financial Books

This concise, clearly written book describes how Accenture went from being a company that put its entire workforce through a standard suite of courses to becoming a company with a knowledge-sharing culture. Accenture's employees now embody its knowledge and service capability. Even though your company is probably different from Accenture, your workforce is still the engine that allows it to grow and compete. A company can thrive only if its people have the opportunity to constantly renew their skills. If that level of knowledge management is part of your goals, getAbstract recommends this case study of how to create a high-performance learning culture.

To the best of my knowledge, this book offers the single best source for information and counsel on how to design a high-impact learning program that can be implemented and then sustained (with continuous improvement) at all levels and within all areas of the given organization. Better yet, as the contributors to this book (members of Accenture's Capability Development team) explain, the ROI of such a program can be both quantified and verified.

In 2001, Accenture faced a number of major challenges that are best revealed and discussed within the narrative, in context. The fact remains that, led by Donald Vanthournout, Accenture's Capability Development team began a "journey" that had to take those challenges into full account. What they learned provides the most valuable material in this book. The story of their journey is a business story: about how one company - Accenture - advanced toward high performance through learning, knowledge management and the transformation of its workforce. By extension, however, it is about how other organizations can do the same."

In recent years, senior-level executives have been much more interested in knowing how to increase and improve the nature and extent of employee engagement: "how can they best tap into the collective intelligence of their people and engage them in their work, for their benefit and the benefit of he entire enterprise?" Vanthournout and the members of his team shared a business-centric perspective. They were determined to link human capital investments to business benefits, both for Accenture and for each of its clients; to put in place the governance and leadership structures that increase a learning program's chances of success; to ensure that the actual classroom and electrinic training create what the team characterized as "phenomenal" learning experiences; and to maximize the operational efficiency of learning. According to Vanthournout, he selected members to comprise a team that "was more of a team focused more on corporate education than it was an education team trying to have a business impact."

Here are some of the key lessons that members of the Accenture team learned during their "journey,"each of which is supported by hard data rather than by firm (albeit sincere) convictions:

1. Enterprise learning must be driven with the end in mind: the business results to be achieved.

2. An enterprise should build a learning strategy founded on the core values of the organization, as well as its primary leadership values.

3. Through metrics and ROI analysis, learning investments can be linked to business performance outcomes.

4. When conducting an ROI analysis, organizations should focus on how learning improved a person's performance on the job.

5. According to Kurt Olson, a team member, "Although it may be an overused phrase now, phenomenal earning was truly the `secret sauce' for many of the outcomes we have accomplished with the learning transformation initiative at Accenture. Phenomenal learning was how all good planning and design came to life. It's how the `thinking' and the `doing' all came together to produce phenomenal results."

6. To address the increasing emphasis on business outcomes, today's learning professionals must have strong business skills.

7. Because the lifespan of learning content is shrinking as the marketplace changes more rapidly, Accenture must develop the means for faster, continuous, and more efficient content production or revision.

8. A global learning infrastructure can integrate vital decision-support functionalities that help increase the impact of learning and keep it aligned with the most important business needs.

9. Companies should focus on differentiating their workforces, creating deep skills in people that can be brought to bear anywhere around the organization.

10. Increasing the engagement of employees is important not only to retaining them and improving productivity. It is important to growth and innovation by tapping into the collective intelligence of value workers.

It is worth noting that, as a result of the efforts of the Capability Development team, working closely with senior management and countless other associates throughout the firm, "for every dollar Accenture invests in learning, the company receives that dollar back plus an additional $3.25 in measurable value to its bottom line. - in other words, a 353 percent return on learning." Literally, ROL = ROI. To repeat, Return on Learning is also about "how other organizations can do the same." Or how they can at least "use learning programs for major business impact, and can run learning as a business."

