Money makes the world go around, but too many people don’t understand how it works—and they pay the consequences. Dale K. Cline, a certified public accountant and real estate investor and developer, helps everyday citizens boost their financial literacy in this easy-to-understand guidebook. In plain English, he focuses on the nuts and bolts of the economy, including how: confidence, monetary policy, and fiscal policy form the economy’s foundation; banks interact with each other, the Federal Reserve, and the US Treasury Department; prices for goods such as gold, oil, and real estate are determined. You’ll also learn how to read basic accounting and financial statements and the role that government plays in economic cycles. Just as important, you’ll understand how distant events in China and elsewhere can impact you here at home. While the economy is always changing, it’s a function of human circumstances—and it’s possible to understand its universal truths. Once you do, you’ll have the facts you need to transform your financial future by Banking on Confidence.

This first behind-closed-doors look at the elite cadre that controls the international money supply draws on hundreds of exclusive interviews and provides never-before-reported details of cloistered negotiations to reveal how perilously close the global economy has often come to collapsing.

Banking is an industry that deals with credit, cash holding, investments, and other types of financial operations. Because it allocates cash to borrowers with productive investments, the banking industry is one of the most important drivers of most economies. Deposits and withdrawals, currency exchange, forex trading, and wealth management are all services provided by banks. They also serve as a conduit between depositors and borrowers, using the monies placed by their customers to provide credit to those who need it. Banks make money by charging interest on loans, which they benefit from by charging a greater interest rate than they pay on customer deposits. They must, however, follow the rules set down by the central bank or the national government. A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from customers and provides loans to individuals and businesses. Banks profit by charging greater interest rates on loans than they do on customer deposits. In the United States, banks are mandated to hold 10% of client deposits as reserves, while the remaining 90% is used to make loans. How the Banking Industry Works - Banking Fundamentals The Federal Reserve regulates banks in the United States. Banks must keep at least 10% of each deposit on hand, but they can lend out the remaining 90% as loans. The reserve requirement applies to all types of banks with a US banking licence, and the reserve can be held as a deposit in a local Fed bank or as cash in the vault.

A Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg Businessweek Book of the Year Why our banking system is broken—and what we must do to fix it New bank failures have been a rude awakening for everyone who believed that the banking industry was reformed after the Global Financial Crisis—and that we’d never again have to choose between massive bailouts and financial havoc. The Bankers’ New Clothes uncovers just how little things have changed—and why banks are still so dangerous. Writing in clear language that anyone can understand, Anat Admati and Martin Hellwig debunk the false and misleading claims of bankers, regulators, politicians, academics, and others who oppose effective reform, and they explain how the banking system can be made safer and healthier. Thoroughly updated for a world where bank failures have made a dramatic return, this acclaimed and important book now features a new preface and four new chapters that expose the shortcomings of current policies and reveal how the dominance of banking even presents dangers to the rule of law and democracy itself.

Applying the Lessons of History to Understanding Fraud Today and Tomorrow Financial Stability provides a roadmap by which the world can anticipate and avoid future financial disruptions. This unique discussion of past and present financial events offers new insights that explain economic, political, and legal antecedents of financial crises in Western markets. With a detailed discussion of the history of finance, this book shows modern investors and finance professionals how to learn from past successes and failures to gauge future market threats. Readers will gain new insight into the antecedents of todays financial markets and the political economy that surrounds them. Armed with this knowledge, they will be able to craft a strategy that steers away from financial disorder and toward maximum stability. Coverage includes discussion of capital, forecasting, and political reaction, and past, present, and future applications within all realms of business. The companion website offers additional data and research, providing a complete resource for those seeking a better understanding of the risk at hand. As the world struggles to emerge from the latest financial crisis, professionals in finance, the law and other disciplines, and the people they advise, are searching for understanding to avoid future crises. Financial Stability argues that the best lessons are learned from our own mistakes, and that the ability to look ahead depends upon our willingness to look back. Readers will: Review the historical laws, practices, and outcomes that shaped the modern day financial markets of the great western economies Understand the theory of financial stability, the roles of law and transparency, and the importance of action to punish fraud in order to prevent future contagion Work through the theoretical proofs in terms of math, law, accounting, economics, philosophy, and international trade Build a strategy for the future with consideration toward needs, sources, balance, and learning from past mistakes Everywhere around the globe, at all points in history, financial crises have always been rooted in the confluence of politics, finance, and law. Financial Stability puts the latest global financial crisis in perspective, highlighting the lessons we have already learned, and those we need to internalize today.