executives are struggling with a new trend: people using online social technologies (blogs, social networking sites, YouTube, podcasts) to discuss products and companies, write their own news, and find their own deals. This groundswell is global, it s unstoppable, it affects every industry and it s utterly foreign to the powerful companies running things now.

When consumers you ve never met are rating your company s products in public forums with which you have no experience or influence, your company is vulnerable. In Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester, Inc. explain how to turn this threat into an opportunity.

Using tools and data straight from Forrester, you ll learn how to:



-Evaluate new social technologies as they emerge

-Determine how different groups of consumers are participating in social technology arenas

-Apply a four-step process for formulating your future strategy

-Build social technologies into your business including monitoring your brand value, talking with the groundswell through marketing and PR campaigns, and energizing your best customers to recruit their peers

Timely and insightful, this book is required reading for executives seeking to protect and strengthen their company s public image.

"Groundswell is jammed with big ideas, useful stories, and quotable stats. This is the new industrial revolution. Are you on board?"

-Seth Godin, author, Meatball Sundae

"This book will rock your world, if social technology hasn't rocked it already. It's a tsunami of unstoppable force. Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Google, and Dell are profiting from the crest of the wave. Are you? Li and Bernoff are the apostles of the tsunami. This book will be your bible."

-Scott Cook, Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit

Groundswell provides practical advice on how to stay nimble and flexible in an ever-morphing digital world. Enabling your company to respond to change quickly especially when talking to and supporting your consumers is essential for business success.

-Cathie Black, President, Hearst Magazines

"The first phase of the Internet was about getting everyone connected. In this next phase, which changes the way we work, live, play, and learn, we re starting to realize the value of those connections as well as the new communications and experiences those interactions lead to the human network. Groundswell effectively documents this shift and underscores the opportunities available to all from this major market transition."

-John T. Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco

"Heed the Groundswell! It's critical reading and helped us master the new dynamics of social media."

-Christina Norman, President, MTV

"Groundswell is a comprehensive look at the tidal wave of change engulfing marketers. Nobody should attempt to engage the newly empowered and emboldened consumer without first hearing what Li and Bernoff have to say on the subject."

-Clark Kokich, CEO, Avenue A | Razorfish

"Social technologies and the groundswell impact every business and organization worldwide. Li and Bernoff have written an insightful book that takes a refreshing research-driven approach to helping businesses transform themselves and successfully navigate this new dynamic landscape."

-Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President, Edelman Digital, and columnist for Advertising Age...

Authors: Stephen M.R. Covey.
Paperback, 384 pages
Publisher: Free Press
Publication Date: 2008-02-05


Reviews :

    From Stephen R. Covey's eldest son comes a revolutionary new path towards productivity and satisfaction. Trust, says Stephen M.R. Covey, is the very basis of the new global economy, and he shows how trust—and the speed at which it is established with clients, employees and constituents—is the essential ingredient for any high–performance, successful organization.

For business leaders and public figures in any arena, The Speed of Trust offers an unprecedented and eminently practical look at exactly how trust functions in our every transaction and relationship—from the most personal to the broadest, most indirect interaction—and how to establish trust immediately so that you and your organization can forego the time–killing, bureaucratic check–and–balance processes so often deployed in lieu of actual trust....

Authors: John G. Miller.
Hardcover, 128 pages
Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2004-09-09
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change.

Fish! helped raise flagging morale.

Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done.

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability.

The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.

The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, "Who dropped the ball?" "Why can't they do their work properly?" or "Why do we have to go through all these changes?" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: "How can I improve this situation?" "What can I contribute?" or "How can I make a difference?"

Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change....

    QBQ! by John G. Miller is a motivational primer aimed at purging the "blame, complaining, and procrastination" from the workplace. Miller believes that one of the hallmarks of today's business culture is a lack of personal accountability; he prescribes the cure in this series of short stories and personal observations drawn from his years of experience running his organizational development firm. His main point is that positive change begins with individuals changing themselves: "Instead of asking, 'When will others walk their talk?' let's walk our talk first." The result is choppy (39 chapters in 115 pages), and at times Miller's advice boils down to truism and cliché. Nevertheless, managers whose workplaces demand remedial, straightforward advice should find a useful tool here. --Harry C. Edwards ...

Authors: Napoleon Hill. Arthur Pell.
Paperback, 320 pages
Publisher: Tarcher
Publication Date: 2005-08-18
Edition: Rev Exp

Reviews :

    The bestselling success book of all time is updated and revised with contemporary ideas and examples.

Think and Grow Rich has been called the "Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature." It was the first book to boldly ask, "What makes a winner?" The man who asked and listened for the answer, Napoleon Hill, is now counted in the top ranks of the world's winners himself.

The most famous of all teachers of success spent "a fortune and the better part of a lifetime of effort" to produce the "Law of Success" philosophy that forms the basis of his books and that is so powerfully summarized in this one.