Those who share my high regard for it are urged to check out any book written by Peter Senge (notably The Fifth Discipline The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization and The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations (co-authored with Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, and George Roth as well as James O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership, Corporate Agility: A Revolutionary Model for Competing in a Flat World co-authored by Charles E. Grantham, James P. Ware, and Cory Williamson, Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

A great book. I'm sorry that I haven't seen it reviewed in major publications. There's a real wisdom at the heart of this book. Lots of ideas about how to deliver great training that has an impact on the business. Personal reflections from the people who work for the training organization at Accenture, all spun as a story. And then some really provocative, forward-looking ideas. Reading the book is like bringing a Trojan horse of ideas into your company.

I'm guessing that "Ed" and I (see other review) might have been at the same conference together where we received a copy of this book. I can second much of what he says, and also add that when it comes to one of my personal measures of a book's value--"number of significant ideas per page"--this book scores very high. I liked the "phenomenal learning" stuff in particular, and I also liked the discussion of Accenture's decision support capabilities that it developed as part of its learning management system.

I'd have to classify myself as one of those getting somewhat disillusioned by the big discrepancy between what a company's leaders say about their workforce ("People are our most important asset, yadda yadda yadda") and where they really invest their money. (Guess what budgets get cut first when things get tight?) I don't know enough about Accenture's inner workings from an employee's perspective to know if it's business really rises above that, but it is clear they are wrestling with it, and that certain core leaders really do "get" it.

There are practical ideas in this book and there are some "big vision" kinds of ideas -- something for about everyone.

I finished this book on a cross-country flight this week (the book is admirably short and punchy) and I'm still shaking my head over it. The book is incredibly honest about how business change and a down economy had apparently temporarily weakened Accenture's commitment to its workforce to provide training and development opportunities. (Actual quote from the book, when Accenture's Chief Learning Officer is trying to convince his executives that something had to be done: "The deal we have made with our people has been broken.")

But then the book proceeds to tell an entirely believable story of how they turned things around. Sure, there is the ocasional bit of consulting-speak in here, but most of what you get are practical ideas about how to plan, how to get your executives on board (please give this book to your local CEO/COO/CFO), how to use outsourcing in a smart way, how to use technology, ect., ect. And its not filled with theory but practical experiences of real people. For those with the background/interest, there is also a chapter on the number-crunching. Doubt it if you want to, but these guys proved that Accenture gets a 353 percent return on every dollar it spends on training. From what I can tell by reading that chapter, the real number probably is even higher since the ROI model they created only used a few parameters that they were absolutely sure they could quantify.

The book is really targeted at executives, but there is also a lot of good stuff for learning and HR professionals. One thing I really liked: Accenture's admission that in previous years they're training people had gotten lots of awards for training courses but weren't as good when it came to delivering projects on time and on budget. This new team got the respect of senior executives by saying, "Yeah, we're still going to deliver great training, but we're also going to do it by being good stewards of your investment dollars."

Not everyone is going to have the money Accenture has to throw at problems like this, but they, too, learned to do a lot with a much smaller budget -- and I can't think of a single thing here that another CEO or HR/learning executive like myself couldn't apply in some way to his or her organization.

On top of it all, the book is written in a totally compelling way. Other writers of business books, take note: it's written such that the authors are actually characters in a story. As a reader, your brought along as if you were reading a novel. Even if learning or HR isn't your thing, take a read to see how you can plan any kind of reinvention business program.

A really well done book, and worth the time it took for me to write a few words saying, "Way to go."

This is a good book, with a fair and well formed assortment of mathematical resources, sepecifically some of the more difficult and common integrals that nobody wants to have to do. At least that's what I use it for. Came in good condition, so that was nice too.

Are you an enginner that has not used any uper level math for a long time? Are you a student that wants book packed wrh all the math you will need? This is the book for you! The math in this book goes from trig to diff Eq to bessel tables and then some.

This book is wonderful for anyone pursuing a career in analytical sciences. It removes the need for a calculator completely. I didn't know so much could be crammed into something so little.

I am a Junior Physics major and this book has been a great tool for integrations, series, etc. when you don't have a mathematical computing program available. The special indefinite integral tables are especially useful.

