Friday, February 19, 2016

TheStreet: 7 Must-Read Books if You Want to Get Rich, in Dollars and Sense

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It's often said that very successful people don't waste time watching TV. Instead, they read voraciously.
Which begs the question, 'What should you read?' Will sappy romances and airport thrillers do the trick? Self-help guides, maybe? It depends, ultimately, on how you define success. 
If you want to learn something about money, investing, and accumulating wealth, then the trick is to find some books on the topic that won't bore you silly. Here are some new ones as well as a few that have stood the test of time.

Let's start with something hot off the press: The Devil's Financial Dictionary by Jason Zweig, a veteran financial journalist and former colleague of mine at the Dow Jones division of Newscorp.


Read more here.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

U.S. News: How To Invest In India

By SIMON CONSTABLE

In a world where major economies are either slowing (China) or growing at sluggish rates (the European Union), there is one country that stands out: India. 

In fact, India has the potential to be huge, but there is opportunity there only for investors with a strong stomach. Read more here.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash


Tuesday, February 16, 2016

TheStreet: How Digital Style Helps Insurers Profile You -- And Save You Money

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Would you strap on an Apple Watch or Fitbit device to get a better deal on your health insurance?

You may have the opportunity soon, as the once-stodgy insurance business explores ways to take advantage of vast quantities of consumer health data and the proliferation of wearable devices. Many insurers are conducting pilot tests that involve asking people to wear personal devices that collect health information, says Shane Cassidy, senior vice president for North American insurance with consulting firm CapGemini Financial Services in Chicago. 
Read more here.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Forbes: How To Live Like Charles Bukowski

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Abel Debritto is back with another edited compilation of writing by Charles Bukowski, this time he deals with the heart. The book, On Love, was published by Ecco in early February.
As with all things Bukowski, it is about much more than the title. It’s about life, failure, success, and regrets. One thing I like about him is that he pursued his own goals rather than the goals others might have set for him. That’s something we should all learn. Read more here.

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Barron's: The Great Orange Juice Squeeze

By SIMON CONSTABLE

This might be hard to swallow, but a case CAN be made that orange-juice futures will soon go the way of the dodo. The market certainly isn’t quite as sweet as it once was.
“OJ is a market that has been racing to the bottom of a futures-market extinction event,” says Shawn Hackett, CEO and president of Hackett Financial Advisors and author of the Hackett Money Flow Report.
At least part of the problem is that orange juice isn’t the staple it once was. Slipping consumption is having a knock-on effect in the futures market, which could eventually mean orange juice no longer will attract enough interest from speculative traders to be viable. Read more here.

Photo by aliet kitchen on Unsplash

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Forbes: Worst Boss -- Part 11


By SIMON CONSTABLE

Part 11 of a continuing series, which outlines how you too can be an appalling manager. Read part 10 here.

For this part the focus shall be on quitting. There are great ways to quit, but as a terrible boss you should pick only awful ways. Here are some examples, with commentary.

U.S. News: How to Spot the Bear Market and Beat It

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If stocks are in a bear market, the last thing investors need is to hear about it after the fact. It's as unhelpful as being told, "You should have been here yesterday." 
The pullback in the Standard & Poor's 500 index hasn't yet reached the classic definition of a bear market, which is a decline of 20 percent or more. But by that measure, the drop is nearly here. 
Are we headed for a bear market, and what should investors do? The answers are tricky.
Read more here.