In the original Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937, Hill draws on stories of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and other millionaires of his generation to illustrate his principles. In the updated version, Arthur R. Pell, Ph.D., a nationally known author, lecturer, and consultant in human resources management and an expert in applying Hill's thought, deftly interweaves anecdotes of how contemporary millionaires and billionaires, such as Bill Gates, Mary Kay Ash, Dave Thomas, and Sir John Templeton, achieved their wealth. Outmoded or arcane terminology and examples are faithfully refreshed to preclude any stumbling blocks to a new generation of readers....

Authors: NLP Comprehensive.
Paperback, 352 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Publication Date: 1996-02-19


Reviews :

   

NLP has already helped millions of people overcome fears, increase confidence, enrich relationships, and achieve greater sucess. Now the NLP Comprehensive Training Team has written a book that reveals how to use this breakthrough technology to achieve whatever you want.

Short for neuro-linguistic programming, NLP is a revolutionary approach to human communication and development. In NLP: The New Technology of Achievement, you'll be guided step-by-step through specific programs for learning the characeristics of top achievers and creating a blueprint for unlimited sucess. Plus, an all-new twenty-one-day program created especially for this book provides you with the essential skills you'll need to achieve peak performance in business and life.

...

Authors: David J. Lieberman.
Paperback, 204 pages
Publisher: Viter Press
Publication Date: 2007-03-01


Reviews :

    Have you ever wished you could peer into someone’s mind to find out what he or she is really thinking? Now you can . . . really. This book is not a collection of recycled ideas about body language. It does not suggest that a woman’s hairstyle will give us unprecedented access into her soul, neither does it draw wildly ambiguous generalities about people based on our intuition or gut instinct, nor does it reach conclusions based on how she folds her hands or he ties his shoelaces. This book contains specific, proven psychological techniques that can be applied instantly to any person in just about any situation. Dr. Lieberman has demonstrated the ease and accuracy of these techniques on hundreds of television and radio programs. In a special report for FOX News, host Jeff Rosin declared, “It’s simply amazing! I was with him and he was never wrong . . . not even once. I even learned how to do it and that’s saying something.” In fact, Dr. Lieberman has gone “head-to-head” on live television, with skilled polygraph examiners and scored just as well—every time. You Can Read Anyone shows step-by-step exactly how to tell what someone is thinking and feeling in real-life situations. For example, you will see precisely how to determine whether another poker player will stay in or fold, whether a salesperson is trustworthy, or whether or not a first date is going your way or the other way. And when the stakes are high—negotiations, interrogations, questions of abuse, theft, or fraud-- knowing who is out for you, and who is out to get you (or a loved one) can save you time, money, energy, and heartache....

Authors: Marcus Buckingham.
Hardcover, 112 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2008-09-30


Reviews :

   

An Experience to Revolutionize Your Life from Marcus Buckingham - the World's Leading Expert on Career Success!

Want to know what you are supposed to do with your life? The Truth About You is an experience to unlock life's toughest questions. The process this revolutionary toolkit teaches will create higher satisfaction and performance in life and work. This cutting-edge product includes:

Enhanced DVD. A high-energy film reveals how and why you must discover and prioritize your strengths and includes access to a wealth of downloadable resources, including five bonus Strength Tip videos.

Interactive Book. With insightful exercises and tried-and-true life wisdom no one else will tell you, the book takes you to the location of your most powerful and unchanging talents.

ReMemo Pad. Designed for a life on-the-go, the ReMemo Pad becomes your companion to complete the task of revealing your strengths using your everyday experiences.

Perfect for high school and college students, young professionals, and people simply wanting to revitalize their career, The Truth About You helps you develop the kind of clarity and passion that drives a successful and satisfying future. Marcus Buckingham will help you discover the real truth, the truth about you . . . it will be your secret to success.

...

Authors: Lois P. Frankel.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: Business Plus
Publication Date: 2004-02
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    For every professional woman who wants to get ahead - but feels she is at an impasse - NICE GIRLS DON'T GET THE CORNER OFFICE comes to the rescue. Although it's less threatening and more politically correct for women to point the finger outwardly when assessing why they are overlooked for promotions and assignments for which they are superbly qualified, the real answers may lie inward. In this book, Dr Lois Frankel, an internationally recognised corporate coach and author, reveals the 101 self-sabotaging behaviours women learn as girls - behaviours and habits that are now holding them back in the workplace, such as couching statements as questions, tilting your head when you speak, waiting to be noticed and pinching company pennies. From executive to entry level, every woman needs to know what she is doing to subconsciously sound, look, act, market herself, and/or be treated like a 'girl'. This book will help women to become aware of when and how they are damaging their careers and it will give them the advice and tips they need to help replace these self- defeating behaviours with more effective ones - and finally claim the corner office they so richly deserve....