A very handy resource for math beyond calculus, physics or engineering. The integral tables are useful for homework in advanced courses and exams where such tables are permitted. Later, this concise math refresher is handy when doing research. It's not as thorough as the CRC handbook, but it's much easier on the budget. Great value, highly recommended.

That the good professor kept this book in his head for a decade or so before writing it is almost unforgivable. Where was he when I started picking retirement benefits with my first job? All those annual reports I disregarded--all that valuable company provided information I had no clue about. This novel, well okay, this business book, should be in the hands of every single person whose ever had a job, retirement plan, or a few investments. With his book, Haskins allows everyone an opportunity to learn the language of finance and thereby improve their decision making.

The book uses stories to show practical applications. Haskins provides an explainable history about how financial reporting has evolved and why things are the way they are in company documents. Although the information is specific and deals with financial reports and data, it is extremely readable. In fact one could argue that the danger in Haskins' writing is the readability-- he provides information in such a manner that is it indeed easily explained to Grandma!

If I may, I'd like to share a couple of thoughts about this book, acknowledging that I am the author. This book is a direct outgrowth of 25+ years of teaching non-financial managers and entering MBA students the basics, and the art, of financial reporting at the University of Virginia's highly acclaimed Darden School of Business. The book is written with an eye towards: avoiding the traditional, tedious, process-oriented approach; providing lots of examples from business we are all familiar with; offering scores of easily understood, every-day type analogies; and highlighting for readers the important, easily-remembered keys to becoming financial statement savvy. It is an excellent book for the do-it-yourself investor wanting to understand the story contained within published corporate annual reports. It is an easy read for a busy non-financial business person seeking to better understand their own company's annual report or that of a major competitor or customer. Similarly, it is an ideal resource for entering MBA students seeking a head start on their required accounting course or who want a quick review of the subject's basics. In short, this book is for those who want to understand the key content, basic conventions, and fundamental interpretation of corporate annual financial reports without having to become accountants or financial experts.

Mark Haskins' book, "The Secret Language of Financial Reports", is a must read for every manager. He explains in simple terms how to disect an annual report to learn the true story of a company's performance and potential. Dr. Haskins covers how to read balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flow, which are skills every manager should have. Our Fortune 100 company has provided over 400 copies of this book to our managers and has made it required reading for some of our internal business courses, and every student's evaluation of the book has been outstanding. There is no easier read on these topics!

I am a novice investor, and I was looking for just such a book to help decipher company financial reports. This book is very informative and allows one to interpret financial reports with some knowledge. It is not difficult to read, but, despite the author's best intentions, it is a dry subject. However, I believe that the intelligent investor would do well to go through a book like this prior to investing in the stocks of public companies - investing directly in stocks without understanding the financial status of a company is like throwing darts blindfolded.

Finally, there is a book that explains the details of financial reports
in an easy and enjoyable read. Professor Haskins holds your attention
as he makes the subject matter easy to understand. This is a great book
for those new to financial reporting and those who need to brush up on
their skills.

Provides a concise and creative discussion of the economic and political dimension of global financial reform. --David Hale, Global Chief Economist, Zurich Group

Examines G8 policy dynamics over the last 30 years with rare vigour and insight. Both a sensible blueprint for a new international financial system, and the definitive handbook for a new kind of governance within the G8 architecture. --Dr Yoichi Funabashi, Deputy Editor for Economic Affairs, Asahi Shimbun

A welcome addition to the literature on this important global network. Significant and accessible contributions to the study of the G7/G8. --Millennium: Journal of International Studies

This is a first-rate piece of work that contributes significantly to our understanding of the current state and future prospects for stability and order in the international financial system. --Michael Hawes, Queen's University

Although the authors are senior established figures assessing the world establishment, they nonetheless reach some lively and controversial conclusions. It is a well-written and carefully considered overview of the problems of patching up the international monetary structure, as seen primarily from the viewpoint of the G7, at the very end of the last century. --Charles Goodhart, London School of Economics and Political Science

This is a great read for anyone who is wanting to make sure they can retire with enough money put aside for their retirement.

