Posted July 2, 2008 - 07:14 by Philip Brewer
Is there a link between having a modern society and having a western society? The vast economic and military power of the United States (and before that, the United Kingdom) has made the two seem more connected than they actually may be.
Posted June 22, 2008 - 14:05 by Philip Brewer
Here are two ideas you already know: You won't achieve maximum happiness by always doing the most pleasurable thing you can think of at each moment, but neither will you find it by always deferring present happiness in favor of greater future happiness. The key is balancing these two things. And the genius in this book is that it gives you tools for finding that balance.
Posted June 17, 2008 - 02:31 by Philip Brewer
The human brain has a powerful capability to spot patterns. It's so good at spotting patterns, it can spot patterns that aren't even there. It's this fact that makes randomness--the topic of Mlodinow's new book--so interesting and so confusing.
Posted April 28, 2008 - 05:08 by Philip Brewer
Do you need a kick in the pants to get you saving for retirement? Do you need someone to wave their arms and run around screaming that your whole future is at risk, in order to motivate you to put some serious money aside and take the time to learn how your 401(k) works? If so, this is the book for you.
Posted April 22, 2008 - 05:12 by Philip Brewer
Early retirement is a topic I've always been interested in. The particular version of it that this book deals with--living well on less money, as a means to getting by without having to work at a regular job--is not only interesting, it's the life I'm living. Allowing for the fact that it's aimed right at my own personal sweet spot, I liked it even better than I expected. It reads like the author started following me around a year ago, figured out exactly what questions I needed answered, then carefully and thoughtfully wrote a book to answer them.
Posted March 24, 2008 - 06:16 by Philip Brewer
I wasn't looking forward to doing my taxes this year. They were going to be more complicated than in years past, because I left my regular job and started working full-time as a writer. I also had some other new complications. TurboTax handled it all without difficulty.
Posted February 7, 2008 - 07:17 by Philip Brewer
For most of the 20th century, capitalism and democracy seemed to go hand-in-hand. After all, every democratic country was largely capitalist and nearly every capitalist country was, at least to some extent, democratic. What we've seen since the 1970s, though, has been a huge upswing in capitalism, while democracy has weakened. Robert Reich's book is about how this happened and what we might do about it.
Posted January 29, 2008 - 08:47 by Philip Brewer
The message of this book is simple: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Michael Pollan gives it away right at the start, so I don't feel too bad doing the same. If you already eat food, but you worry about health and nutrition, you'll find this book fascinating and important. If, on the other hand, you're the sort of person who tends to eat less food and more "edible substances" and "food products," you will instead find this book important and fascinating.
Posted December 19, 2007 - 13:52 by Linsey Knerl
Snigglezoo Entertainment recently sent me a review copy of their Money Mammals DVD to try out. The results were both surprising and delightful. Here are the five key areas that impressed me about the video, along with resources for making sure all that new-found financial info really sticks!
Posted October 3, 2007 - 04:15 by Philip Brewer
Halfway through Fred Brock's book Retire on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Planning Your Financial Future, I was already drafting a review that would call it good but kind of basic for most Wise Bread readers. Then it clued me in to an oddity of federal law that could make the difference between keeping or losing my health insurance. That one bit is not only worth the price of the book, it could easily be worth my entire life savings. Actually writing the review, I realized the book is full of bits like that. I happened to know most of them already, but I've been studying this stuff for years. I have to say this is a must-read book for anyone who hopes to retire before they're 65.
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