» Posted by Martin Weil on July 12, 2010

Five Books is a wonderful concept. Ask experts in a field - any field from cooking to terrorism with stops at atomic physics and Buddhism along the way - to provide "5 Best Books" in their subject. And then publish those lists with the list choser's narrative on each selection. Highly recommended.

» Posted by Martin Weil on April 13, 2010

I wrote back in February that Liaquat Ahamed's "Lords of Finance" is one of the best books of the year and one of the best modern histories I have read in many years. The Pulitzer Committee apparently has the same opinion as it awarded Ahamed's work this years Prize in History.

» Posted by Martin Weil on March 18, 2010

This is the title of the newly-released book by former Government Accountability Office (GAO) head David Walker. Walker's subject - no less than how to save the USA from the financial ruin that many see in our future.

I have been a fan of Walker's since he first started raising alarm bells in the late 1990s about the looming disaster in future Medicare liabilities. Walker is a no-nonsense, nuts and bolts guy, with enough ammunition to offend both Democrats and Republicans. I am sure his book is a must read. It is next up on my list. After all, how could an author who receives glowing praise from the likes of Paul Volcker, Ross Perot and Bill Bradley not be worth hearing out?

» Posted by Martin Weil on February 07, 2010

The Lords of Finance is an extremely well-written narrative of the financial urgencies that drove the western world from WWI to the Great Depression and ultimately WWII. This fascinating and gripping tale tells the personal and professional stories of four men - Ben Strong, Montagu Norman, Hjalmer Schacht, Emile Moreau - who headed the central banks of the four great powers through the great financial crisis of the 20th century. The parallels to our present situation are inescapable. Economics students, history buffs and biography fans should find much worthwhile.

» Posted by Martin Weil on February 04, 2010

Demand question time is a bi-partisan grassroots effort to encourage this and future Presidents to engage in the sort of civilized public dialogue with members of the opposite party that occurred last week. Follow the link and you can add your name to the petition. It is overdue time to restore an informed democracy and drive out the demagogues, panderers, lobbyists and political hatchet men from the temple.

» Posted by Martin Weil on December 30, 2009

Financial regulation's long slog through Congress has left it riddled with loopholes, carved out at the request of the same industries that caused the mess in the first place. An outraged American public is proving no match for the mix of corporate money and influence that has been marshaled on behalf of the financial sector.

The Huffington Post has undertaken a remarkable piece of financial journalism, the sort one once expected of the NY Times or other print media. Entitled The Cash Committee, the article explains the hows and whys of the stranglehold financial services interests have on Congress. It is a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the realities of our contemporary political system.

Where, oh where, is our modern-day Ferdinand Pecora?

» Posted by Martin Weil on December 15, 2009

If you are looking for a great blog on almost any business-related topic (Green Business, Gen X, Gen Y, Sports Business and much much more), Business Pundit has complied a terrific list of the best blog sites for 2009. I frequent a bunch of these selections (Marginal Revolution,The Big Picture, Penelope's Trunk) and have recommended them highly in the past.

» Posted by Martin Weil on November 16, 2009

I somehow managed to miss reading Peter Bernstein's seminal Against The Gods when it first came out in the 1990s. My loss. For the lay person or even the professional interested in understanding risk and the capital markets, this book is an absolute must-read.

» Posted by Martin Weil on September 28, 2009

Today's increasingly bewildering financial and economic problems explained in layman's terms. Planet Money podcasts are an excellent way to spend 30 minutes a week while commuting. Do not be put off by the "gee whiz" folksy approach. These guys know their stuff.

» Posted by Martin Weil on June 30, 2009

Three Cups of Tea - an astonishing story of one person making a difference in a very dangerous, and important, region of the world. After finishing the book, you can support Greg Mortenson's heroic efforts here.