All in all, this is a great book on long term investing. Nick uses simple and true math to prove the points. I was able for the first time to fully understand dollar cost averaging and I now have a new view on bonds.

Only problem I had with it was his 'voice' as he made comments about working with a financial planner. At times I felt as if he was calling me stupid if I didn't agree with him. He also didn't make ANY good arguments of why I should use a planner....his only point was they a planner will stop you from selling when you shouldn't. Guess what Nick, I'm a big boy...thanks.

Again, it is valuable despite my one gripe.

An excellent book if you are a financial planner. It gives you all the ammunition you need to handle the objections of your prospective clients. I am not too sure that it would convince prospects that working with an advisor is the best thing to do even though it is.

Nick Murray does a great job of explaining the concept of investing in mutual funds to creatate wealth. This book is simple and easy to read, a great book for a beginner. The internet has made investing very complex, Nick Murray has made the process simple.

This book, simply and conveniently, describes necessary investor behavior to accumulate wealth. This is a great book for financial advisors to send their clients and prospects to easily explain the "trick" to wealth accumulation and preservation. Some of the concepts and charts clearly illustrate what most of us try, sometimes in vain, to educate our clients about. Excellent tool for financial advisors. I highly recommend this!!!

Yes, things have changed in financial investing since the book was published in 1993. However, the practical biblical wisdom is still appropriate.

Among the investing that still apply today that Austin Pryor mentions include:

1. A Biblical Blueprint for Building Your Financial House on Solid Rock.
2. Investing That Glorifies God and Values His Majesty.
3. Investing That Glorifies God and Builds His Kingdom.
4. Investing That Glorifies God and Upholds His Righteousness.
5. Investing That Glorifies God and Seeks His Wisdom.
6. Investing That Glorifies God and Enjoys His Blessings.

Again, while investing has changed some since the book was published around 13 years ago, the biblical principles mentioned in the book are still relevant and will still be years down the road.

Read and heed the wisdom found in this book. Recommended.

This is an awesome book! It is helpful for the beginner as well as someone who already has a "foundational" knowledge of finance. It is easy to read and understand and yet gives you a wealth of information. I read it cover to cover and even now often find myself using it as reference for making financial decisions. A must have for anyone interested in getting their financial house in order in a manner that is honoring to God. Worth every penny and more!

After trying to invest on my own,with mixed results; I've come to have a real admiration for the years of solid experience and great insight in Sound Mind Investing. The market perspective, great research and wonderful world view rate this book tops for me.

Austin Pryor teaches all of the basics of investing in this one book. The principles he teaches have already helped me. I trust his wisdom and knowledge. This book is well worth the money you'll spend for it.

In the foreward of the third edition of "Sound Mind Investing", Larry Burkett writes "...I endorse the integrity and honesty of Austin Pryor. Obviously you, the reader, must evaluate his advice yourself. No one individual has the right advice for everyone, and anyone can, and will, be wrong in the changing economy we live in. But if you will spend the time to read carefully the counsel Austin provides in this book, you will find it both time and money well spent."

I agree wholeheartedly. After having read numerous introductory texts on money-management from a Christian perspective, this book is the most comprehensive and readable text of the lot.

Austin's book is divided into 6 Sections:

1) Getting Debt-free. The author considers this the first level of financial fitness, an equivalent of laying a proper foundation upon which to build. At this early point in the text, he discusses the importance of tithing in your plan. Austin writes "we are not commanded to give generously. Rather, our giving is a test of sincerity of our love and our willingness to trust in God's utter faithfulness" (based upon 2Cor 8:8,9:8). Austin goes on to say "When you pray about your giving, may I encourage you to give to the full measure of your gratitude and cheerfulness. And continue to ask God to enlarge your heart toward Him so you can eagerly embrace the sacrifice needed to give all the more."
In addition, budgeting as well as the dangers associated with the misuse of credit cards are discussed.

2) Saving for Future Needs. This includes the principles of saving money in a secure, low-risk emergency fund (financial planners recommend 3 to 6 months living expenses; Austin recommends $10,000) as well as in an accumulation fund for big-ticket items that you anticipate purchasing within 1 to 5 years. He also includes advice on preparing to help your children to finance their college or technical education. He believes that, if parents have the financial means, they should consider helping with the expenses of a college education for their children. Emphasis is given to the benefits of investing for your children's education as early as possible. Powerful examples are given. Note that Austin believes that children should be responsible for a portion of their educational expenses as well. Advice on where to invest this money is given, including but not limited to Ed IRAs and 529 plans.

3) Investing Your Surplus. Once you are debt-free and have adequate savings in an emergency fund, the author believes you can then begin to take educated risks by investing your surplus in mutual funds. This section is a primer on investment basics and mutual funds.

4) Diversifying for Safety. Austin is a strong proponent of building an age-appropriate,diversified portfolio through mutual fund investing. For the typical investor, he advocates "dollar-cost-averaging" or "value-averaging" strategies versus market-timing strategies, although he does admit venturing into market-timing strategies in his personal investment approach (He did this professionally in the past, but does not recommend market-timing for the average investor. Reasons are given). This book includes a short quiz that enables the reader to see what their personal tolerance is for investment risk. Once you determine your tolerance level, Austin leads you through determining your appropriate portfolio mix and shows you how your mix should change as you go through the various financial stages of your life.

5) Retirement Countdown. Austin wants his readers to have a realistic view of their needs for retirement. He discusses how to properly lower your investment risk as retirement approaches.

6) Investing that Glorifies God. The book ends with a section entitled "Investing that Glorifies God, a Biblical Blueprint for Building Your Financial House on Solid Rock". This section is priceless. Austin essentially reminds the reader of the importance of an eternal perspective, and that our investing should glorify God by acknowledging His sovereignty, valuing His majesty, building His Kingdom, upholding His righteousness, seeking His wisdom, and enjoying His blessing.

Please consider the counsel given in this book. I have and it has changed my financial life.

I purchased this book for the few chapters that were focussed on my specific tax situation; however, after reading the first couple of chapters just to see what was in them, I found myself continuing through the book almost forgetting why I bought it in the first place... and that is saying a lot given my present tax issues. Mr. Daily writes clearly and concisely on a wide range of tax topics, but what I found so valuable in this book is the door that he opens into the IRS. He not only provides web links, phone numbers, and other contact information, but he describes how the IRS will, or will not, handle a given situation. He lets the reader know when a form is needed and what form that is and when a letter, phone call or face-to-face meeting is best. Mr. Daily also provides advice on how to prepare for whatever tax-related issue the reader might face and what can be expected from the encounter with the IRS. I hate that a book like this is necessary, but very, very glad Mr. Daily wrote it and can't think of many who shouldn't read it.

This book is fairly short and to the point. I like that. It told me exactly what I needed to know for the collection process and I took care of my serious problem with the collection officer in one short meeting with no other help!
If your problems are very complex you may need more info but the book will direct on that also.
This was my second NOLO book that I would consider near perfect.

I didn't intend to stand up to the IRS but had to due to circumstances beyond my control. Daily's book gives a comprehensive look at what constrains the IRS and what sort of leeway a taxpayer. What I found to be of the most value, though, was his simple explaination of complex circumstances. Daily breaks down various tax problems and solutions and suggests ways to prevent having the IRS resort to putting a lean on your home, etc.

I'd highly recommend Daily's book as it has the insider perspective that a taxpayer needs but the dose of reality to prevent a false sense of security when negotiating with the IRS. Daily provides perspective as to what will work in your favor and what you can do to prevent yourself from working against yourself.

I was blessed with my first IRS audit in late 2007. Before the audit, I thought some preparation might be a good idea and being familiar with NOLO publications, I went to their site and found Daily's book, Stand Up to the IRS. I purchased the book and I found it to be an invaluable resource as I prepared for the examination.

Two things are emphasized in this work: 1. Refuse to be a doormat for the examiner and 2. Perseverance eventually pays off.

The book is also extremely valuable if you have not had the pleasure of an IRS examination - it gives great information in making your records examination ready.

The results of my examination were better than could be expected. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

HJE

My tax law practice if focused in the area of Estate Tax Planning and Asset Protection. I have very limited experience in representing any clients before the IRS. But while reading Stand Up to the IRS I began to think that it seemed like a pretty fun thing to do--yes I am a tax nerd. Seriously though, anyone who maybe faced with a tax controversy should read this book, even if you are going to hire an attorney. Not only will you save money on attorneys fees, but you will have a much better understanding of the process and will be able to discuss the issues intelligently with your lawyer--if he is a good lawyer he will appreciate that, if he does not get a new lawyer, or maybe just go back to Mr. Daily's book and do it yourself.

Marty Burbank, Esq.
Estate Tax Planning & Asset Protection
marty@martyburbanklaw.com

As a small business advocate and author, I highly recommend this book. Gene Marks has assembled advice from hundreds of authors and experts on small business, each with their own area of expertise. It has some very useful insight, resources, and wisdom, literally from A to Z. In this book, you will find information on business startup, taxes, interviewing, operations, improving sales, managing your employees, communications, business software, hiring, traveling, and more!

I enjoyed this book very much, particularly the section on "Day to Day" operations. Managing your business and maximizing cash flow can be quite overwhelming; the author, however, provides a practical and easy to understand guide for cash flow management. This concise and straightforward book is a valuable addition to any business owner's library.

It's only fair to note that I am one of the minor contributors to this book, and it's one reason why I have not reviewed the book since it first came out. That said, I really do wish I had this book when I started my own business 30 years ago. This is a fantastic resource, in a way allowing you to pick the brains of hundreds of authors, getting advice so that you can avoid pitfalls in starting, operating, maintaining a small business. But don't don't let the "Small Business" put you off. If you're a manager in a megacorporation, there's advice/knowledge to be gleaned by Gene's book. In fact, I wish it was mandatory reading for those who have lost their common-sense and sensibilities on the way up the corporate ladder.

Ethan Winning

Some one has finally done it. Someone has put together a book of just about all of the business advice you will ever need and from a group of business experts as varied as business itself. The Small Business Book of Lists edited by Gene Marks is probably the best deal in business books at this time. What Marks has done is gather list from industry experts all over the country to help the reader find just about all the advice he or she needs about anything from starting a business to handling your taxes, to handling your sales to even a section on day by day operations.
Here are a couple of my favorites: In the chapter called Where you Work, the section called The Road Warrior there are tips on subjects like Finding the cheapest airfares, which lists the web sites to go to get the best rates; then there is a section evaluating the best frequent flyer programs, as well a particularly intriguing section on getting the best rental car rates. This includes the very logical tip that if you rent a smoke free car, it will be newer and cleaner car and most importantly you will increase your odds of getting a free upgrade because non-smoking cars are in high demand.
Then there are lists on: how and when you need a board of directors; How to get the most from your sales people. And one that I really liked, the Top Tax Schemes identified by the IRS: a crack down on off shore transactions and the ever popular "zero return" where evaders enter all zeros on their returns including zero income and the write now and then" in Latin when reporting their withholding. I like to know how that works!
There is even a "Geek" section dedicated to technology including a list evaluating the best high tech equipment to purchase and why; costs of an e-commerce site and considerations in choosing a web hosting company.
Finally there is a greats section on collections one of our least favorite but most important subjects. This section alone will pay for the book.
Good stuff; interesting and easy to use. And for just shy of twenty bucks a real good deal;
In fact a great value and a must for your personal business library.

I'm a sole proprietor, and I didn't think this book had much for me. Until, of course, I needed to hire a part-time assistant. I found some great advice on how to screen resumes, set up interviews, and research candidates. This book had exactly the information I needed, and it was easy to find and easy to use. What a fabulous resource!

This is the best reference a small business could have! Covers all essential areas. A wealth of resources.

College sports recruiting is complicated -- NCAA restrictions on coaches (they used to text athletes, now they can't, etc.) are hard to keep up with and it is difficult to "position" the athlete among so many others. Further, even inadvertent mistakes can crush an application. Brown's key forte is tieing the rules and the advice directly into vignettes featuring various athletes at various times in the process. The vignettes give reality (and personality) to what in many other books on this subject is dry exposition of "just the facts, maam." Brown still is an active High School coach, so lives this stuff every day. Highly recommended.

This book is packed with information that is key to getting in front of the right people. College coaches are busy and competing to get their mind share is very difficult. This book has great insider information that clears up the mysterious "hot to" of getting the attention your athlete needs when they need it. As a parent of an athlete, I found there wasn't a source to go to for clear information on what to do. Mr. Brown has put together a much needed source of valuable information. Every coach should be passing this book out to their teams!

I have read over 7 books that compete in the college athlete recruiting area and this book is the most complete and revealing. Prospective student athlete examples of success and pitfalls are very revealing. Addresses many sports with great detail from students prospective. Book has an in depth analysis of coaches observations and what they are looking for in student athlete and makes some of the other books seem like basic outlines with bullit points. An easy read for me in one sitting. I could not put it down!

This book provides helpful instruction on the ins and outs of maneuvering through the complexities of college scholarships in a concise and easy to read format. This is a great guide for any athlete preparing for college.

I use to work in the recruiting office of a Major BIG XII university. From that first hand experience, I understand the things that can get the attention of the sports staff for future recruits. One top of all that, I have a cousin who is a D1 (FBS) player in soccer at a ACC school. This book provides fact, that is invaluable. It is a shame that I did not have this idea, or have this book for my cousin's parents. A must read.

Any parent cringes at the expensive of educating their child today. Dr. Robert Ronstadt reveals why tertiary education is so expensive as well as what parents can do to mitigate the costs. Additionally, Dr. Ronstadt offers a number of social policy recommendations. This a must read book for any parent with a child in high school or college / university. Reading The Tuition Travesty will enable: a. the parent to retain some of their hard earned dollars, and b. prevent their children being saddled with the crippling debt of educational loans. Get the facts, save education dollars, and most importantly, do the best by your child.

The most important decisions you'll make with your kids is the kind of education they will puruse and how you and they will pay for it. Surviving The Tuition Travesty showed us how a lot of higher education is really just another form of conspicuous consumption. We are now a lot smarter about sizing up the education we're buying and how we will be paying for it thanks to Ronstadt's book.

Colleges and universities have gotten to be like big, honking SUVs: They are way too expensive to buy, waste way too much of your energy, and don't deliver a great value for the price. We could put up with SUVs when gas cost $2/gallon and higher education cost $10,000/year, but those days are gone. You need to learn how to shop smart and buy smarter when it comes to a college education. This book is a goldmine of information to help you do just that.

I'm a parent of two kids who will be off to college next year and Ronstadt's book, Surviving The Tuition Travesty, has really opened my eyes and my kids eyes to the insanity that goes into deciding on and paying for a college education. If it weren't for this book I would have walked right into several of the traps that are lying out there.

The book Surviving the Tuition Travesty authored by Dr. Robert Ronstadt is an extraordinarily important and unique piece of work. The web site of the book displayed inside the cover page as well as in the appendix www.tuitiontravesty.com is a source for additional information and a place to download the associated spreadsheet software for calculations.

When I set out to review this book, I thought that I would be reviewing another how to type of book. The reality was far from it. This book is not only for reading but it is for keeping and studying. It is full of timely and encyclopedic amount of knowledge about the tuition situation in our higher education system that everyone should know about. As a professor responsible in educating our college students I was surprised that I did not know much about this important aspect of our higher education system. What I found in this book was an eye opener which I was not aware of it despite putting two of my children through college.

Murat Tanik
(Posted on behalf of Murat Tanik)